Introduction
Toad for Oracle may use Oracle database Options (RAC, Partitioning, Spatial, etc) and Enterprise Management Packs (Tuning, Diagnostics, etc) depending on various factors (see full article). Such Toad features include (but not limited to) ADDM/AWR Reports, AWR Browser and ASM Manager which are part of the DB Admin Module.
Some features in Toad which appear to do what Oracle does, DO NOT actually use any Oracle features such as Schema Compare & Sync and Quest SQL Tuning.
This Blog sets out to clarify what Toad uses and what it does not for those of you who are unclear and concerned about Oracle database licensing, especially given the recent (June 16) announcement by Oracle of price increases between 15% and 20% across the board in their infrastructure and applications lines (
http://www.oracle.com/corporate/pricing/technology-price-list.pdf).
Background
Before I start, let’s first understand what Oracle provides according to what database Edition you are connected.
Some features in Oracle are more generally available such as Partitioning and Spatial and are options chosen by a DBA when they install the Oracle Enterprise Edition database.
Real Application Clusters (RAC) is available in both Standard (default) and Enterprise Editions (optional).
If you are using Oracle database Enterprise Edition, you may have licensed additional Enterprise Management Packs such as Diagnostics, Tuning, Change Management, Configuration Management, etc.
Please bear in mind that, by default, upon installation, the Oracle Management Agent enables these packs without any regard to what you may have licensed. Your DBA needs to de-select unlicensed packs as necessary after installing the agent on a target database.
If you have Oracle database Express or Standard (includes Standard One) Editions, options like those mentioned above are not available.
Toad for Oracle Editions
OK, so now that’s clear, let’s look at how Toad utilises this technology.
As you may already know, there are different editions of Toad for Oracle:
- Toad Base – maybe known as Standard (includes Knowledge Xperts + Debugging) - essential Toad features
- Toad Professional (Toad Base + extra features) - focussed on coding best practices
- Toad Xpert (Toad Professional + SQL Optimizer) - focussed on application performance
- Toad Development Suite (Toad Xpert + Quest Code Tester + Benchmark Factory for Oracle) – end-to-end Oracle development solution
- Toad DBA Suite (Toad Xpert + DB Admin Module+ Toad Data Modeler + Benchmark Factory for Oracle + Spotlight on Oracle) – complete DBAs toolkit for administration, diagnostics and tuning
There is also an Add-On Module called the DB Admin Module (formerly DBA Module), which contains most of Toad’s database administration features.
Does Toad need OEM ?
Toad offers optional features in the DB Admin Module (Toad 8.5 and higher) which WILL ACCESS the Oracle OEM Diagnostics Pack such as :
- ADDM/AWR Report Generator – enables snapshot management and shows both AWR and ASH reports
- AWR Browser – graphical representation of data collected from AWR
- ASM Manager – enables management of ASM disk groups and clients
Toad does offer alternate ways to determine performance bottlenecks without the use of ADDM/AWR such as the StatsPack Browser, TK Prof interface, Database Monitor, Session Browser and the Quest SQL Optimizer’s SQL Inspector to name a few. However, if you are already licensed to use the OEM Diagnostics Pack and you wish to get additional value from it, you can use the functionality we offer in Toad.
If you are on Oracle database 10g and above, you can use the Oracle Tuning Advisor feature in Toad Base (9.6 and higher) which WILL access both the Oracle OEM Tuning Pack and Diagnostics Pack.
Alternatively, you could use Toad Xpert, Development Suite or DBA Suite Editions and use the Quest SQL Optimizer which DOES NOT access any of the Oracle OEM Packs at all. In addition, Quest SQL Optimizer offers a unique way to rewrite your SQL code for maximum performance. Click the following link tol take you to our SQL Optimizer Community site which has lots of resources available for learning how to use this powerful tool:
http://sqloptimizeroracle.inside.quest.com/index.jspa
How does Toad use Oracle functionality ?
The degree to which Toad will use specific Oracle features depends upon a number of factors :
- Which version of Toad you have (e.g. Oracle 10g features only appeared in Toad version 8.0 (July 2004)
- Which Edition of Toad you have (see above)
- Which version of Oracle database you are connected to
- Which options were selected/deselected when/after Oracle database was installed
- What Oracle Role/System Privileges you have granted
If you are using RAC (Standard or Enterprise Editions), there are a number of windows in Toad which WILL USE this technology : Database Browser, Session Browser, Oracle Parameters, Top Sessions and Database Probe (to name a few).
Toad’s Oracle Parameters window for RAC
Likewise with Partitions; Toad has a number of windows which WILL USE the Oracle Partitioning option in Oracle database Enterprise Edition.
With the introduction of Oracle 10g came Automatic Database Diagnostic Monitor (ADDM), Automatic Workload Repository (AWR) and Automatic Storage Management (ASM).
The Toad Help states which Editions support which Oracle technology : (as a tip, type in “10g” or “11g” into the Toad Help Search tab to reveal what Toad features are available)
Does Toad use the OEM Change Management Pack ?
Toad has a Compare Schemas feature (available in any Toad Edition), which is very popular with Developers and DBAs alike, which lets you compare 2 schemas either using the Oracle Data Dictionary or a pre-generated Toad Schema Definition file (DB Admin Module only) and produce a report. A synchronization script can be generated (read-only except DB Admin Module).
This feature DOES NOT use the Oracle OEM Change Management Pack.
Does Toad use OEM Real Application Testing (RAT) ?
Toad DBA Suite includes a component called Benchmark Factory for Databases which is a client-side database server performance testing tool. Together with Toad, this enables a DBA to generate an Oracle Trace File which contains a recording of database activity which Benchmark Factory can replay in a different environment such as a test database. Benchmark Factory replays the sessions maintaining concurrencies and transactional latencies. It basically replays exactly what happened in the original database environment including SQL and bind variables.
This technology DOES NOT use Oracle 11g’s RAT technology.
How can I disable the features in Toad that use OEM functionality ?
In Toad 9.6, you can use the Customize feature to remove items from the menu and toolbars. To do this, simply right-click on the menu (just like other Windows applications). A pop-up will appear and when you then click on the toolbar or a menu stack, you will be able to drag and drop items from there into the pop-up to remove them.
Customize is also available in older versions of Toad but the process is a little different.
In the new Toad for Oracle 9.7 release (currenty in Beta; Blogs to follow shortly), you will be able to disable any windows in Toad, via the Options window, to prevent inadvertent access to Oracle’s Options and Management Packs.
Does Toad provide any warnings about the use of OEM functionality ?
Yes. Toad’s license agreement and Help (Toad 9.6) already provide a warning about this.
In the new Toad for Oracle 9.7 release, we have added a pop-up window (appears once when Toad 9.7 runs for the first time) which will contain wording similar to what is currently available in the Toad Help :
NOTE: There are features installed by default in the Oracle database which are ready to use, even if the license for such features has not been purchased (e.g. Diagnostics Pack, Tuning Pack). It is, therefore, the end user's responsibility to make sure that these features, which may be used by Toad, are covered by the user's Oracle license. Such features include, but are not limited to, Partitioning, RAC, Advanced Workload Repository (AWR) and Compression.
If you are still not sure about how Toad uses features in Oracle, please send me an email and I will be happy to clarify.
Additional reading:
Product Manager – Toad for Oracle Solutions