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Procedure documentationManaging Flashback Database with BR*Tools Locate this document in the navigation structure

 

You can use BR*Tools for Oracle to manage and display the flashback database status and restore points.

Procedure

  1. Start the procedure using BRGUI or BRTOOLS, or from the command line:

    • BRGUI or BRTOOLS:

      1. Choose   Restore and Recovery   Manage flashback database  .

        BRGUI or BRTOOLS displays the menu BRSPACE main options for managing flashback database, where you specify the options with which you call BRSPACE.

      2. Set the required options:

        Menu Entry

        Equivalent BRSPACE Command Option

        BRSPACE profile (profile)

        -p|-profile

        Database user/password (user)

        -u|-user

        Flashback action (action)

        -f mfback -a|-action

        Restore point (point)

        -f mfback -p|-point

        Confirmation mode (confirm)

        -c|-confirm

        Scrolling line count (scroll)

        -s|-scroll

        Message language (language)

        -l|-language

        BRSPACE command line (command)

        This shows you the BRSPACE -f mfback command that is to be executed using the current settings.

      3. Choose Continue

        BRGUI or BRTOOLS prompts you to start BRSPACE.

      4. Choose Continue to start BRSPACE.

    • Command line:

      Enter at least the following command:

      brspace -f mfback

      You can enter more parameters if required. For more information, see BRSPACE -f mfback.

    BRSPACE starts and you see a message that includes Start of BRSPACE processing. From now on, BRSPACE writes a detail log.

  2. If you have already entered the action, continue with step 4 (quick mode).

  3. Choose or confirm the required action:

    • Switch on flashback database

      For flashback database, the database must be in archivelog mode and the flash recovery area must already be configured, as described in SAP Note 966073. You can specify the required retention period for the flashback data in New retention time in min (retention).

    • Switch off flashback database

    • Create restore point

      This creates a normal or a guaranteed restore point. The restore point name is restricted to 30 characters in BR*Tools. We recommend you to use short names for ease of use.

    • Drop restore point

      This deletes a normal or a guaranteed restore point. You can choose from the displayed list of available restore points.

    • Show flashback status

      This shows the following information:

      Entry

      Meaning

      Flashback database status (status)

      On or off

      Oldest flashback time (oldest_time)

      Oldest flashback time in the flashback logs

      Oldest flashback SCN (oldest_scn)

      Oldest flashback system change number (SCN)

      Flashback retention time in min (retention)

      Retention period for the flashback data

      Current flashback size in KB (curr_size)

      Current size of the flashback data

      Estimated flashback size in KB (estim_size)

      Estimated size of the flashback data

      Location of recovery area (ra_location)

      Location of flash recovery area

      Used space in recovery area in KB (ra_space)

      Used space in flash recovery area

      Space limit in recovery area in KB (ra_limit)

      Maximum space in flash recovery area

      Reclaimable space in KB (ra_reclaim)

      Space available for reuse in flash recovery area

      Number of files in recovery area (ra_files)

      Number of files in flash recovery area

    • Show restore points

      This shows a list of available restore points, whether guaranteed or not, timestamp and system change number (SCN), and used storage in KB (for guaranteed restore points only).

  4. Follow the prompts to perform your chosen action.

Result

If you set the option Create log file (parameter -l|-log), check the results in the BRSPACE logs.

  • The summary log space<DBSID>.log displays the return code.

  • The detail log s<encoded timestamp>.mfb displays the details.

For more information on how to view the logs with BR*Tools, see Showing Profiles and Logs with BR*Tools.