Troubleshooting Oracle GoldenGate

Troubleshooting Commands

Extract

If there are any errors, the extract would appear as STOPPED. In this case, you have to investigate the errors.

First, check the report file C:\OGG10G\dirrpt\EMP_EXT.rpt.

Next, see if there are any indicative messages in the log files ggserr.log and sqlnet.log, which are in the main C:\OGG10G directory.

The ggserr.log file contains event information such as:

2009-12-02 14:53:26 GGS INFO 301 Oracle GoldenGate

Manager for Oracle, mgr.prm: Command received from GGSCI on host 10.10.10.10 (START EXTRACT EMP_EXT ).

2009-12-02 14:53:26 GGS INFO 302 Oracle GoldenGate Manager for Oracle, mgr.prm:

EXTRACT EMP_EXT starting.

These events can also be seen in the following way:

GGSCI (AnonDB) 1> VIEW GGSEVT

…

….

2009-12-02 15:09:34 GGS INFO 302 Oracle GoldenGate Manager for Oracle,

mgr.prm: EXTRACT EMP_EXT starting.

2009-12-02 15:13:26 GGS INFO 399 Oracle GoldenGate Command Interpreter

for Oracle: GGSCI command (AnonDB): EDIT PARAM emp_ext.

The sqlnet.log file may show errors such as

TNS-12557: TNS:protocol adapter not loadable

This particular error indicates a database connection issue, so you need to explore at the listener level. Make sure the Path includes the Oracle Home bin subdirectory right at the start. There may be other TNS errors that may indicate other solutions.

EMP_EXT.rpt may show an error such as the following:

2009-12-08 13:01:27 GGS ERROR 182 OCI Error beginning

session (status = 28009-ORA-28009: connection as SYS should be as SYSDBA or SYSOPER).

2009-12-08 13:01:27 GGS ERROR 190 PROCESS ABENDING.

This indicates that the Extract process is trying to log on as sys without being the SYSDBA. Simply change the login in the parameter file for the Extract to “system”.

I should note here that specifying SYSDBA at the end of the login line in the Extract parameter file doesn’t work, although it does work with the DBLOGIN command in GGSCI that you will see next.

The ggserr.log file may show similar errors:

2009-12-03 00:43:16 GGS INFO 399 Oracle GoldenGate

Command Interpreter for Oracle: GGSCI command (AnonDB): start manager.

2009-12-03 00:43:25 GGS ERROR 182 Oracle GoldenGate

Manager for Oracle, mgr.prm: OCI Error during OCIServerAttach

(status = 12154-ORA-12154: TNS:could not resolve the connect identifier specified).

2009-12-03 00:43:25 GGS ERROR 190 Oracle GoldenGate

Manager for Oracle, mgr.prm: PROCESS ABENDING.

This indicates an issue with the login credentials supplied in the Manager parameter file, mgr.prm. The Manager has not started as a result.

Another possible error can be seen in the Extract report file. For example, EMP_EXT.rpt can have this error:

2009-12-07 16:40:08 GGS ERROR 190 No minimum supplemental

logging is enabled. This may cause extract process to handle key

update incorrectly if key column is not in first row piece.

2009-12-07 16:40:08 GGS ERROR 190 PROCESS ABENDING.

The solution to this is obviously to enable supplemental logging at the database level. C


Replicat

The first step is to use the GGSCI command DBLOGIN to connect to the database, so that other commands can be issued that will work on the database.

Note that DBLOGIN works fine as follows:

GGSCI ( AnonDB) 1>

DBLOGIN USERID system@localhost:1521/FIPRD3 PASSWORD fipassword1

Successfully logged into database.

Now you need to add a checkpoint table for the employees table that you are replicating:

GGSCI ( AnonDB) 2> ADD CHECKPOINTTABLE HR.EMPLOYEES_CHKPT

Successfully created checkpoint table HR.EMPLOYEES_CHKPT.

Checkpoints that are stored in this table refer to the current read and write positions of the Replicat process. This is used to prevent the loss of data in case the process needs to be restarted, or if there is any fault in the server or a hiccup in the network that would otherwise result in data loss. The other advantage is that multiple Extract or Replicat processes can be read from the same set of trails by using checkpoints.

Checkpoints are optional in the sense that they are not required for Extract and Replicat processes that run in batch mode, because such processes can always be restarted. However, checkpoints are necessary in the case of continuously operating Extract and Replicat processes.. They are normally maintained as files in the dirchk subdirectory, but in the case of Replicat they can optionally be stored in the database in the checkpoint table.

If you specify the checkpoint table in the GLOBALS parameter file, the above command can use that specification. In this scenario, the command could simply be

GGSCI (AnonDB) 3> ADD CHECKPOINTTABLE

No checkpoint table specified, using GLOBALS specification (hr.employees_chkpt).

Successfully created checkpoint table HR.EMPLOYEES_CHKPT.

You can now add the Replicat group as follows, specifying the exact same EXTTRAIL that was used by the Extract group set up in the first database. So the Replicat group feeds on or consumes the trail created by the Extract group:

GGSCI (AnonDB) 4> ADD REPLICAT emp_rep, EXTTRAIL C:\OGG10G\dirdat\et, CHECKPOINTTABLE hr.employees_chkpt,

REPLICAT added.

Edit the parameter file for this Replicat group as follows:

GGSCI (AnonDB) 5> EDIT PARAM emp_rep

In the new file, enter the following:

REPLICAT emp_rep

USERID system@localhost:1521/FIPRD3, PASSWORD fipassword1

ASSUMETARGETDEFS

MAP hr.employees, TARGET hr.employees;

Because the tables have exactly the same DDL structure, you use the ASSUMETARGETDEFS parameter.

Now you can start the Replicat group:

GGSCI (AnonDB) 6> start REPLICAT emp_rep

Sending START request to MANAGER (‘GGSMGR’) …

REPLICAT EMP_REP starting

Wait a few seconds to see the status; if you try immediately, the status may say “stopped.” When you see the status as “running”, check the detailed information, and also issue an info all command to show all running processes:

GGSCI (AnonDB) 7> status REPLICAT emp_rep

REPLICAT EMP_REP: STOPPED

GGSCI (AnonDB) 8> status REPLICAT emp_rep

REPLICAT EMP_REP: RUNNING

GGSCI (AnonDB) 11> info REPLICAT emp_rep detail

REPLICAT EMP_REP Last Started 2009-12-08 13:35 Status RUNNING

Checkpoint Lag 00:00:00 (updated 00:00:01 ago)

Log Read Checkpoint File C:\OGG10G\dirdat\et000001

2009-12-08 13:33:24.000000 RBA 985

Extract Source Begin End

C:\OGG10G\dirdat\et000001 2009-12-08 13:33 2009-12-08 13:33

C:\OGG10G\dirdat\et000000 * Initialized * 2009-12-08 13:33

Current directory C:\OGG10G

Report file C:\OGG10G\dirrpt\EMP_REP.rpt

Parameter file C:\OGG10G\dirprm\EMP_REP.prm

Checkpoint file C:\OGG10G\dirchk\EMP_REP.cpr

Checkpoint table HR.EMPLOYEES_CHKPT

Process file C:\OGG10G\dirpcs\EMP_REP.pcr

Error log C:\OGG10G\ggserr.log

GGSCI (AnonDB) 12> info all

Program Status Group Lag Time Since Chkpt

MANAGER RUNNING

EXTRACT RUNNING EMP_EXT 00:00:00 00:00:03

REPLICAT RUNNING EMP_REP 00:00:00 00:00:06

Oracle GoldenGate Best Practices and Tips

Lately I've been working, once again, with GoldenGate (now Oracle GoldenGate) data integration software. GoldenGate offers tremendously useful capabilities which include CDC (Change Data Capture), Data Warehouse ETL, efficient/low impact data replication from diverse database management systems, real time standby database maintenance (for high-availability, upgrades and patches, feeding Oracle Data Integrator (ODI) and data distribution. So, I thought I'd offer some GoldenGate Best Practices and Tips that I've learned largely by making mistakes:

I. Best Practices

PARALLEL PROCESSING

Ensure the system has enough shared memory. GoldenGate runs as an Oracle process. Each Extract or Replicat process requires upwards of 25-50 MB of system shared memory. This means less memory for the Oracle DBMS, especially the SGA.

Use parallel Replicat groups on the target system to reduce latency thru parallelism. Consider parallel Extract groups for tables that are fetch intensive (e.g., those that trigger SQL procedures).

Group tables that have R.I. to each other in the same Extract-Replicat pair.

Pair each Replicat with its own trail and corresponding Extract process.

When using parallel Replicats, configure each one to process a different portion of the overall data.

PASSTHRU PARAMETER

Consider using this parameter if there is no filtering, conversion or mapping required and you’re using DATAPUMP.

In pass-through mode, the Extract process does not look up table definitions, either from the database or from a data definitions file. Pass-through mode increases the throughput of the data pump, because all of the functionality that looks up object definitions is bypassed.
This saves database fetches to improve performance.

INSERTAPPEND

A new GoldenGate 10.4 feature.

Use for large transactions .

Puts records at end of table rather than doing a more costly insert into other areas of table.


DATAPUMP (not the Oracle DB utility)

1. Primary Extract group writes to a trail on the source system.

2. Reads this trail and sends the data across the network to a remote
trail on the target.

3. Adds storage flexibility and also serves to isolate the primary
Extract process from TCP/IP activity.

4. Can be configured for online or batch.

5. Can perform data filtering, mapping, and conversion, or it can be
configured in pass-through mode, where data is passively
transferred as-is, without manipulation.

6. Use to perform filtering thereby removing that processing overhead
from the primary extract group.

7. Use one or more pumps for each source and each target for
parallelism.

In most business cases, it is best practice to use a data pump. Some reasons for using a data pump include the following:

● Protection against network and target failures:
In a basic GoldenGate configuration, with only a trail on the target system, there is nowhere on the source system to store data that the Extract process continuously extracts into memory. If the network or the target system becomes unavailable, the primary Extract could run out of memory and abend. However, with a trail and data pump on the source system, captured data can be moved to disk, preventing the abend. When connectivity is restored, the data pump extracts the data from the source trail and sends it to the target system(s).

● You are implementing several phases of data filtering or transformation. When using complex filtering or data transformation configurations, you can configure a data pump to perform the first transformation either on the source system or on the target system,
and then use another data pump or the Replicat group to perform the second transformation.

● Consolidating data from many sources to a central target. When synchronizing multiple source databases with a central target database, you can store extracted data on each source system and use data pumps on each of those systems to send the data to a trail
on the target system. Dividing the storage load between the source and target systems reduces the need for massive amounts of space on the target system to accommodate data arriving from multiple sources.

● Synchronizing one source with multiple targets. When sending data to multiple target systems, you can configure data pumps on the source system for each target. If network connectivity to any of the targets fails, data can still be sent to the other targets


STEP BY STEP Datapump Configuration

ON THE SOURCE SYSTEM

To configure the Manager process . (Reference: Oracle GoldenGate Administration Guide, Version 10.4):

1. On the source, configure the Manager process according to the instructions in Chapter 2.

2. In the Manager parameter file, use the PURGEOLDEXTRACTS parameter to control the purging of files from the local trail.

To configure the primary Extract group:

3. On the source, use the ADD EXTRACT command to create a primary Extract group. For documentation purposes, this group is called ext.

ADD EXTRACT , TRANLOG, BEGIN [, THREADS ]

❍ Use TRANLOG as the data source option.

4. On the source, use the ADD EXTTRAIL command to create a local trail. The primary Extract writes to this trail, and the data-pump Extract reads it.

ADD EXTTRAIL , EXTRACT

❍ Use the EXTRACT argument to link this trail to the primary Extract group. The primary Extract group writes to this trail, and the data pump group reads it.

5. On the source, use the EDIT PARAMS command to create a parameter file for the primary Extract group. Include the following parameters plus any others that apply to your database environment.

-- Identify the Extract group:

EXTRACT
-- Specify database login information as needed for the database:
[SOURCEDB ,][USERID [, PASSWORD ]]
-- Specify the local trail that this Extract writes to:
EXTTRAIL
-- Specify tables to be captured:
TABLE .;

To configure the data pump Extract group:

6. On the source, use the ADD EXTRACT command to create a data pump group. For documentation purposes, this group is called pump. In reality, I suggest naming this to match the extract name e.g., dpext1.

ADD EXTRACT , EXTTRAILSOURCE , BEGIN

❍ Use EXTTRAILSOURCE as the data source option, and specify the name of the local trail.

7. On the source, use the ADD RMTTRAIL command to specify a remote trail that will be created on the target system.

ADD RMTTRAIL , EXTRACT

❍ Use the EXTRACT argument to link the remote trail to the data pump group. The linked data pump writes to this trail.

8. On the source, use the EDIT PARAMS command to create a parameter file for the data pump. Include the following parameters plus any others that apply to your database environment.

-- Identify the data pump group:

EXTRACT
-- Specify database login information as needed for the database:
[SOURCEDB ,][USERID [, PASSWORD ]]
-- Specify the name or IP address of the target system:
RMTHOST , MGRPORT
-- Specify the remote trail on the target system:
RMTTRAIL
-- Allow mapping, filtering, conversion or pass data through as-is:
[PASSTHRU | NOPASSTHRU]
-- Specify tables to be captured:
TABLE .;

NOTE - To use PASSTHRU mode, the names of the source and target objects must be identical. No column mapping, filtering, SQLEXEC functions, transformation, or other functions that require data manipulation can be specified in the parameter file. You
can combine normal processing with pass-through processing by pairing PASSTHRU and NOPASSTHRU with different TABLE statements.


ON THE TARGET SYSTEM

To configure the Manager process:

9. On the target, configure the Manager process according to the instructions in the Administration Guide, Chapter 2.

10. In the Manager parameter file, use the PURGEOLDEXTRACTS parameter to control the purging of files from the local trail.

To configure the Replicat group:

11. On the target, create a Replicat checkpoint table. This is a best practice. For instructions, see “Creating a checkpoint table” on page 121 of Administration Guide.

12. On the target, use the ADD REPLICAT command to create a Replicat group. For documentation purposes, this group is called rep.
ADD REPLICAT , EXTTRAIL , BEGIN

❍ Use the EXTTRAIL argument to link the Replicat group to the remote trail.

13. On the target, use the EDIT PARAMS command to create a parameter file for the Replicat group. Include the following parameters plus any others that apply to your database environment.

-- Identify the Replicat group:

REPLICAT

-- State whether or not source and target definitions are identical:

SOURCEDEFS | ASSUMETARGETDEFS

-- Specify database login information as needed for the database:

[TARGETDB ,] [USERID [, PASSWORD ]]

-- Specify error handling rules:

REPERROR (, )

-- Specify tables for delivery:

MAP ., TARGET .[, DEF