Refresh the Dev database

[farrokhp]

What is the practical way or the best practice to refresh the Test and Development databases from a very large production database? How do you do it in your real environment?

[SANJAY_G]

clone.

[julian]

Originally posted by SANJAY_G
clone.

Yes. But this is possible if the OS platform is same.

[pando]

Hmm Julian, do you have test/dev database which are not in same OS as production...? Very BAD practice, I would see you EXP/IMP which takes days to refresh your databases if your database is large as the poster asked!

[farrokhp]

I also think clone is the way to go. Let me know if I am in the right track:

1- save controlfile toi tract in Prod DB

2- Move Control file script to DEV DB

3- Move all Datafiles, redo log files to DEV box ( I bilive with just plain FTP in binary mode but some questions:

a- Do you compress datafile?
b- Are you sure FTP doesn't take too long ( VLDB ) and what about network traffic ?
c- Since it is Prod you can't shutdown and move datafiles, only chioice will be last night backup?


4- Create the database with resetlog

Q: Do you first Del Dev box old database and create brabnd new one? Since DB is very big and not enough room then it is not really refresh DB ?


Any issue can happen? Is this the way to go?

Deev:

[SANJAY_G]

Originally posted by farrokhp

a- Do you compress datafile?

If you have slow network compressing datafiles would help.

b- Are you sure FTP doesn't take too long ( VLDB ) and what about network traffic ?

Again depends on your network bandwidth. FTPing few files would give you idea how long it is going to take.

c- Since it is Prod you can't shutdown and move datafiles, only chioice will be last night backup?

Either cold backup or hot backup will be OK.

Q: Do you first Del Dev box old database and create brabnd new one? Since DB is very big and not enough room then it is not really refresh DB ?

Yes, cleanup everything and clone

Any issue can happen? Is this the way to go?

I don't foresee any issue.

HTH

[marist89]

Originally posted by farrokhp
I also think clone is the way to go. Let me know if I am in the right track:

1- save controlfile toi tract in Prod DB

2- Move Control file script to DEV DB

3- Move all Datafiles, redo log files to DEV box ( I bilive with just plain FTP in binary mode but some questions:

a- Do you compress datafile?
b- Are you sure FTP doesn't take too long ( VLDB ) and what about network traffic ?
c- Since it is Prod you can't shutdown and move datafiles, only chioice will be last night backup?


4- Create the database with resetlog

Q: Do you first Del Dev box old database and create brabnd new one? Since DB is very big and not enough room then it is not really refresh DB ?


Any issue can happen? Is this the way to go?

Deev:

This is bascically cloning.

[julian]

Originally posted by pando
Hmm Julian, do you have test/dev database which are not in same OS as production...? Very BAD practice, I would see you EXP/IMP which takes days to refresh your databases if your database is large as the poster asked!

No, I don't have. From DEV to PROD all are on the same OS: Solaris mostly (about 100 databases). Some HP UX and few on BG OS.

But some people have DEV and PROD on different platforms.

I read that 10g supports cloning from one OS to another. Haven't tested that yet.

[farrokhp]

sorry guys but I think I didn't get it yet. As Jeff confirmed this is basically cloning and we are looking for _refreshing_ the Dev Database every other day. And if the DB is very large like 800GB or 1TB then you need another 1TB space in Dev box to have a new copy of Prod before you delete the old one!!?

And also we have Credit Card numbers in Prod and we want them to be encrypt in DEv then again <<<< what's the real time solution for REFRESH ing Dev d and Stage database from Prod Database? >>>

[jmodic]

Let us all know when you hear what you want to hear.