Nope. It is an "alter table option". Here is an example: SQL> alter table emp deallocate unused; Table altered. Now, I saved immense quantities of disk space; On 03/10/2004 11:59:33 PM, k.sriramkumar@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote: > Hi Tim, > > Thanks for the clarity. I have one more doubt. I am unable to use > this command "ALTER DATABASE DATAFILE ... DEALLOCATE UNUSED"...I believe you > are referring to resize option of the Datafile? > > Best Regards > > Sriram Kumar > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On > Behalf Of Tim Gorman > Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2004 7:17 PM > To: oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > Subject: Re: "Deallocate Unused" not releasing space above HWM > > Vidya, > > Sriram is correct. The act of deletion means that insertions had previously > occurred, meaning that a segment's "high-water mark" had to have been moved > to accommodate the insertion. > > In fact, the BLOCKS and EMPTY_BLOCKS values that you have been looking at > have nothing to do with the DEALLOCATE UNUSED command. Any blocks currently > belonging to a segment have been "used", by definition. Any blocks > previously used by segments that have been dropped or truncated are also > still recognizable as "used", I believe (someone correct me on that?). > > There is confusion when using the phrase "high-water mark". Deletions and > insertions involve the HWM maintained within a segment. That is what the > phrase HWM truly refers to, in Oracle. In contrast, the "DEALLOCATE UNUSED" > command involves the concept of an illusory "HWM" implied within a datafile. > > When a datafile is created, the blocks within are initially "unformatted". > I believe that they are "initialized" with some pattern, but this initial > pattern is referred to as "unformatted". They are recognizable by Oracle as > never having been "used". > > As you allocate extents within the datafile, the headers of the blocks > within the new extent are updated to reflect that fact (i.e. Oracle version, > object_type, object_id, etc). Now, the blocks are recognizable by Oracle as > "used"... > > Unlike the HWM involved in space-management within segments, this > "high-water mark" within datafiles is only implied, and is not maintained as > such anywhere. New extents are allocated within the datafile according to > the rules of a dictionary-managed or a locally-managed tablespace, whichever > applies. The illusion of a "high-water mark" within datafiles is provided > by the way the datafiles tend to "fill in" from the bottom up for most > algorithms. > > The ALTER DATABASE DATAFILE ... DEALLOCATE UNUSED command attempts to shrink > the datafile from very "end" of the file, heading "inwards". From an OS > standpoint, it is reducing the "length" of the file. It does not "coalesce" > the datafile to "squeeze out" all of the unused blocks, but it simply > reduces the length of the datafile by however many unused blocks are > clustered at the "end" of the file. That is where they are usually > clustered, anyway... > > I wrote a SQL*Plus script a while ago that plays on the assumption that > DEALLOCATE UNUSED works from the end of the file "inward" and experience has > borne out that assumption, since subsequent DEALLOCATE UNUSED commands have > worked according to the way the report stated. I was surprised to find that > I have not yet posted the script, named "dealloc_unused.sql", to my website > (I'll get that done soon); here it is... > > <snip> > /********************************************************************** > * File: dealloc_unused.sql > * Type: SQL*Plus script > * Author: Tim Gorman (Evergreen Database Technologies, Inc.) > * Date: 05-Jan-99 > * > * Description: > * SQL*Plus script to display amount of unused space in > * datafiles belonging to a particular tablespace. The > * value for "highest_mb" is the lowest value you can "shrink" > * the datafile to... > * > * Please note that the V_BLK_DIV substitution variable assumes > * an 8Kb block size for the tablespace in question. Please > * change accordingly if the blocksize of the database/tablespace > * is not 8Kb... > * > * Modifications: > *********************************************************************/ > set pagesize 100 linesize 100 trimout on trimspool on > set feedback off verify off echo off feedback off timing off > col file_name format a50 > col sum_mb format 99,990.00 > col highest_mb format 9,990.00 > col tot_mb format 9,990.00 > > /* "#-of-blocks" divided by V_BLK_DIV equals Mbytes */ > define V_BLK_DIV=128 /* value of 128 implies DB_BLOCK_SIZE = 8192 */ > define V_TS=&&1 /* name of tablespace to report upon */ > > select f.file_name, > sum(nvl(e.blocks,0))/128 sum_mb, > max(nvl(e.block_id,0)+nvl(e.blocks,0))/128 highest_mb, > f.blocks/128 tot_mb > from dba_extents e, > dba_data_files f > where f.tablespace_name = upper('&&V_TS') > and e.tablespace_name (+) = f.tablespace_name > and e.file_id (+) = f.file_id > group by f.file_name, > f.blocks/128 > > spool dealloc_unused_&&V_TS > / > spool off > set verify on linesize 80 > undef V_TS > undef V_BLK_DIV > </snip> > > It would not be difficult to turn this report into a "SQL-generating-SQL" > script, if you wished... > > Hope this helps... > > -Tim > > > > on 3/10/04 5:48 AM, k.sriramkumar@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx at > k.sriramkumar@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote: > > > Hi Vidya, > > > > I thought Deletes happen within the HWM....I am confused by your statement > > "deletes above the HWM".....Guru's pls correct me if I am wrong. > > > > Best Regards > > > > Sriram Kumar > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] > > On > > Behalf Of vidya kalyanaraman > > Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2004 5:58 PM > > To: oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > > Subject: Re: "Deallocate Unused" not releasing space above HWM > > > > Hi All > > I am trying to reclaim the wasted space (huge deletes), which are above the > > HWM. I had analysed the table before and got the "empty_blocks" details > > from > > dba_tables. > > I am using the following query, > > alter table tab1 deallocate unused; > > and then to bring down the HWM, > > alter table tab1 move tablespace AR_DATA; ---- Moved within the same > > tablespace > > and then I had rebuilt all the corresponding indexes. > > As a last step, I had coalesced the tablespace. > > Next day (because SMON is not going to clear it up immediately), I had > > analyzed the tables again and got the "empty_blocks" details from > > dba_tables. > > When I look the empty_blocks, for some tables it has not yet released the > > space. > > > > Am I missing any steps? I searched Metalink, but it looks like I have > > covered everything that needs to be. > > I have one more question. To really reclaim the space, do I have to move the > > table out of its own tablespace ? > > Any thoughts are most welcome. > > > > Thanks and Regards > > Vidya > > > > > > > > > > > > DISCLAIMER: > > This message contains privileged and confidential information and is > > intended > > only for the individual named.If you are not the intended recipient you > > should > > not disseminate,distribute,store,print, copy or deliver this message.Please > > notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received this e-mail by > > mistake and delete this e-mail from your system.E-mail transmission cannot > > be > > guaranteed to be secure or error-free as information could be > > intercepted,corrupted,lost,destroyed,arrive late or incomplete or contain > > viruses.The sender therefore does not accept liability for any errors or > > omissions in the contents of this message which arise as a result of e-mail > > transmission. 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