If by "multiple datafiles that ..." you mean for a single tablespace then:
It's possible to stripe a tablespace across drives "by hand", but it is no substitute for real, genuine hardware or software striping. I'm a little foggy on the "by hand" process since (I think) it is considered an archaic practice; but I'll give it try here. Through a process of creating a datafile, then creating a segment, then creating another datafile, then creating another segment or adding extents, etc. try to force the data to be as equally distributed as you can get it. It's a labor intensive process and requires constant fiddling to keep things in balance if the amount data in the database is constantly changing; and it works only if the data is accessed in a completely random manner. You must manually distribute the data equally among the data files and keep it equally distributed as things change. So *NOBODY* does it. If by "multiple datafiles that ..." you mean multiple tablespaces with tables distributed among the tablespaces in such a way as to achieve balanced I/O (or reasonable facsimile thereof) then: Hell yes! Busting up tablespaces into multiple data files just to be busting them up results in a database that is a big turd to maintain; and you end up with your free space scattered all over hell and half of Texas. And right now I have http://tinyurl.com/jaq4 in the CD drive. And it's on track 5: Gay Gordons / Camerons/ Brown Haired Maiden / SCOTLAND THE BRAVE. I'm ready for a fight now. Anybody want to fight?!! (No I'm not Scottish; but if it isn't Scottish it's still CRAP) > > Oracle 8.1.7.4 > Win2k > > What is the consensus on datafile sizing and the impact/overhead > multiple datafiles have on performance? > > For example, if I have one 2.5g datafile, and three 1g > datafiles, and I > need more space, would it be better to increase the size of > the 1g to > 2g or add another 1g datafile?. > Is it better to keep them all uniform in size? > > I would think having multiple datafiles that could be spread across > drive volumes would be beneficial, am I wrong? (Wouldn't be the first > time :) > -- Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.net -- Author: Stephen Lee INET: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fat City Network Services -- 858-538-5051 http://www.fatcity.com San Diego, California -- Mailing list and web hosting services --------------------------------------------------------------------- To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an E-Mail message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (note EXACT spelling of 'ListGuru') and in the message BODY, include a line containing: UNSUB ORACLE-L (or the name of mailing list you want to be removed from). You may also send the HELP command for other information (like subscribing).
