We all know that the desired result of any tuning exercise is to reduce the amount of time that users spend performing database activities. Good tuners understand that the tuning process starts with an understanding of the problem then continues with the DBA collecting statistical information. Information collection begins at a global level and then narrows in scope until the problem is pinpointed.

Experienced DBAs often start their tuning efforts by selecting data from the V$ dynamic performance tables to view system-wide performance indicators. Thanks to Oracle 10G, we have two new views to add to our tuning arsenal. We’ll take a look at these two time model views in this blog and learn how we can use them to determine where the user processes are spending their time.