BR* Tools

BR*Tools provides you with menus to perform a wide range of database

administration functions for your database
BRTools (and BRSpace) is the successor of SAPDBA. SAPDBA is no longer
delivered with WAS 6.40 (NetWeaver 04). You can continue to use SAPDBA
6.20 for Oracle 9.2 on SAP systems that are based on Web AS 6.40.
However, SAP recommends that you only use the BR*Tools there. You can of
course also use the SQLPLUS command tool.
BR *Tools is the program package containing BRBACKUP, BRARCHIVE,
BRRESTORE, BRRECOVER, BRSPACE, BRCONNECT, and BRTOOLS.
BRTOOLS is the program that displays the menus from which the other BR
programs are called.
Not all functionality of SAPDBA is included in the new BR*Tools. P.e. the
Alter table or index parameters and Reorganize tablespace and data files
are missing.

Overview of the tools

BR*Tools User Interface

The user interface to BR*Tools provides you with menus to perform a wide
range of database administration functions for your Oracle database. The
menus are controlled by BRTOOLS, which in turn calls one of the functional
BR programs.
You can use BR*Tools with a:

Character-based interface
GUI

Character-based interface
Character-based interface, as in the following example, which shows the
main menu:

BR0280I Time stamp 2003-03-06 11.30.57

BR0656I Choice menu 1 - please make a selection
--------------------------------------------------------------BR*Tools main menu
1 = Instance management
2 - Space management
3 - Segment management
4 - Backup and database copy
5 - Restore and recovery
6 - Check and verification
7 - Database statistics

8 - Additional functions
9 - Exit program
Standard keys: c - cont, b - back, s - stop, r - refr,
h - help
--------------------------------------------------------------BR0662I Enter your choice:

BRGUI
BRGUI is the graphical interface for BR*Tools. It displays output and gathers
user input for BR*Tools

BRBACKUP

This SAP tool for the Oracle database enables you to back up database files.
The smallest unit that can be saved with BRBACKUP is a file. You can use
BRBACKUP for backing up both files in the database and non-database files
and directories.
Use the backup_mode from the Initialization Profile init<DBSID>.sap or the
command option brbackup -m|-mode for this purpose

backup_mode
This parameter is used by BRBACKUP to determine the scope of the backup
activity.
Syntax: backup_mode = all|all_data|full|incr|<tablespace>|<file_ID>|<file_ID1><file_ID2>|<generic_path>|sap_dir|ora_dir|<object_list>
Default: all

BRARCHIVE
This SAP tool for the Oracle database enables you to archive offline redo log
files.
You can also start BRARCHIVE when the database is shut down.
You should archive the offline redo log files on tape using BRARCHIVE.

In contrast to BRBACKUP, BRARCHIVE does not have its own

management of tape continuation. When a tape is full, you must
restart BRARCHIVE to write to the next volume.

Logging for BRARCHIVE

BRARCHIVE writes the following file system logs:
<SAPDATA_HOME>/saparch/a<encoded timestamp>.<ext>
Every detail log contains information about the actions performed during an
archiving run.
<SAPDATA_HOME>/saparch/arch<DBSID>.log
This summary log contains a brief entry for every archiving operation that
was performed.

BRARCHIVE also records its actions in the database tables SDBAH and
SDBAD

BRRESTORE
This SAP tool enables you to restore an entire database backup or parts of it,
when the backup was performed with BRBACKUP. Any non-database files
and directories you saved can also be restored. In the process, the
subdirectories in sapdata<n>directories are automatically created, when
necessary.
You can also restore the offline redo log files that were backed up with
BRARCHIVE. This operation can be performed at the same time as the
restore of the corresponding backup.
BRRESTORE can run unattended when option -c force is set. The option -c
only suppresses the first confirmation prompts for mounting a volume.

BRRESTORE uses the BRBACKUP logs and the summary log from
BRARCHIVE to decide where to restore the requested file. You can manually
specify a different directory as well.
One or more incomplete BRRESTORE runs can be completed with the option
-f. BRRESTORE automatically determines the files to be restored .

BRRECOVER
The SAP tool BRRECOVER for Oracle databases is used as a database administration
tool to help you recover your database.
You can use BRRECOVER to perform the following:

Complete database recovery

Database point-in-time (PIT) recovery

Tablespace point-in-time (PIT) recovery

Whole database reset

Restore of individual backup files

Restore and application of offline redo log files

Disaster recovery

BRCONNECT

The SAP tool BRCONNECT for Oracle databases is used as:

A database administration tool, which you can call yourself from the
command line
A utility tool, which BRBACKUP calls in the background
BRCONNECT is specially designed to administer multi-schema databases, in
which you have more than one SAP System in the same Oracle database

Uses

Database System Check with BRCONNECT

Adapt Next Extents with BRCONNECT

Update Statistics with BRCONNECT

Changing Database User Passwords with BRCONNECT

Clean Up Old Logs and Trace Files with BRCONNECT

BRCONNECT cleans up the following files:

Detailed BRARCHIVE logs in the saparch directory
Detailed BRBACKUP logs in the sapbackup directory

Detailed BRCONNECT logs in the sapcheck directory

Detailed BRRESTOE logs in the sapbackup directory

Detailed BRSPACE logs in the sapreorg directory

BRBACKUP disk backups of the database files

BRARCHIVE disk backups of the offline redo log files

BRSPACE export dump and export script directories

Oracle trace and audit files

Log records in the SDBAH and SDBAD tables

Log records in the XDBtables

Database check results in DBMSGORAtable

BRSPACE

* Instance management
------------------------------ Start up database
- Shut down database
- Alter database instance
- Alter database parameters
- Show instance status
- Show database parameters
* Space management

----------- ---------------- Extend tablespace

- Create tablespace
- Drop tablespace
- Alter tablespace
- Alter data file
- Move data file
- Show tablespaces
- Show data files
- Show redolog files
- Show control files
- Show diska volumes
* Segment management
-

-----------------------------Reorganize tables (online)

Rebuild indexes (online)
Export tables
Import tables
Alter tables
Alter indexes
Show tables
Show indexes
Show table partitions
Show index partitions
Show segments
Show segment extents
Show free extents

Checking BR*Tools Release Information

pat2036:oras94 4> brtools V | brspace -V

BR0651I BRTOOLS 6.40 (40)
Patch Date
Info
36 2006-01-11 Small functional enhancements in BR*Tools (note 914174)
38 2006-03-29 BR*Tools support for MDM databases (note 936665)
40 2006-08-30 Wrong message numbers in BR*Tools 6.40 (note 976755)
release note

680046

kernel release
patch date
patch level
make platform
make mode
make date

640
2006-08-30
40
rs6000_64
OCI_920
Sep 5 2006

Summary of the Tools

BRBACKUP - Backs up data files, conrol files, and online redo log files of the
database.
BRARCHIVE - Backs up offline redo log files
BRRESTORE - Restores data files, control files, and redo log files
BRRECOVER - Recovers database files and restores profiles and log files
BRSPACE - Manages the database instance, space, and segments (that is,
tables and indexes)
BRCONNECT - Performs database administration tasks such as statistics
update, check database system, adapt next extents, clean up logs and DBA
tables. Functions as a help tool to monitor the database during a backup
BRTOOLS - Displays the menus from which the other BR programs are
called. Functions as an internal help tool started by BRBACKUP, BRARCHIVE,
and BRRESTORE.
BRGUI - Functions as a Java-based GUI, working as the front-end display
program for BR*Tools

Initialization Profile
BR* Tools uses the initialization profile init<SID>.sap as a input file.
The following are the important parameters in the init<SID>.sap file

exp_dump_dir

exp_table

Imp_table

rebuild_index

reorg_table

show_period

space_copy_dir

exp_dump_dir
This parameter specifies the directory of the export dump
file
Syntax : exp_dump_dir = < directory name >
Default : $SAPDATA_HOME/sapreorg
exp_table
This parameter specifies the table for an export
Syntax: exp_table = [<owner>.]<table> | (<table_list>)
Default : None
Eg:
exp_table= (SDBAH, SAPR3.SDBAH)
imp_table
This parameter specifies the table for an import
Syntax: imp_table = [<owner>.]<table> | (<table_list>)
Default : None
Eg:
imp_table= (SDBAH, SAPR3.SDBAH)
rebuild_index
This parameter specifies the database indexes for an index rebuild
Syntax: rebuild_index = [<owner>.]<index> | (<index_list>)
Default : None
Eg:
rebuild_index= (SDBAH`0, SAPR3.SDBAH`0)

reorg_table

This parameter specifies the table for reorganization

Syntax: reorg_table = [<owner>.]<table> | (<table_list>)
Default : None
Eg:
reorg_table= (SDBAH, SAPR3.SDBAH)
show_Table
This parameter specifies the time period for which BRTOOLS
display log files
Syntax : show_period = <days>
Default : 30
Possible values :
0 Show all available log files
1 Show logs created today
>1 Show logs files created in the previous specified number of
days
space_copy_dir
This parameter specifies the directory for file copies during space
management.
Syntax : space_copy_dir = <directory name>
Default : $SAPDATA_HOME/sapreorg
Logs for BR*Tools

Logs are created for BRBACKUP, BRARCHIVE, BRRESTORE, BRRECOVER,

BRCONNECT, and BRSPACE. These supply information about database
operations and are useful for problem analysis.
The following types of logs are written:

File System Logs

Database Logs in tables SDBAH and SDBAD

File System Logs

For more information, see:

BRBACKUP Logs

Detail log - b<encoded timestamp>.<ext> ( eg:

bdvecswx.anf )

Summary log - back<DBSID>.log (eg: backS94.log )

Directory : /oracle/<SID>/sapbackup

BRARCHIVE Logs

Detail log - a<encoded timestamp>.<ext> (eg: aduryokf.svd )

Summary log - arch<DBSID>.log (eg: archS94.log )

Directory : /oracle/<SID>/saparch

BRRESTORE Logs

Detail log - r<encoded timestamp>.<ext> (eg: rdvecswx.rsb )

Summary log - rest<DBSID>.log ( eg: restS94.log )

Directory : /oracle/<SID>/sapbackup
BRRECOVER Logs

Detail log - v<encoded timestamp>.<ext>

Summary log - recov<DBSID>.log ( eg: recovS94.log )

Directory
:
/oracle/<SID>/saparch

BRSPACE Logs

Detail log - s<encoded timestamp>.<ext> ( eg: sduvytan.tse )

Summary log - space<DBSID>.log (eg: spaceS94.log )

Directory : /oracle/<SID>/sapreorg

BRCONNECT Logs

Detail log - c<encoded timestamp>.<ext> (eg: cduxtdrn.chk)

Summary log - conn<DBSID>.log ( eg: connS94.log )

Directory : /oracle/<SID>/sapcheck
Database Logs

The database logs of BRBACKUP, BRARCHIVE, and BRCONNECT

are stored in tables SDBAH and SDBAD
SDBAH
This table contains information that refers to the backup as a whole:

Starting time of the backup or BRCONNECT processing

End time of the backup or BRCONNECT processing

BRBACKUP/BRARCHIVE/BRCONNECT return code

BRBACKUP/BRARCHIVE/BRCONNECT action ID (encoded

timestamp of the file system log names)

BRBACKUP/BRARCHIVE/BRCONNECT function ID
(extension of the file system log names)
SDBAD
This table contains information that refers to the backup of one file:
File name

Oracle file ID or log group number

End time of the backup of the file

Name of the volume where the file was saved

Position of the file on the volume

Backup ID of the external backup program

Compression rate of the software compression

In addition, table SDBAD contains internal BRBACKUP information
about compression rates and backup durations for the individual
database files.
For BRCONNECT, SDBAD tables contain information on the total
number of objects processed by BRCONNECT.