There are few things more frustrating to a DBA than to be in the middle of a crisis (DBAs do nothing but handle crises, right?), working with a familiar Oracle tool or utility, and suddenly be unable to recall a command or option syntax. All work must stop while you hunt for the appropriate manual, which usually means finding the documentation CD-ROM and loading the documentation viewer, then searching for what you need. Meanwhile, users are demanding to know when the system will be up.

This chapter summarizes the syntax and options used with the most popular Oracle tools and utilities. While it is not a comprehensive listing of each and every option, you will find the most commonly used options and commands listed in an easy reference format. Of course, for complete information, you will still need to refer to the appropriate Oracle manual.