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Apress.Expert.Oracle.Database.Architecture.9i.and.10g.Programming.Techniques.and.Solutions.Sep.2005

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CHAPTER 10 ■ DATABASE TABLES 343<br />

Figure 10-1. HWM depiction<br />

In an MSSM tablespace, segments have a definite HWM. In an ASSM tablespace, however,<br />

there is an HWM <strong>and</strong> a low HWM (see Figure 10-2). In MSSM, when the HWM is advanced<br />

(e.g., as rows are inserted), all of the blocks are formatted <strong>and</strong> valid, <strong>and</strong> <strong>Oracle</strong> can read<br />

them safely. With ASSM, however, when the HWM is advanced, <strong>Oracle</strong> doesn’t format all of the<br />

blocks immediately—they are only formatted <strong>and</strong> made safe to read upon their first use. So,<br />

when full scanning a segment, we have to know if the blocks to be read are “safe” or unformatted<br />

(meaning they contain nothing of interest <strong>and</strong> we do not process them). To make it so that<br />

not every block in the table need go through this safe/not safe check, <strong>Oracle</strong> maintains a low<br />

HWM <strong>and</strong> an HWM. <strong>Oracle</strong> will full scan the table up to the HWM—<strong>and</strong> for all of the blocks<br />

below the low HWM, it will just read <strong>and</strong> process them. For blocks between the low HWM <strong>and</strong><br />

the HWM, it must be more careful <strong>and</strong> refer to the ASSM bitmap information used to manage<br />

these blocks to see which of them it should read <strong>and</strong> which it should just ignore.<br />

Figure 10-2. Low HWM depiction

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