This book first builds a framework, so I can cram as much useful information into your brain as possible. I can see it in my students' eyes: If I don't take the time to create a framework, followed by a proven method, and then fill in the missing technical parts, they are quickly overwhelmed. I've followed this approach in this book. If you look at the chapter titles, you'll notice I develop a framework for performance analysis focused on Oracle performance firefighting, then dig into spot-on diagnosis, and then fill in the missing parts with deep yet relevant Oracle internals.

But this book goes beyond method, diagnosis, and Oracle internals. It also prepares you to anticipate the effects of your proposed solutions, both graphically and numerically. So when people ask you what kind of improvement you expect to achieve, you don't lie, guess, stare at them, or ask them to rephrase the question. You can answer them with confidence and conviction.

This book is based on years of field-validated research and hands-on production Oracle systems analysis. While laptop tests are valuable, they lack the risk and suspense of working on real systems. Everything in this book has been tested to the best of my ability. Not only have I validated this book's contents, but the thousands of DBAs I have worked with have been using these methods (and some of the tools) for nearly 20 years now. I think that's proven enough.