SQL can greatly improve the performance of any Oracle database. This book shows the reader how to take any SQL statement, view the internal execution plan, and change the execution plan to improve the performance of the statement. This is a guide for all Oracle professionals who must maintain an Oracle database at optimal performance and write SQL statements. It covers a wealth of information for improving the performance of any SQL statement. The text will direct the reader through all of the SQL tuning steps and provide expert tips and techniques for tuning any type of SQL. The book takes the very complex and makes SQL tuning easy to comprehend. Technical tasks and SQL tuning steps are explained in a plain, easy-to-understand manner with an easy-to-follow methodology. Topics include: Oracle's optimiser modes and techniques for displaying the execution plan for SQL.