ALERTS Interview Questions and Answers in Oracle Apps

1.    What are Oracle Alerts?

Oracle Alerts are used to monitor unusual or critical activity within a designated database. The flexibility of ALERTS allows a database administrator the ability to monitor activities from table space sizing to activities associated with particular applications. Alerts can be created to monitor a process in the database and to notify a specific individual of the status of the process.

2.    What are the different types of alerts, Define it?

You can define one of two types of alerts: an event alert or a periodic alert.

Event alert: An event alert immediately notifies you of activity in your database as it occurs.

Periodic alert: A periodic alert, on the other hand, checks the database for information according to a Schedule  you define.

3.    What are the different business uses of Alerts?

a) Keep you informed of critical activity in your database

b) Deliver key information from your applications, in the format  you choose to provide you with regular reports on your database information

c) Automate system maintenance and routine online tasks Information about exception conditions.

4.    What can be done with Alerts?

·         You can send notifications

·         You can send log files as attachments to notifications

·         You can call PL/SQL stored procedures.

·         You can send approval emails and get the results.

·         Print some content dynamically

5.    What types of actions can be generated when an Alert is triggered?

When an alert is executed, the alert can send an email message, run a concurrent program, run an operating system script, or run a SQL statement script. Using response processing, Oracle Alerts can solicit a response from a specific individual and perform an action based on the response that it receives.

6.    What is On-Demand periodic alert?
It is a periodic alert with frequency as ‘On-Demand’. That means there is no specific period assigned to this alert and you can run this alert at any time you want using Request Periodic Alert Check form.

7.    What database events can cause what actions?

An insert and/or an update to a specific database table

8.    What actions can you perform in an alert?

An action can entail sending someone an electronic mail message, running a concurrent program, running an operating script, or running a SQL statement script. You include all the actions you want Oracle Alert to perform, in an action set.

9.    How event alert works?
When you define an event alert to monitor a table for inserts and/or updates, any insert or update to the table will trigger the event alert. When an insert or update to an event table occurs, Oracle Alert submits to the concurrent manager, a request to run a concurrent program called Check Event Alert. The concurrent manager runs this request according to its priority in the concurrent queue. When the request is run, Check Event Alert executes the alert Select statement. If the Select statement finds exceptions, Check Event Alert performs the actions defined in the enabled action set for the alert. If the Select statement does not find any exceptions, Check Event Alert performs the No Exception actions in the enabled action set for the alert.

10.  What do you specify when creating a Periodic Alert?

a. A SQL Select statement that retrieves specific database information

b. The frequency that you want the periodic alert to run the SQL statement

c. Actions that you want Oracle Alert to perform once it runs the SQL statement.

11. Can you define Alert on Oracle Applications Tables?

Yes

12. What is Periodic Set?
You can create a set of periodic alerts that Oracle Alert checks simultaneously. Use the Request Periodic Alert Check window to check the periodic set. Note that each periodic alert you include in a periodic set continues to run according to its individually defined frequency.

  13. How alert is different from database triggers?

a) Code can be modified and viewed in a screen

b) Periodic alert is not possible through Database trigger

c) Oracle Alert will also transfer your entire alert definition across databases. You can instantly leverage the work done in one area to all your systems.

d) Customizable Alert Frequency with Oracle Alert, you can choose the frequencyof each periodic alert. You may want to check some alerts every day, some only once a month, still others only when you explicitly request them.

  14.  What is Action Set?

An action set can include an unlimited number of actions and any combination of actions and action groups for your alert. You can define as many action sets as you want for each alert. Oracle Alert executes the alert Select statement once for each action set you define. During each action set check, Oracle Alert executes each action set member in the sequence you specify.

  15. Can you define detailed or summary actions in alert?

Yes, Detail or Summary Actions you can choose to have Oracle Alert perform actions based on a single exception or a combination of exceptions found in your database.

  16. What is Distribution List in Oracle Alert?
Distribution lists let you predefine a set of message recipients for use on many actions. If a recipient changes, you need only adjust it in the distribution list, not in the individual message actions.

  17.  Can you specify History Maintenance?

      Alert History Oracle Alert can keep a record of the actions it takes and the exceptions it finds in your database, for as many days as you specify.

  18. Can you perform actions when NO exceptions are found?

No Exception Actions : Oracle Alert can perform actions if it finds no exceptions in your database, same as alert actions.

  19. What are the Action Levels for your alert actions?
There are three types of level for your action: Detail, Summary and No Exception.
During an alert check, a detail action performs once for each individual exception found, a summary action performs once for all exceptions found, and a no exception action performs when no exceptions are found.