method5 / method5

Remote execution for Oracle SQL, PL/SQL, and shell scripts, built entirely inside Oracle. Method5 lets you easily run commands quickly and securely on hundreds of databases.

Method5 v9.4.0

Method5 extends Oracle SQL to allow parallel remote execution. It lets users easily run SQL statements quickly and securely on hundreds of databases.

Examples

SQL> select * from table(m5('select * from dual'));

DATABASE_NAME  DUMMY
-------------  -----
db01           X
db02           X
db03           X
...

You can run any SQL statement, PL/SQL block, or Linux/Unix shell commands inside the M5 function or the M5_PROC procedure. The code works with any SQL client and runs on any supported platform, version, or edition of Oracle.

See the Method5 User Guide for an explanation of all the features, such as: parameters that control the targets and how the statements are run; where the data, metadata, and errors are stored; running as a procedure; and many more features.

See the examples folder for more examples and pre-built solutions to some complex problems.

Advantages

Method5 has many advantages over other tools and processes used to query multiple databases:

1. Performance: Asynchronous processing and parallelism make Method5 more responsive and orders of magnitude faster than other tools.
2. Simple interface: The PL/SQL API makes it easy to create and automate tasks. No need to learn a new GUI or IDE, Method5 seamlessly integrates with your existing IDE.
3. Relational storage: Everything about the database is stored in the database, making it easier to analyze, save, and share.
4. Easy administration: Method5 is agentless. Free software (LGPL) only needs to be installed on one central management server. Users do not need to install custom software, manage connections, or modify configuration files. One administrator can configure Method5 and that configuration automatically applies to all users.
5. Security: Method5 has been thoroughly hardened to avoid the typical security problems with multi-database tools. For example, there are no public database links or shared passwords. See the file security.md for more information.
6. Exception handling and metadata: Exceptions and metadata are stored in tables. When connecting to hundreds of databases there will usually be a few that are unavailable. It's important to record the errors but not stop processing on other databases.

There are no more excuses to avoid root cause analysis and massive environment comparisons. Any diagnostic query or statement you can think of can be run against hundreds of databases in just a few seconds.

How to Install and Administer

On the GitHub repository click on the "Clone or download" button. Download and extract the zip file. Then follow the steps in install_method5.md.

License

Method5 is licensed under the LGPLv3.

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to the following people:

• Adrian Billington for creating DLA, which is used for Method4 SQL.
• My coworkers at General Dynamics and Ventech Solutions, who provided a lot of feedback and testing. Especially Jon, Rhonda, Bob, Amie, Ryan, and Patrick.
• Mike Gangler, Wayne Sharp, Zach Hudock, Karthik Chigururu, and various people at conferences like ECO, RMOUG, GLOC, and KScope, who found bugs or asked questions that helped improve the program.