Why We Use Alter Command When Kill Session In Oracle?

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We use the ALTER command when killing a session in Oracle because it allows us to explicitly control the termination of the session. This can be useful in situations where we need to abruptly end a session that is causing issues or consuming excessive resources. By using the ALTER command, we can ensure that the session is cleanly and efficiently shut down, minimizing any potential impact on other users or processes. Additionally, the ALTER command provides a way to gracefully end a session while still allowing for any necessary cleanup or rollback operations to be completed before the session is terminated. This can help to prevent any data corruption or inconsistencies that may occur if a session is abruptly killed without proper handling. Overall, using the ALTER command when killing a session in Oracle helps to ensure a controlled and safe termination process.


What is the impact of killing a session in Oracle?

Killing a session in Oracle can have various impacts depending on the situation:

  1. Immediate termination of the session: By killing a session, the user's current transaction or operation will be immediately terminated and any uncommitted changes will be rolled back. This can result in the loss of any work that the user had not yet completed.
  2. Resource release: Killing a session will release the resources associated with that session, such as memory, CPU, and locks. This can free up resources for other sessions or processes that are running on the server.
  3. Impact on other sessions: Killing a session can have an impact on other sessions if the terminated session was holding locks on resources that other sessions are trying to access. In this case, killing the session may release those locks and allow other sessions to continue their work.
  4. Performance impact: Killing a session can have a performance impact on the server, as it requires CPU and memory resources to terminate the session and clean up any associated resources. It is important to consider the potential impact on overall system performance before killing a session.


Overall, killing a session should be done with caution and only when absolutely necessary, as it can result in the loss of work and potential impact on other sessions and the performance of the server.


How to terminate a session in Oracle without using alter command?

To terminate a session in Oracle without using the ALTER command, you can use the ALTER SYSTEM KILL SESSION command. Here's how you can do it:

  1. First, you need to identify the session you want to terminate. You can do this by querying the V$SESSION view to get the SID and SERIAL# of the session you want to terminate. SELECT SID, SERIAL# FROM V$SESSION WHERE ;
  2. Once you have the SID and SERIAL# of the session you want to terminate, you can use the ALTER SYSTEM KILL SESSION command to terminate the session. ALTER SYSTEM KILL SESSION ‘SID,SERIAL#’;


Replace the SID and SERIAL# with the values you obtained from the V$SESSION view.


Note: You need to have the necessary privileges to execute the ALTER SYSTEM KILL SESSION command.


What is the impact of killing a session on the database performance in Oracle?

Killing a session in Oracle can have both positive and negative impacts on database performance.


Positive impacts:

  1. Improved resource allocation: By killing a session, you can free up resources (such as memory, CPU, and I/O) that were being used by that session. This can help improve overall database performance by allowing other sessions to use those resources.
  2. Stops long-running or blocking sessions: Killing a session can help prevent long-running or blocking sessions from negatively impacting the performance of other sessions. This can help improve the overall response time and throughput of the database.


Negative impacts:

  1. Impact on rollback segments: When a session is killed, any uncommitted transactions associated with that session will need to be rolled back. This can consume significant resources, such as additional I/O and CPU, which can impact the performance of other sessions.
  2. Potential for data corruption: Killing a session abruptly can potentially lead to data corruption if there are ongoing transactions that were not properly rolled back. This can negatively impact database integrity and performance.


In conclusion, killing a session in Oracle can have a mixed impact on database performance. It can help improve resource allocation and prevent long-running or blocking sessions, but it can also result in resource consumption and potential data corruption. It is important to carefully consider the implications and potential consequences before deciding to kill a session in Oracle.

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