2
Using Change Manager

The Change Manager application is the Oracle Change Management Pack central interface. Change Manager gives you direct or indirect access to all of the Oracle Change Management Pack operations (in cases where Change Manager cannot directly perform an operation, such as capturing or comparing object definitions, Change Manager starts the application that performs that operation).

Running Change Manager Connected to an Oracle Management Server or Standalone

You can run Change Manager connected to an Oracle Management Server or not connected to an Oracle Management Server. When you run Change Manager without connecting to an Oracle Management Server, you are running Change Manager standalone.

When you run Change Manager connected to an Oracle Management Server:

• Change Manager provides access to all the Oracle Change Management Pack objects owned by all users in the Oracle Management Server repository. Objects are ordered by owner in the Change Manager navigator tree.
• Each user has read and write access to the objects that he or she owns, and has read-only access to objects owned by other users.
• Other Change Management Pack applications started from Change Manager also run connected to the Oracle Management Server.
• You can submit change plan scripts as jobs using the Oracle Enterprise Manager job system.

When you run Change Manager standalone:

• Change Manager provides access to the Oracle Change Management Pack objects in your standalone repository. Because the standalone repository contains only objects that you created, the Change Manager navigator tree displays only your Change Management Pack objects.
• You have full access to your objects, but no access to any other objects.
• Other Change Management Pack applications started from Change Manager also run standalone.
• You cannot submit change plan scripts as jobs using the Oracle Enterprise Manager job system, but you can execute scripts interactively.

Creating a Standalone Repository for Change Management Pack Applications

A standalone repository is required to store Change Management Pack objects created during a standalone Change Management Pack session. Read and follow the steps to perform before creating a standalone repository in the Oracle Enterprise Manager Configuration Guide.

The next time you start Change Manager standalone, a repository login dialog box prompts you for the Username, Password, and Service credentials of the user that owns the schema to be used for your standalone repository. When you provide the credentials for that user, the standalone repository tables needed by the Oracle Change Management Pack applications will be created for you in that user's schema.

Changing Your Standalone Change Management Pack Repository

At some point after creating a standalone repository for Change Management Pack objects created during your Change Management Pack sessions, you might decide that you want to use a different standalone repository.

To start using a different standalone repository, you must:

1. Make sure that you have followed the steps in the Oracle Enterprise Manager Configuration Guide that are a prerequisite for creating the new standalone repository.
2. In the ORACLE_HOME/sysman/config/ClientConfig.properties file (where ORACLE_HOME is the directory in which Oracle Enterprise Manager is installed), delete the lines that contain the following parameters:

    

   • OEM.REPOSITORY.USER
   • OEM.REPOSITORY.PASSWORD
   • OEM.REPOSITORY.DATABASE

   Removing these lines from ClientConfig.properties removes information about the current standalone repository that is being used for standalone Change Management Pack objects.

3. The next time you start Change Manager standalone, you are prompted for repository credentials for your standalone repository. Specify the Username, Password, and Service credentials of the user that owns the schema to be used for your standalone repository. The Username, Password, and Service information that you specify for the new standalone repository is stored in the ClientConfig.properties file.

   Change Manager uses the information in the ClientConfig.properties file to determine the standalone repository in which to store information from your standalone Change Management session.

Starting Change Manager

You can start the Change Manager application in any of the following ways:

• From the Oracle Enterprise Manager Console, use any of these methods:

   

  • Select a database in the navigator panel, click the right mouse button, point to the Related Tools menu option, then click Change Manager.
  • On the Tools menu, point to Change Management Pack, then click Change Manager.
  • Click the Change Management Pack drawer, then click the Change Manager icon.

  When Change Manager is started from the Console using any of these methods, the mode in which the Console is running (connected to the Oracle Management Server or standalone) determines the mode in which Change Manager will run.

• On UNIX or in a DOS window on an NT machine, set default to the ORACLE_HOME/bin directory (where ORACLE_HOME is the directory in which Oracle Enterprise Manager is installed), then enter the following in lowercase characters at the command line prompt:

  oemapp ocm
  
  

  When you start Change Manager using this method, you are prompted whether you want to run Change Manager connected to the Oracle Management Server or standalone.

• On the Windows Start menu, point to Programs, then to the Oracle Home where Oracle Enterprise Manager is installed, then to Change Management Pack, then click Change Manager.

  When you start Change Manager using this method, you are prompted whether you want to run Change Manager connected to the Oracle Management Server or standalone.

See "Starting Change Management Pack Applications from Change Manager" for more information on starting the other Change Management Pack applications from Change Manager.

Using the Change Manager Main Window

The Change Manager main window (see Figure 2-1) has a navigator tree on the left and a detail view on the right.

Figure 2-1 Change Manager Navigator Tree and Detail View

Text description of the illustration cmgrmain.gif

In Figure 2-1, Change Manager is running connected to an Oracle Management Server. The navigator tree displays the following Oracle Change Management Pack objects, organized by owner:

• change plans
• baselines
• comparisons

The tree contains the Plans, Baselines, and Comparisons folders, even if objects of these types have not been created yet.

If Change Manager is running standalone, the tree displays only the Change Management Pack objects belonging to the owner of the standalone repository being used.

If the Change Manager navigator tree contains no objects, this means that no change plans, baselines, or comparisons have been created in the repository. When you create these objects, they appear in the Change Manager tree.

When you select a Change Management Pack object or object folder and click the right mouse button, a context menu is displayed that lists the operations that can be performed in the current context. If you select an object that you do not own, some of the operations on the context menu are unavailable (for example, you cannot remove or modify an object that you do not own, because you have read-only access to objects owned by other users). On the context menu, choose any available operation that you are interested in performing.

When the Change Manager Users folder (the root of the Change Manager tree) is selected (as in Figure 2-1), the detail view to the right of the Change Manager tree provides information about Oracle Change Management Pack applications and the operations that they can perform. Click on an application's icon in the detail view to learn more about the operations that the application can perform.

When other folders or objects are selected in the Change Manager tree, the detail view provides related information about the selected folder or object.

Starting Change Management Pack Applications from Change Manager

You start the other Oracle Change Management Pack applications and viewers from Change Manager, as follows:

• DB Alter

  Choose Tools->DB Alter.

• Create Baseline

  Choose Object->Create Baseline.

• Compare Database Objects

  Choose Object->Compare Database Objects.

• DB Propagate

  Choose Tools->DB Propagate.

• DB Quick Change

  Choose Tools->DB Quick Change.

• Plan Editor

  Choose Object->Create Change Plan, then in the Create Change Plan Options dialog box, click Create Change Plan Manually.

• Baseline Viewer

  Expand the Change Manager folder, user folder, and Baselines folder in the Change Manager tree, select a baseline, then choose Object->View Baseline.

• Comparison Viewer

  Expand the Change Manager folder, user folder, and Comparisons folder in the Change Manager tree, select a comparison, then choose Object->View Comparison.

You can also start a Change Management Pack application by clicking the Change Manager toolbar icon for that application.

When you start a Change Management Pack application from Change Manager, the mode in which Change Manager is running (connected to the Oracle Management Server or standalone) determines the mode in which the other Change Management Pack application will run.

Working with Baselines

Table 2-1 describes how to use Change Manager to perform different types of baseline operations.

Table 2-1 Performing Baseline Operations  

Operation	Steps for Performing the Operation
Create a new baseline	Choose Object->Create Baseline and follow the steps in the Create Baseline application.
View a baseline	Select the baseline in the tree, then choose Object->View Baseline.
Delete a baseline	Select the baseline in the tree, then choose Object->Remove. This deletes all the versions of the baseline.
Export a baseline to a file	Choose Tools->Export Plans/Baselines/Comparisons, then specify the baseline to export and the name of the export file.
Import a baseline from a file	Choose Tools->Import Plans/Baselines/Comparisons, then specify the name of the export file and the baseline to import.
Create a new version of a baseline	Select the baseline in the tree, then choose Object->Recapture.
View a previous version of a baseline	Select the baseline in the tree, then choose Object->Show Versions. In the Versions dialog box, click the version you want to view, then click View.
Delete a previous version of a baseline	Select the baseline in the tree, then choose Object->Show Versions. In the Versions dialog box, click the version you want to delete, then click Remove.
View history entries for baseline tasks	Choose View->Show History. In the History dialog box, view history entries for completed baseline tasks on the History page.

For more information on working with baselines, see:

• "Viewing History Entries for Tasks" for more information on viewing history entries for baseline tasks.
• "Working With a Particular Version of a Change Plan, Baseline, or Comparison" for more information on working with particular versions of baselines.
• "Exporting and Importing Change Plans, Baselines, and Comparisons" for more information on exporting and importing baselines.

Working with Comparisons

Table 2-2 describes how to use Change Manager to perform different types of comparison operations.

Table 2-2 Performing Comparison Operations  

Operation	Steps for Performing the Operation
Create a new comparison	Choose Object->Compare Database Objects and follow the steps in the Compare Database Objects application.
View a comparison	Select the comparison in the tree, then choose Object->View Comparison.
Delete a comparison	Select the comparison in the tree, then choose Object->Remove. This deletes all the versions of the comparison.
Export a comparison to a file	Choose Tools->Export Plans/Baselines/Comparisons, then specify the comparison to export and the name of the export file.
Import a comparison from a file	Choose Tools->Import Plans/Baselines/Comparisons, then specify the name of the export file and the comparison to import.
Create a new version of a comparison	Select the comparison in the tree, then choose Object->Repeat Comparison.
View a previous version of a comparison	Select the comparison in the tree, then choose Object->Show Versions. In the Versions dialog box, click the version you want to view, then click View.
Delete a previous version of a comparison	Select the comparison in the tree, then choose Object->Show Versions. In the Versions dialog box, click the version you want to delete, then click Remove.
View history entries for comparison tasks	Choose View->Show History. In the History dialog box, view history entries for completed comparison tasks on the History page.

For more information on working with comparisons, see:

• "Viewing History Entries for Tasks" for more information on viewing history entries for comparison tasks.
• "Working With a Particular Version of a Change Plan, Baseline, or Comparison" for more information on working with particular versions of comparisons.
• "Exporting and Importing Change Plans, Baselines, and Comparisons" for more information on exporting and importing comparisons.

Working with Change Plans

Table 2-3 describes how to use Change Manager to perform different types of change plan operations.

Table 2-3 Performing Change Plan Operations  

Operation	Steps for Performing the Operation
Create a new change plan	Choose Object->Create Change Plan. Then in the Create Change Plan Options dialog box, select the name of the application that you want to use to create the change plan (the Create Manually option lets you use Plan Editor to create the plan). See Chapter 3, "Using Plan Editor" for more information on using Plan Editor to create a change plan.
View and modify a change plan	Select the change plan in the tree, then choose Object->Edit Change Plan. This lets you view and modify the change plan using Plan Editor. See Chapter 3, "Using Plan Editor" for more information on using Plan Editor to edit and modify a change plan.
Delete a change plan	Select the change plan in the tree, then choose Object->Remove. This deletes all versions of the change plan.
Rename a change plan	Select the change plan in the tree, then choose Object->Edit Change Plan. On the General page for the plan in Plan Editor, edit the name of the plan, then choose File->Refresh. This updates the plan name in the Plan Editor tree. Choose View->Refresh in Change Manager to see the plan's new name displayed in the Change Manager tree.
Export a change plan to a file	Choose Tools->Export Plans/Baselines/Comparisons, then specify the change plan to export and the name of the export file.
Import a change plan from a file	Choose Tools->Import Plans/Baselines/Comparisons, then specify the name of the export file and the change plan to import.
Create a new version of a change plan	None. Oracle Change Management Pack automatically creates a new version of a change plan when necessary to ensure that the history features for the change plan work properly.
View a previous version of a change plan	Select the change plan in the tree, then choose Object->Show Versions. In the Versions dialog box, click the version you want to view, then click View.
Delete a previous version of a change plan	Select the change plan in the tree, then choose Object->Show Versions. In the Versions dialog box, click the version you want to delete, then click Remove.
View history entries for change plan tasks	Choose View->Show History. In the History dialog box, view history entries for pending plan tasks on the Pending page and view history entries for completed plan tasks on the History page.

For more information on working with change plans, see:

• "Viewing History Entries for Tasks" for more information on viewing history entries for change plan tasks.
• "Working With a Particular Version of a Change Plan, Baseline, or Comparison" for more information on working with particular versions of change plans.
• "Exporting and Importing Change Plans, Baselines, and Comparisons" for more information on exporting and importing change plans.

Viewing History Entries for Tasks

You can view history entries that show the status of the following Oracle Change Management Pack tasks:

• Script generation
• Script execution
• Capturing baselines
• Performing comparisons

By viewing the history entries for pending tasks and completed tasks, you can determine when each Oracle Change Management Pack task was performed and its completion status.

To view the history entries for tasks in the current Oracle Change Management Pack repository, on the Change Manager View menu, choose the Show History option, which displays the History dialog box. The History dialog box allows you to view both pending tasks and completed tasks.

Viewing and Completing Pending Tasks

Click the Pending tab of the History dialog box to view pending tasks. Pending tasks are script executions that need to be kept or undone. See "Executing the Script with Plan Editor" for more information on keeping or undoing the changes made by a change plan script.

The history entries on the Pending page of the History dialog box enable you to keep track of the Oracle Change Management Pack pending tasks, which need further attention. Each row on the Pending page is a history entry for one pending task.

When you complete a pending task and refresh the History dialog box, the entry is moved to the History page. You also have the option of manually moving an entry for a pending task to the History page.

On the Pending page, you can perform the operations shown in Table 2-4:

Table 2-4 Operations That Can be Performed on Pending Tasks  

Operation	Steps to Perform the Operation
Complete a pending task	Select a pending task and click the GoTo button. On the Execution Log page, click Keep or Undo to keep or undo the changes made by the script execution.
Update the pending tasks display	Click the Refresh button. Any new pending tasks are displayed. Any previously pending tasks that have been completed are removed from the Pending page and displayed on the History page.
Manually move a pending task to the History page	Select a pending task and click the Move to History button. This moves the pending task to the History page, where you have the option of completing it later.
Save history entries to a file	Click the Save List button. The Save List dialog box lets you save some or all of the pending task history entries in a file. You have the option of viewing and printing the information to be included in the file before saving the file.
Sort history entries	Click a column heading on the Pending page. The first time you click a heading, the history entries are sorted in ascending order, using the values in that column. If you click again on the same heading, the history entries are sorted in descending order, using the values in that column.

You are notified of any pending tasks on the Pending page and are given the opportunity to complete them each time you exit Change Manager.

Viewing Completed Tasks

Click the History tab of the History dialog box to view completed tasks.

The history entries on the History page of the History dialog box enable you to track the Oracle Change Management Pack tasks that have been completed or that have been manually moved from the Pending page to the History page. Each row on the History page is a history entry for one completed task or a pending task that was manually moved from the Pending page. The status for a particular history entry tells you whether the task completed successfully or not.

On the History page, you can perform the operations shown in Table 2-5:

Table 2-5 Operations That Can be Performed on Completed or Manually Moved Tasks 

Operation	Steps to Perform the Operation
Remove a task	Select a task and click Remove.
Update the History page display	Click the Refresh button. Any new completed tasks are displayed.
View a task	Select a task and click GoTo. The appropriate Oracle Change Management Pack window is opened in the correct context for viewing the task.
Complete a pending task that was manually moved to the History page	Select the pending task and click GoTo. Click Keep or Undo on the Execution Log page to keep or undo the changes made by the script execution.
Save history entries to a file	Click the Save List button. The Save List dialog box lets you save some or all of the task history entries in a file. You have the option of viewing and printing the information to be included in the file before saving the file.
Sort history entries	Click a column heading on the History page. The first time you click a heading, the history entries are sorted in ascending order, using the values in that column. If you click again on the same heading, the history entries are sorted in descending order, using the values in that column.

Working With a Particular Version of a Change Plan, Baseline, or Comparison

After you create a baseline specification, you can use the specification to generate multiple baselines over time. Similarly, after you create a comparison specification, you can use it to generate multiple comparisons over time. New versions of a change plan are created automatically when necessary to ensure that the history features for change plans work properly.

By default, when you select a change plan, baseline, or comparison in Change Manager, any operations you perform are carried out on the latest version of that object. In some cases, however, you may want to view or remove an earlier version of the object. To do so, after you select the object in Change Manager, on the Object menu, click Show Versions. This displays the Versions dialog box. In the Versions dialog box, select the version of the object that you are interested in, then click View to view the selected version of the object in the appropriate Oracle Change Management Pack window or click Remove to remove the selected version of the object from the Oracle Enterprise Manager repository.

Exporting and Importing Change Plans, Baselines, and Comparisons

You can export and import change plans, baselines, and comparisons using Change Manager. After you export one or more of these objects to a file, you can then import the objects into another repository, which copies the objects from one repository to another.

To export change plans, baselines, or comparisons:

1. In Change Manager, choose Tools->Export Plans/Baselines/Comparisons.
2. In the Export Plans/Baselines/Comparisons dialog box, select the object or objects to export, then click Export.
3. In the Export Plans/Baselines/Comparisons to which file? dialog box, select a file into which the selected objects will be exported, then click Save.

To import change plans, baselines, or comparisons:

1. In Change Manager, choose Tools->Import Plans/Baselines/Comparisons.
2. In the Import Plans/Baselines/Comparisons from which file? dialog box, identify the file that contains the object or objects that you want to import, then click Open.

In the Import Plans/Baselines/Comparisons dialog box, select the object or objects that you want to import, then click Import. If the import utility discovers that any of the objects being imported has the same name as an existing object in the current repository, you will be prompted to either rename the object being imported or to cancel the import operation for that object.

Required Privileges and Roles for Change Management Operations

Table 2-6 shows the database privileges and roles you must have to perform Oracle Change Management Pack operations in an Oracle 9.x database.

Table 2-6 Required Database Privileges for Change Management Pack Operations in an Oracle 9.x Database  

Operation	Required Database Privilege or Role
Create a baseline, change plan, or comparison	SELECT ANY DICTIONARY privilege SELECT ANY TABLE privilege for a database with database parameter 07_DICTIONARY_ACCESSIBILITY=true. See Oracle9i Database Administrator's Guide for the implications of setting the 07_DICTIONARY_ACCESSIBILITY parameter. Due to the ramifications of setting this parameter, Oracle recommends that you use the SELECT ANY DICTIONARY privilege instead.
Run a change plan script that modifies objects in your schema	The script will succeed unless it tries to do either of the following: to create objects (such as creating a trigger) for which you lack the specific privilege (for example, CREATE TRIGGER) to copy data from tables for which you lack the SELECT privilege
Run a change plan script that modifies objects in schemas other than yours	DBA role, or if the script tries to operate on or create new references to objects in the schema, you must have the appropriate privileges on those objects
Run a change plan that modifies non-schema objects	DBA role

Table 2-7 shows the database privileges and roles you must have to perform Oracle Change Management Pack operations in an Oracle 8.x database.

Table 2-7 Required Database Privileges or Role for Change Management Pack Operations in an Oracle 8.x Database  

Operation	Required Database Privilege or Role
Create a baseline, change plan, or comparison	SELECT ANY TABLE or the less powerful CM_SELECT_ROLE
Run a change plan script that modifies objects in your schema	The script will succeed unless it tries to do either of the following: to create objects (such as creating a trigger) for which you lack the specific privilege (for example, CREATE TRIGGER) to copy data from tables for which you lack the SELECT privilege
Run a change plan script that modifies objects in schemas other than yours	DBA role, or if the script tries to operate on or create new references to objects in the schema, you must have the appropriate privileges on those objects.
Run a change plan that modifies non-schema objects	DBA role

Defining and Granting the CM_SELECT_ROLE Role in Oracle 8.x Databases

The CM_SELECT_ROLE role can be created in Oracle 8.x databases by running the ocmselectrole.sql script at the database. You must be logged in as SYS to run the ocmselectrole.sql script that creates the CM_SELECT_ROLE role in an Oracle 8.x database. After the CM_SELECT_ROLE role is created, it can be granted to users that need to create baselines, change plans, or comparisons that access objects in that database.

The ocmselectrole.sql script is located in the $ORACLE_HOME/sysman/admin directory where Oracle Enterprise Manager is installed.

Receiving Error Messages About Objects That Do Not Exist

If while performing change management operations you receive error messages about objects that do not exist, these messages may mean that you lack the appropriate privileges to access those objects.

Receiving a Privilege Warning When You Generate and Run Change Plan Scripts

If you do not have the DBA role and you generate a script for a change plan, Oracle Change Management Pack places a warning in the impact report. The warning tells you that you do not have the DBA role. It also says that:

• the script will succeed if it is run in your schema unless it tries either of the following:

   

  • to create objects (such as a trigger) for which you lack the specific privilege (for example, CREATE TRIGGER).
  • to copy data from tables for which you lack the SELECT privilege
• the script will fail if it tries to operate on or create new references to objects outside of your schema and you lack the appropriate privileges on those objects. If you attempt to run the script anyway, you receive an Oracle database error message saying that one or more of the database objects does not exist, and the script execution fails. Or, you may receive an error message saying that you have insufficient privileges.