Ferret gives you a wide range of commands that allow you to display specific information about the Teradata Database system, and optimize the system to improve performance. Use Ferret commands to:
- Define the level or scope of a command, such as one or more tables, vprocs, maps, cylinders, or the WAL log.
- Display the parameters and scope of a previous action.
- Perform an action to increase performance, such as moving data to reconfigure data blocks and cylinders.
- Displaying utilization of storage space by percentage and cylinders.
Defining Command Parameters Using SCOPE
Some Ferret commands require that you first define the parameters, or scope, of the action you want to initiate.
The SCOPE command allows you to limit the command action in the following areas:
| SCOPE Parameter | Variables |
|---|---|
| VPROC |
|
| MAP |
|
| CYLINDER |
|
| TABLE |
|
| WAL | The WAL log |
For more information, see SCOPE.
Summary of Ferret Commands
The following table summarizes the Ferret commands, their valid scopes, and gives a brief description of the function of each command:
| Command | Valid SCOPE Options | Function |
|---|---|---|
| COMPRESS | Not Applicable | Compresses data blocks of a specified table, or shows an estimate of what results would be if tables were compressed. |
| COMPRESS | None | Displays the current system day, date, and time. |
| DEFRAGMENT | Vprocs or tables | Combines free sectors, and moves them to the end of a cylinder. |
| DISABLE | None | Sets a specific flag in the file system to FALSE, disabling certain features of Ferret. Most such flags are for internal use only. |
| ENABLE | None | Sets a specific flag in the file system to TRUE, enabling certain features of Ferret. Most such flags are for internal use only. |
| ERRORS | None | Redirects diagnostic messages to a file that you specify or to the default file STDERR. Using the ERRORS command, you can append an existing message file, overwrite an existing message file, write only to a new file, or display the current diagnostic message file. |
| FORCE | None | Sets the cylinders occupied by a table or range of rows, to a specified temperature, regardless of how frequently the data has been historically accessed. |
| HELP | None | Provides general help for Ferret or detailed help if you specify an option or parameter. |
| INPUT | None | Informs Ferret to read commands from a specified file rather than from the default input file STDIN. |
| MAP | None | Displays information about a specified map. |
| OUTPUT | None | Redirects Ferret output to a file you specify or to the default file STDOUT. |
| PACKDISK | Vprocs or tables | Reconfigures cylinders within a defined scope. |
| PRIORITY | None | Sets the priority class of the Ferret process. |
| QUIT | None | Ends a Ferret session. |
| RADIX | None | Sets the default radix used as the numeric base for Ferret data input and output. |
| RESETBLCTSKCNT | None | Resets the count of running COMPRESS and UNCOMPRESS tasks to zero. |
| RESETBLCTSKCNT | WAL log, vprocs, or tables | Performs a verification of the file system B-Tree structure. |
| SCOPE | All | Defines the scope for subsequent COMPRESS, DEFRAGMENT, PACKDISK, SCANDISK, SHOWAMPRECOVERY, SHOWBLOCKS, SHOWCOMPRESS, SHOWCYLALLOC, SHOWFSP, SHOWSPACE, SHOWWHERE, and UNCOMPRESS commands. |
| SHOWAMPRECOVERYBLC | Displays which compress and uncompress operations that happen during system recovery to minimize transaction recovery time after a restart. | |
| SHOWBLOCKS | WAL log, vprocs, or tables | Displays data block size and the number of rows per data block for a defined scope. Also indicates whether data blocks use block-level compression. |
| SHOWCOMPRESS | Vprocs, and PERMANENT and JRNL tables | Lists subtables that have data blocks using block-level compression. |
| SHOWDEFAULTS | None | Displays the current default radix for input and output, the current input, output, and error file names, and the current scope settings. |
| SHOWFSP | Vprocs or tables | Displays table names and space utilization for those tables that would free or consume some number of cylinders if PACKDISK is executed at a particular FSP. The scope can include one or more tables, one or more vprocs, or the entire system. |
| SHOWSPACE | WAL log, vprocs, or tables | Displays storage space utilization for permanent, spool, WAL log, temporary, and journal data, including the amount of free space remaining. |
| SHOWSPACE | Vprocs, tables, or WAL log | Displays information about cylinder allocation and temperature for cylinders in the currently set scope. |
| TABLEID | None | Displays the table number of the specified table when given the database name and table name. |
| UNCOMPRESS | Not Applicable | Uncompresses data blocks of a specified table, or shows an estimate of what results would be if tables were uncompressed. |
The following Ferret commands are used with Teradata Virtual Storage, a storage product available from Teradata. For more information about these commands, see
Teradata Vantage™ - Teradata® Virtual Storage
, B035-1179
:
- BEGIN OPTIMIZE
- CANCEL OPTIMIZE
- FORCE
- SHOWCYLALLOC
Ferret Error Messages
All Ferret error messages are directed by default to your system console screen.
Ferret and file system error messages can be redirected through use of the ERRORS command.
For more information on file system messages, see Teradata Vantage™ - Database Messages, B035-1096.