Querying the RMAN repository
RMAN lets you generate a number of reports relevant for backup and recovery using the report and list commands. The list command lists the contents of the recovery catalog or control file, and the report command performs a more detailed analysis.
Use the report and list commands to determine what you have backed up and what you need to back up. The information is available whether or not you use a recovery catalog.
You can use the report command to answer many different questions.
Some examples are as follows:
Which files need a backup?
Which files have not had been backed up in awhile?
Which files are not recoverable due to unrecoverable operations?
Which backup files can be deleted?
What was the physical schema of the database at some previous point in time?
The list command queries the recovery catalog and control file and produces a listing of its contents. The primary purpose of the list command is to determine the backups that are available.
You can list the following information:
Backup sets containing a backup of a specified list of data files.
Backup sets containing a backup of any data file that is a member of a specified list of tablespaces.
All backup sets or copies of all data files in the database.
Backup sets containing a backup of any archive logs with a specified name or within a specified range.
Incarnations of a specified database or of all databases that are known to the recovery catalog.
For more information on querying the RMAN repository, see your Oracle documentation.