--- title: "AWS RDS: Read Oracle Traces from SQL*Plus | Official Pythian®® Blog" description: In today's post, Matheus Boesing explains how to list and read trace files from RDS based on the directories from the database setting. --- [Blog | Pythian ](https://www.pythian.com/blog) # [AWS RDS: Read Oracle Traces from SQL*Plus | Official Pythian®® Blog](https://www.pythian.com/blog/aws-rds-read-oracle-traces-from-sqlplus) Written by [Matheus Boesing](https://www.pythian.com/blog/author/matheus-boesing) | Mar 26, 2021 4:00:00 AM Today’s post is another dealing with [AWS services](https://pythian.com/amazon-web-services/). Let’s say you need to read trace files from RDS — how would you do it? ## Identifying Trace File Directories in RDS Here’s an example of how to list and read those files based on the directories from the database setting. To see the existent directories: ``` SQL> select * from dba_directories; OWNER DIRECTORY_NAME DIRECTORY_PATH ORIGIN_CON_ID ---------- ------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------- SYS BDUMP /rdsdbdata/log/trace 0 SYS ADUMP /rdsdbdata/log/audit 0 SYS OPATCH_LOG_DIR /rdsdbbin/oracle/QOpatch 0 SYS OPATCH_SCRIPT_DIR /rdsdbbin/oracle/QOpatch 0 SYS DATA_PUMP_DIR /rdsdbdata/datapump 0 SYS OPATCH_INST_DIR /rdsdbbin/oracle/OPatch 0 SYS TMP /rdsdbdata/userdirs/01 0 7 rows selected. ``` ## Listing and Reading Trace File Contents Once you’ve identified the directory you need, you can list the file as per: ``` SQL> select * from table (rdsadmin.rds_file_util.listdir( p_directory => 'BDUMP')) order by mtime; FILENAME TYPE FILESIZE MTIME ---------------------------------------- ---------- ---------- --------- CPROD1_ora_48800.trm file 73 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_48800.trc file 998 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_86597.trc file 998 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_86597.trm file 73 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_7999.trc file 881 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_7999.trm file 71 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_7997.trm file 71 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_7997.trc file 881 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_8240.trm file 71 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_8240.trc file 881 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_8381.trm file 72 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_8381.trc file 995 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_8540.trc file 881 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_8540.trm file 71 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_9876.trc file 881 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_9876.trm file 71 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_11142.trm file 72 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_11142.trc file 883 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_11182.trc file 883 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_11182.trm file 72 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_55077.trm file 73 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_55077.trc file 997 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_92260.trm file 73 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_92260.trc file 997 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_123869.trc file 1000 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_123869.trm file 74 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_41305.trc file 998 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_41305.trm file 73 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_j002_3293.trc file 114049 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_j002_3293.trm file 370 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_mmon_71739.trc file 7511332 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_mmon_71739.trm file 738330 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_92888.trc file 997 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_92888.trm file 73 24-DEC-18 trace/ directory 323584 24-DEC-18 alert_CPROD1.log file 204808 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_70145.trc file 1470 24-DEC-18 CPROD1_ora_70145.trm file 109 24-DEC-18 3845 rows selected. ``` With the trace file name confirmed, you can see the content with the following: ``` SQL> select * from table (rdsadmin.rds_file_util.read_text_file( p_directory => 'BDUMP', p_filename => 'trace/CPROD1_s003_81573.trc')); From the trace file: ========================= .................................................................................. index undo for leaf key operations KTB Redo op: 0x02 ver: 0x01 compat bit: 4 (post-11) padding: 1 op: C uba: 0x000e289e.51da.47 Dump kdilk : itl=98, kdxlkflg=0x1 sdc=0 indexid=0x1c53db block=0x0019bdc0 (kdxlpu): purge leaf row key :(24): 07 78 76 0c 17 17 09 32 08 c7 07 1a 02 28 15 01 18 06 00 1a 3c 99 00 1e File 3 is not mirrored. End dump previous blocks for kdsgrp * kdsgrp1-2: *********************************************** kdsDumpState: RID context dump 45511581 rows selected. ``` Also, as a side note, something that may help you out is the listing with the LIKE clause: ``` SQL> select * from table (rdsadmin.rds_file_util.listdir( p_directory => 'BDUMP')) where filename like '%CPROD1_s003_81573.trc%'; FILENAME TYPE FILESIZE MTIME ---------------------------------------- ---------- ---------- --------- CPROD1_s003_81573.trc file 1948134047 23-DEC-18 ``` I hope this information helps! If you have any questions or thoughts please leave them in the comments. ## Oracle Database Consulting Services Ready to optimize your Oracle Database for the future? 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