---
title: "AWS's Top 5 Commands: ALTER SYSTEM and Managing SYS Objects in RDS"
description: Matheus Boesing provides five commands / procedures that new users should know when using Amazon RDS to operate Oracle Database deployments in the cloud.
---

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# [AWS's Top 5 Commands: ALTER SYSTEM and Managing SYS Objects in RDS](https://www.pythian.com/blog/awss-top-5-commands-alter-system-and-managing-sys-objects-in-rds)

 Written by [Matheus Boesing](https://www.pythian.com/blog/author/matheus-boesing) | Jan 8, 2020 5:00:00 AM

## Essential administrative commands for Amazon RDS for Oracle

### Navigating administrative limitations in RDS

We often manage services over EC2, this is not news. But when migrating to Amazon RDS, it's usual for new users to have issues with performing some administrative actions on the database, especially when it's done via internal Oracle procedures or when it requires privileges beyond the ones we have available on RDS credentials, even though they are part of DBA work. Amazon Web Services created internal procedures so we can still execute those actions, but in a different manner. I decided to list five daily basis commands / procedures that frequently cause questions for initial users.

### **Managing sessions and clearing memory**

Kill sessions:

```
begin
 rdsadmin.rdsadmin_util.kill(
 sid => &sid,
 serial => &serial,
 method => 'IMMEDIATE');
 end;
 /
```

 Flush shared_pool or buffer_cache:

```
exec rdsadmin.rdsadmin_util.flush_shared_pool;
 exec rdsadmin.rdsadmin_util.flush_buffer_cache;   
```

### Controlling access to system objects

 Grant Privileges to SYS Objects: *# Grant*

```
begin
  rdsadmin.rdsadmin_util.grant_sys_object(
  p_obj_name => 'V_$SESSION',
  p_grantee => 'PYTHIAN',
  p_privilege => 'SELECT');
 end;
 /
```

*# Grant with Grant Option*

```
begin
  rdsadmin.rdsadmin_util.grant_sys_object(
  p_obj_name => 'V_$SESSION',
  p_grantee => 'PYTHIAN',
  p_privilege => 'SELECT',
  p_grant_option => true);
 end;
 /
```

*# Revoke*

```
begin
  rdsadmin.rdsadmin_util.revoke_sys_object(
  p_obj_name => 'V_$SESSION',
  p_revokee => 'PYTHIAN',
  p_privilege => 'SELECT');
 end;
 /
```

Hope this helps!

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