The CONCATENATION step in an execution plan is introduced during the SQL Transformation phase. This phase is part of the optimizer's query transformations which can include various techniques to rewrite the query for more efficient execution. The CONCATENATION operation is used to combine the results of two separate SQL operations, typically when there is an OR condition in the WHERE clause, as seen in the provided query.
References:
* Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide, 19c
* Oracle Database Concepts, 19c

TheDBMS_WORKLOAD_REPOSITORY.CREATE_BASELINE_TEMPLATEprocedure is used to create a repeating baseline template in the Automatic Workload Repository (AWR). This template will generate baselines for a specified duration of time on a repeating schedule. Theparameters of the CREATE_BASELINE_TEMPLATEprocedure include the start and end times, as well as the day of the week and hour in the day when the baseline should be captured.
Given that the command specifies a repeating baseline every Monday at 5 PM with a duration of 3 hours and it expires after 30 days, the number of baselines generated by this command that you can have at any given time depends on how many Mondays fall within the most recent 30-day period.
Since the maximum number of Mondays that can occur within any 30-day period is 5 (four to five weeks), but considering the baseline has a duration of 3 hours and starts every Monday at 5 PM, only one baseline for each Monday can exist at a time. However, since baselines are preserved for 30 days, you could have multiple instances of Monday baselines preserved at a time.
* A (Incorrect):There can be more than one baseline at a time because the template will generate a baseline for every Monday during the 30-day expiration period.
* B (Incorrect):There will be more than three baselines because the template creates a baseline for every Monday within the 30-day expiration period.
* C (Correct):Over a 30-day period, considering the duration of the baselines and their frequency, you could have up to a maximum of 52 baselines if you consider the entire year.
* D (Incorrect):There is no option that restricts the number of baselines to 5 specifically, the answer relies on the calculation of how many baselines can exist over a period of time considering their expiration.
References:
* Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference:DBMS_WORKLOAD_REPOSITORY

To reduce the number of hard parses due to several almost identical SQL statements, you can take the following actions:
* C (Correct): Increasing the size of the library cache can help reduce hard parses by providing more memory to store more execution plans. This allows SQL statements to be shared more effectively.
* E (Correct): Setting the CURSOR_SHARING parameter to FORCE will cause Oracle to replace literals in SQL statements with bind variables, which can significantly reduce the number of hard parses by making it more likely that similar SQL statements will share the same execution plan.
The other options do not directly impact the number of hard parses:
* A (Incorrect): Creating the KEEP cache and caching tables accessed by the SQL statements can improve performance for those tables, but it does not directly reduce the number of hard parses.
* B (Incorrect): Creating the RECYCLE cache and caching tables accessed by the SQL statements can make it more likely that objects will be removed from the cache quickly, which does not help with hard parse issues.
* D (Incorrect): Setting OPTIMIZER_CAPTURE_SQL_PLAN_BASELINES to TRUE can help stabilize SQL execution plans but will not reduce the number of hard parses. This parameter is used to automatically capture SQL plan baselines for repeatable SQL statements, which can prevent performance regressions due to plan changes.
References:
* Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide: Minimizing Hard Parses
* Oracle Database SQL Tuning Guide: CURSOR_SHARING

TheDBMS_STATS.GATHER_DATABASE_STATSprocedure is used to gather statistics for all schema objects in the database that do not have up-to-date statistics. These statistics are essential for the optimizer to make informed decisions about the most efficient way to execute a query. The procedure collects statistics such as table and column statistics, index statistics, and system statistics, which are all used in the execution plan generation.
References:
* Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference, 19c
* Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide, 19c

To reduce the impact of database I/O without increasing the size of the buffer cache and without modifying SQL statements, you can use table compression. Among the given options,ROW STORE COMPRESS ADVANCEDis the most suitable form of table compression to satisfy this requirement.
Advanced row compression (ROW STORE COMPRESS ADVANCED) is designed to work well with all supported types of data, whether it's OLTP or data warehouse environments. It offers a higher level of compression than basic table compression (ROW STORE COMPRESS BASIC)without significant overhead during DML operations. This feature can help reduce the amount of I/O required to retrieve data by storing it more efficiently on disk.
* A, B, D:WhileCOLUMN STORE COMPRESS FOR QUERY HIGHandROW STORE
COMPRESSare both valid compression types,COLUMN STORE COMPRESS FOR QUERY
* HIGHapplies to the In-Memory column store and is not available in all versions and editions, andROW STORE COMPRESSis less advanced thanROW STORE COMPRESS ADVANCED.
References:
* Oracle Database Concepts Guide:Table Compression
* Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide:Row Compression