Oracle DBMS_PROFILER only shows Anonymous in the results tables

Question

I am new to DBMS_PROFILER. All the examples I have seen use a simple top-level procedure to demonstrate the use of the profiler, and from there get all the line numbers etc. I deploy all code in packages, and I am having great difficulty getting my profile session to populate the plsql_profiler_units with useful data. Most of my runs look like this:

RUNID RUN_COMMENT UNIT_OWNER  UNIT_NAME         SECS PERCEN
----- ----------- ----------- -------------- ------- ------
5     Test        <anonymous> <anonymous>        .00    2.1
      Profiler

5     Test        <anonymous> <anonymous>        .00    2.1
      Profiler

5     Test        <anonymous> <anonymous>        .00    2.1
      Profiler

I have just embedded the calls to the dbms_profiler.start_profiler, flush_data and stop_profiler as per all the examples. The main difference is that my code is in a package, and calls in to other package. Do you have to profile every single stored procedure in your call stack? If so that makes this tool a little useless!

I have checked http://www.dba-oracle.com/t_plsql_dbms_profiler.htm for hints, among other similar sites.

Answer 1

Are you sure that this is not a problem with your query to retrieve data from plsql_profiler_units?

---

I tried this:

Create Procedure sub_procedure As
Begin
  dbms_output.put_line('test');
End;

Create Package test_package As
  Procedure test;
End;

Create Package Body test_package As
  Procedure test As Begin
    For i In 1 .. 10 Loop
      If(i<=5) Then
        sub_procedure;
      End If;
    End Loop;
  End;
End;

Begin
  DBMS_PROFILER.start_profiler(SYSDATE);
  test_package.test;
  DBMS_PROFILER.stop_profiler;
End;

and this simple query

Select uni.unit_name, dat.line#, dat.total_occur
  From plsql_profiler_data dat
  Join plsql_profiler_units uni On (     uni.runid = dat.runid
                                     And uni.unit_number = dat.unit_number )

gives me the expected result showing also packages and procedures:

<anonymous>    1  0
<anonymous>    2  0
<anonymous>    3  2
<anonymous>    4  1
<anonymous>    5  0
TEST_PACKAGE   2  0
TEST_PACKAGE   3 11
TEST_PACKAGE   4  5
TEST_PACKAGE   5  6
TEST_PACKAGE   8  1
SUB_PROCEDURE  1  0
SUB_PROCEDURE  3  5
SUB_PROCEDURE  4  5