Search notes:

Oracle: alert log

The alert log stores database messages (also error messages) in chronological order. Messages that go to the alert log file include

Internal errors (ORA-00600)
Block corruption errors (ORA-01578)
Some create, alter and drop statements
startup, shutdown and archivelog statements
Errors that are related automatic refreshing of materialized views
Init parameters that had non-default values when the database and instance were started up

Locating the alert log

The alert log file is found in the directory that is returned with the following query:

select
   value
from
   v$diag_info
where
   name = 'Diag Trace';

With ADRCI, the content of the alert log file is opened in an editor:

$ adrci
…
adrci> show alert

In order to change the editor in which the alert log is displayed, set editor must be used:

adrci> set editor gvim

The content of the alert log file is also exposed in the x$dbgalertext view.

It is possible to write a message to the alert log with the dbms_system.ksdwrt() function