SP,

We were using CURSOR_SHARING=EXACT in our old enviroment (9.2.0.3 db
with psoft 8.42) and we are using the same setting in our new
environment (10.2.0.3 with psoft 9 finance).

The primary benefit of setting it to SIMILAR is for reducing hard
parses of sql with hard coded literals so that optimizer will end up
choosing the same plan for similar looking sql's (havent tested how
effective it is ).

Once again, in a big system like peoplesoft, you cant switch this
parameter without extensive testing. We had set the parameter to
EXACT right from the beginning of the upgrade and whatever statements
had issues, we fixed it manually using a bunch of hints, manipulating
stats, freezing stats for some tables etc., We still have some heavy
I/O statements that can be tuned. But, overall users are happy with
the performance of online and batch. Will get back to this system
maybe after a month to fix the sql's that are using unnecessary I/O's
and hoping that I dont have to touch this db for the next 3 years till
the next upgrade.

Regards,

Shaji.

--- In psftdba@yahoogroups.com, SP <sripingali@...> wrote:
>
> We are (still) on ORA 9.2.0.8 with default setting for
CURSOR_SHARING. Heard some good thing about with setting of SIMILAR in
Oracle 10g.  
>  
> Any success story for  9.2.0.8 / PeopleSoft HRMS with self serivce /
and CURSOR_SHARING=SIMILAR.
>  
> Advance thanks for your input.
>  
> SP
>