You can't use SELECT COUNT(*) in Oracle because it will always give you the wrong count. For you to get an accurate count you will have to ANALYZE.

I am 100% sure this is not true.

ANALYZE collect statistics for the cost based optimizer and is used to improve (hopefully) the speed at which a query completes. It in no way impacts the results of the query... only the speed.

Update:

Just to confirm the above, I threw together a sample SQL script. Its output is below.

Update #2:

Now I think I know about what you are thinking -- the column 'num_rows' in the 'dba_tables' view is not populated until you analyze the table. This is not the same thing as doing a COUNT(*), but is similar. 

---------------------------
----- Test SQL Script -----
---------------------------

  1  SELECT version
  2*   FROM v$instance

VERSION
-----------------
8.1.7.2.0


  1* DROP TABLE oracle.bobtest
DROP TABLE oracle.bobtest
                  *
ERROR at line 1:
ORA-00942: table or view does not exist 


  1  CREATE TABLE oracle.bobtest
  2*   ( junk VARCHAR(1) )

Table created.


  1  INSERT INTO oracle.bobtest
  2*   VALUES ( 'A' )

1 row created.

1 row created.

1 row created.


  1* COMMIT

Commit complete.


  1  SELECT COUNT(*)
  2*   FROM oracle.bobtest

  COUNT(*)             
---------- 
         3           


  1  ANALYZE TABLE oracle.bobtest
  2*   COMPUTE STATISTICS

Table analyzed.


  1  SELECT COUNT(*)
  2*   FROM oracle.bobtest

  COUNT(*)             
----------
         3           


  1  ANALYZE TABLE oracle.bobtest
  2*   DELETE STATISTICS

Table analyzed.


  1  SELECT COUNT(*)
  2*   FROM oracle.bobtest

  COUNT(*)             
----------
         3           


  1  ANALYZE TABLE oracle.bobtest
  2*   ESTIMATE STATISTICS SAMPLE 20 PERCENT

Table analyzed.


  1  SELECT COUNT(*)
  2*   FROM oracle.bobtest

  COUNT(*)             
----------
         3           


  1* DROP TABLE oracle.bobtest

Table dropped.

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In reply to Re: Re: Re: Handling conditions DBI in Oracle 8.1 by Rhose
in thread Handling conditions DBI in Oracle 8.1 by data67

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