Oracle log files contain information about each transaction.
Restore an archive log when you are restoring any of the following data items:
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A database to the most recent state after a database failure.
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Specific logs which are identified using a serial number or identification tag, that are missing in the database.
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Logs from a specific time range that were lost due to a hard disk corruption. You can use a point-in-time option, to restore the archive logs.
The Oracle control file is a binary file that contains the physical structure of the database, including the database name, the log sequence number, and the associated datafile information. If the Oracle control file does not exist, the database cannot be mounted and database recovery is difficult.
The server parameter (SP) file contains database initialization parameters.