Redo log switch (switch the current log file)

Command

ALTER SYSTEM SWITCH LOGFILE;

What it does

Closes the current redo log group and moves to the next one; in archivelog mode it triggers archiving.

When to use it

To produce an archive manually, force a log switch, or for testing.

Caution

Frequent switches degrade performance; if the log files are too small, review their sizing.