Reading the Active Session History Compressed Export File in eDB360/SQLd360 as an External Table

I am a regular user of SQLDB360 (the single distribution for Carlos Sierra's eBD360, and Mauro Pagano's SQLd360 tools) for remote performance analysis.  eDB360 reports on the whole database, SQLd360 reports on a single SQL ID.  eDB360 also runs SQLd360 reports for the top SQL statements.  Both tools extract ASH data to a flat-file.  Originally, it was intended that these were loaded with the eAdam utility, but eDB360 no longer executes the eAdam scripts itself.
The eDB360/SQLd360 output zip files contain an export of the ASH data that is spooled from the database in SQL Plus, compressed with gzip, and put into a tarball.  You should find a single .tar file that contains several gzipped files.  In eDB360, dba_hist_active_sess_history.txt.gz is simply the result of:

SELECT * FROM dba_hist_active_sess_history

In SQLd360 it will be for just the specified SQL_ID:

SELECT * FROM dba_hist_active_sess_history
WHERE sql_id = '…'

The exact structure of the file varies with the version of Oracle, as more columns have been added to the view with successive releases.  There used to be an eAdam structure control file from which the DDL for a repository can be generated, but it is no longer generated.  However, it is easy to deal with this manually because many of the reports query DBA_HIST_ACTIVE_SESS_HISTORY and you will find a description of the view in each report.

Loading Compressed File as an External Table

Two database directories must be created in the database used to read the data file.

GRANT CREATE ANY DIRECTORY TO scott;
CREATE OR REPLACE DIRECTORY temp as '/media/sf temp';
CREATE OR REPLACE DIRECTORY exec_dir AS '/usr/bin';
GRANT READ, EXECUTE ON DIRECTORY exec_dir TO scott;

• Directory edb360 points to where the data file is located.  
• The external table will load the compressed zip file directly, uncompressing it on the fly, without writing an uncompressed version of the file to disk, using the preprocessor facility.  Directory exec_dir is the location of the Unix zcat executable. 
• N.B. It is important that this is the actual directory where the executable resides, not the linked /bin directory

Now you can create an external table.  I have created it in the SCOTT schema rather than SYS.
There are a few things to bear in mind

1. DISABLE_DIRECTORY_LINK_CHECK is used to suppress the check that the data file being loaded is not be referenced from a directory link.  In my case, this is necessary because I am referencing a directory on a host machine from within a Linux VM running in VirtualBox.  However, this does not suppress the check for files executed by the preprocessor.  exec_dir must not point to a linked directory.
2. The compressed data file is pre-processed (effectively piped) through the zcat command.  This is like importing a compressed dump file through a Unix FIFO
3. The # character has had to be removed from all column names.
4. The format of date fields in the data file must be specified explicitly to convert them properly.
5. The name of the compressed file to be imported is specified in the LOCATION clause.
6. The reject limit has been deliberately set to 100.  A small non-zero value.  The file is exported from DBA_HIST_ACTIVE_SESS_HISTORY.  The actual columns change from version to version, so if the definition of the external table does not match the definition in the database you may get errors.  Limiting the rejections to 100 means that the .log and .bad files are easier to manage when resolving the error.  When the definitions match no rows should be rejected.

CREATE TABLE scott.ash_load
(SNAP_ID NUMBER
,DBID NUMBER
,INSTANCE_NUMBER NUMBER
,SAMPLE_ID NUMBER
,SAMPLE_TIME TIMESTAMP(3)
,SESSION_ID NUMBER
,"SESSION_SERIAL#" NUMBER
,SESSION_TYPE VARCHAR2(10)
,FLAGS NUMBER
,USER_ID NUMBER
-----------------------------------------
,SQL_ID VARCHAR2(13)
,IS_SQLID_CURRENT VARCHAR2(1)
,SQL_CHILD_NUMBER NUMBER
,SQL_OPCODE NUMBER
,SQL_OPNAME VARCHAR2(64)
,FORCE_MATCHING_SIGNATURE NUMBER
,TOP_LEVEL_SQL_ID VARCHAR2(13)
,TOP_LEVEL_SQL_OPCODE NUMBER
,SQL_PLAN_HASH_VALUE NUMBER
,SQL_FULL_PLAN_HASH_VALUE NUMBER /*added 12.1*/
-----------------------------------------
,SQL_ADAPTIVE_PLAN_RESOLVED NUMBER /*added 12.1*/
,SQL_PLAN_LINE_ID NUMBER
,SQL_PLAN_OPERATION VARCHAR2(64)
,SQL_PLAN_OPTIONS VARCHAR2(64)
,SQL_EXEC_ID NUMBER
,SQL_EXEC_START DATE
,PLSQL_ENTRY_OBJECT_ID NUMBER
,PLSQL_ENTRY_SUBPROGRAM_ID NUMBER
,PLSQL_OBJECT_ID NUMBER
,PLSQL_SUBPROGRAM_ID NUMBER
-----------------------------------------
,QC_INSTANCE_ID NUMBER
,QC_SESSION_ID NUMBER
,"QC_SESSION_SERIAL#" NUMBER
,PX_FLAGS NUMBER
,EVENT VARCHAR2(64)
,EVENT_ID NUMBER
,SEQ NUMBER
,P1TEXT VARCHAR2(64)
,P1 NUMBER
,P2TEXT VARCHAR2(64)
-----------------------------------------
,P2 NUMBER
,P3TEXT VARCHAR2(64)
,P3 NUMBER
,WAIT_CLASS VARCHAR2(64)
,WAIT_CLASS_ID NUMBER
,WAIT_TIME NUMBER
,SESSION_STATE VARCHAR2(7)
,TIME_WAITED NUMBER
,BLOCKING_SESSION_STATUS VARCHAR2(11)
,BLOCKING_SESSION NUMBER
-----------------------------------------
,"BLOCKING_SESSION_SERIAL#" NUMBER
,BLOCKING_INST_ID NUMBER
,BLOCKING_HANGCHAIN_INFO VARCHAR2(1)
,"CURRENT_OBJ#" NUMBER
,"CURRENT_FILE#" NUMBER
,"CURRENT_BLOCK#" NUMBER
,"CURRENT_ROW#" NUMBER
,"TOP_LEVEL_CALL#" NUMBER
,TOP_LEVEL_CALL_NAME VARCHAR2(64)
,CONSUMER_GROUP_ID NUMBER
-----------------------------------------
,XID RAW(8)
,"REMOTE_INSTANCE#" NUMBER
,TIME_MODEL NUMBER
,IN_CONNECTION_MGMT VARCHAR2(1)
,IN_PARSE VARCHAR2(1)
,IN_HARD_PARSE VARCHAR2(1)
,IN_SQL_EXECUTION VARCHAR2(1)
,IN_PLSQL_EXECUTION VARCHAR2(1)
,IN_PLSQL_RPC VARCHAR2(1)
,IN_PLSQL_COMPILATION VARCHAR2(1)
-----------------------------------------
,IN_JAVA_EXECUTION VARCHAR2(1)
,IN_BIND VARCHAR2(1)
,IN_CURSOR_CLOSE VARCHAR2(1)
,IN_SEQUENCE_LOAD VARCHAR2(1)
,IN_INMEMORY_QUERY VARCHAR2(1) /*added 12.1*/
,IN_INMEMORY_POPULATE VARCHAR2(1) /*added 12.1*/
,IN_INMEMORY_PREPOPULATE VARCHAR2(1) /*added 12.1*/
,IN_INMEMORY_REPOPULATE VARCHAR2(1) /*added 12.1*/
,IN_INMEMORY_TREPOPULATE VARCHAR2(1) /*added 12.1*/
,CAPTURE_OVERHEAD VARCHAR2(1)
-----------------------------------------
,REPLAY_OVERHEAD VARCHAR2(1)
,IS_CAPTURED VARCHAR2(1)
,IS_REPLAYED VARCHAR2(1)
,SERVICE_HASH NUMBER
,PROGRAM VARCHAR2(64)
,MODULE VARCHAR2(64)
,ACTION VARCHAR2(64)
,CLIENT_ID VARCHAR2(64)
,MACHINE VARCHAR2(64)
,PORT NUMBER
-----------------------------------------
,ECID VARCHAR2(64)
,DBREPLAY_FILE_ID NUMBER /*added 12.1*/
,DBREPLAY_CALL_COUNTER NUMBER /*added 12.1*/
,TM_DELTA_TIME NUMBER
,TM_DELTA_CPU_TIME NUMBER
,TM_DELTA_DB_TIME NUMBER
,DELTA_TIME NUMBER
,DELTA_READ_IO_REQUESTS NUMBER
,DELTA_WRITE_IO_REQUESTS NUMBER
,DELTA_READ_IO_BYTES NUMBER
-----------------------------------------
,DELTA_WRITE_IO_BYTES NUMBER
,DELTA_INTERCONNECT_IO_BYTES NUMBER
,PGA_ALLOCATED NUMBER
,TEMP_SPACE_ALLOCATED NUMBER
,DBOP_NAME VARCHAR2(64) /*added 12.1*/
,DBOP_EXEC_ID NUMBER /*added 12.1*/
,CON_DBID NUMBER /*added 12.1*/
,CON_ID NUMBER /*added 12.1*/
)
ORGANIZATION EXTERNAL
(TYPE ORACLE_LOADER
 DEFAULT DIRECTORY temp
 ACCESS PARAMETERS 
 (RECORDS DELIMITED BY newline 
  DISABLE_DIRECTORY_LINK_CHECK 
  PREPROCESSOR exec_dir:'zcat' 
  FIELDS TERMINATED BY '<,>' RTRIM
  MISSING FIELD VALUES ARE NULL
  REJECT ROWS WITH ALL NULL FIELDS
  NULLIF = BLANKS
(SNAP_ID,DBID,INSTANCE_NUMBER,SAMPLE_ID,SAMPLE_TIME CHAR(80) date_format TIMESTAMP MASK "YYYY-MM-DD/HH24:mi:ss.ff"
,SESSION_ID,"SESSION_SERIAL#",SESSION_TYPE,FLAGS,USER_ID
,SQL_ID,IS_SQLID_CURRENT,SQL_CHILD_NUMBER,SQL_OPCODE,SQL_OPNAME
,FORCE_MATCHING_SIGNATURE,TOP_LEVEL_SQL_ID,TOP_LEVEL_SQL_OPCODE,SQL_PLAN_HASH_VALUE,SQL_FULL_PLAN_HASH_VALUE
,SQL_ADAPTIVE_PLAN_RESOLVED,SQL_PLAN_LINE_ID,SQL_PLAN_OPERATION,SQL_PLAN_OPTIONS,SQL_EXEC_ID
,SQL_EXEC_START CHAR(80) date_format TIMESTAMP MASK "YYYY-MM-DD/HH24:mi:ss.ff",PLSQL_ENTRY_OBJECT_ID,PLSQL_ENTRY_SUBPROGRAM_ID,PLSQL_OBJECT_ID,PLSQL_SUBPROGRAM_ID
,QC_INSTANCE_ID,QC_SESSION_ID,"QC_SESSION_SERIAL#",PX_FLAGS,EVENT
,EVENT_ID,SEQ,P1TEXT,P1,P2TEXT,P2,P3TEXT,P3,WAIT_CLASS,WAIT_CLASS_ID
,WAIT_TIME,SESSION_STATE,TIME_WAITED,BLOCKING_SESSION_STATUS,BLOCKING_SESSION
,"BLOCKING_SESSION_SERIAL#",BLOCKING_INST_ID,BLOCKING_HANGCHAIN_INFO,"CURRENT_OBJ#","CURRENT_FILE#"
,"CURRENT_BLOCK#","CURRENT_ROW#","TOP_LEVEL_CALL#",TOP_LEVEL_CALL_NAME,CONSUMER_GROUP_ID
,XID,"REMOTE_INSTANCE#",TIME_MODEL,IN_CONNECTION_MGMT,IN_PARSE
,IN_HARD_PARSE,IN_SQL_EXECUTION,IN_PLSQL_EXECUTION,IN_PLSQL_RPC,IN_PLSQL_COMPILATION
,IN_JAVA_EXECUTION,IN_BIND,IN_CURSOR_CLOSE,IN_SEQUENCE_LOAD,IN_INMEMORY_QUERY
,IN_INMEMORY_POPULATE,IN_INMEMORY_PREPOPULATE,IN_INMEMORY_REPOPULATE,IN_INMEMORY_TREPOPULATE,CAPTURE_OVERHEAD
,REPLAY_OVERHEAD,IS_CAPTURED,IS_REPLAYED,SERVICE_HASH,PROGRAM
,MODULE,ACTION,CLIENT_ID,MACHINE,PORT
,ECID,DBREPLAY_FILE_ID,DBREPLAY_CALL_COUNTER,TM_DELTA_TIME,TM_DELTA_CPU_TIME
,TM_DELTA_DB_TIME,DELTA_TIME,DELTA_READ_IO_REQUESTS,DELTA_WRITE_IO_REQUESTS,DELTA_READ_IO_BYTES 
,DELTA_WRITE_IO_BYTES,DELTA_INTERCONNECT_IO_BYTES,PGA_ALLOCATED,TEMP_SPACE_ALLOCATED,DBOP_NAME
,DBOP_EXEC_ID,CON_DBID,CON_ID
))
LOCATION ('dba_hist_active_sess_history.txt.gz')
) REJECT LIMIT 100
/




Now the external table can be queried in exactly the same way that you would query DBA_HIST_ACTIVE_SESS_HISTORY in order to profile DB time, although bear in mind than an external table can only be full scanned.

set timi on lines 200 pages 99
COLUMN force_matching_signature FORMAT 99999999999999999999
COLUMN min(sample_time) FORMAT a26
COLUMN max(sample_time) FORMAT a26
SELECT min(sample_time), max(sample_time), COUNT(*) samples
FROM scott.ash_load
/

MIN(SAMPLE_TIME)           MAX(SAMPLE_TIME)              SAMPLES
-------------------------- -------------------------- ----------
21-JUN-19 05.00.36.115 AM  21-JUL-19 01.00.00.823 PM     1213333