Performance Tuning :: Unable To Update Newly Added Column In Existing Table

I am facing some challenge while running update query on newly added column in existing table.

Environment Details
Oracle 9i, version 9.2.0.6
Os Unix Aix 6.1

No of records in table : 12572770

Below are the step i followed.

1. In table testtablename, I have added new column COLUMNNAME29 with datatype VARCHAR2(8).
2. After adding the new column, i executed the update query to populate the data form COLUMNNAME1 to COLUMNNAME29.
3. The query is executed using COLUMNNAME24 in where clause, to drive query in index based.

SQL> desc testtablename
Name Null? Type
----------------------------------------- -------- ----------------------------
COLUMNNAME1 VARCHAR2(8)
COLUMNNAME2 CHAR(1)
COLUMNNAME3 CHAR(1)
COLUMNNAME4 VARCHAR2(8)
COLUMNNAME5 VARCHAR2(11)

[Code]...

Table altered.

SQL> select index_name, column_position, column_name from dba_ind_columns where table_name = 'TESTTABLENAME' order by index_name,column_position;

INDEX_NAME COLUMN_POSITION COLUMN_NAME
------------------------------ --------------- --------------------------------------------------
IDX_TESTTABLENAME 1 COLUMNNAME24

Problem faced & My analysis

1. The update query is hanging in database, it's not progressing (In single update, approximately 40000 records will get update)
2. No oracle error thrown in alert log or in session where the query being executed.
3. The event for the query is "db file sequential read".
4. When i update the newly added column COLUMNNAME29 with static value "1", the update completed successfully in few seconds.
5. Then i changed the static value to "1111" and executed the update statement, which result to query hanging in database.
6. I tried to update the existing column(COLUMNNAME1) in table with static value "1111", the update completed successfully.

Below are the queries completed successfully

Update Testtablename
Set Columnname29 = '1'
Where Columnname24 >= To_Date('01-12-2002 00:00:00', 'DD-MM-YYYY HH24:MI:SS' )
And Columnname24 < To_Date('01-01-2003 00:00:00', 'DD-MM-YYYY HH24:MI:SS')

[Code]...

Below are the queries hanging in database

Update Testtablename

Set Columnname29 = Columnname1
Where Columnname24 >= To_Date('01-12-2002 00:00:00', 'DD-MM-YYYY HH24:MI:SS' )
And Columnname24 < To_Date('01-01-2003 00:00:00', 'DD-MM-YYYY HH24:MI:SS')

Update Testtablename

Set Columnname29 = '1111'
Where Columnname24 >= To_Date('01-12-2002 00:00:00', 'DD-MM-YYYY HH24:MI:SS' )
And Columnname24 < To_Date('01-01-2003 00:00:00', 'DD-MM-YYYY HH24:MI:SS')

Below is character set in database

SQL> select * from v$nls_parameters;
PARAMETER VALUE
---------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------
NLS_LANGUAGE AMERICAN
NLS_TERRITORY AMERICA
NLS_CURRENCY $
NLS_ISO_CURRENCY AMERICA

[Code]....