u can give either of the four commands depends on the priority

1) shutdown

2)shutdown immediate

3)shutdown transactional

4)shutdown abort

in shutdown abort recoverry is required

There are four types of shutdown

Shutdown Normal - Normal is the default mode here new user can't logon to the database but the current user can start the new transaction and work till he wants the database shutdown only after the last user logs off.

Shutdown Transactional - here new user can't logon to the database and the current user can't start the new transaction once the current transaction complets database shutdown.

Shutdown Immediate - here new user can't logon to the database user can't start the new transaction the current transactions rolls back and database shutdown.

Shutdown Abort - here new user can't logon to the database user can't start new transaction the current transaction is not rolled back database shutdown's.

While shutting down oracle updates data file header and control file with the current checkpoint informanation Except Shutdown Abort the checkpoint is same in datafile header and control file it means database is consistance and it is clean shutdown. If the checkpoint is not same at both locations then instance recovery required at next startup.

I hope it will clear your doughts.

the question is steps of shutdown the database not the types of shutdown of database these are two different questions.

steps are

close the database

dismount the database

and shutdown the instance

types of shutdown of databses are

1. shutdown normal

2. shutdown transactional

3. shutdown immediate

4. shutdown abort

N-Normal T-Transactional I-Immediate & A-Abort

No

Yes