Category: Database Administration

BI Administration, Business Intelligence Platform, Database Administration, Databases

BI Application getting ORA-00257 Error

One day this week, we got the following error showing up on our BI dashboards.
“ORA-00257: Archiver error. Connect AS SYSDBA only until resolved.”
This is an Oracle database error (which you may guess based on the “ORA”), and not an error directly from BI application.

If you get this error, it means that the database redo logs are filled up, and cannot be archived due to lack of space on the designated archive area or some other issue. In our case, the “some other issue” was caused by some issues with “commvault”, a software application used for data backup and recovery, among other things.

When this happens, if a user tries to connect to the database, such as the BI Application user in our case, the database will not allow the new connection. The only exception is SYSDBA users will be allowed to connect.

If you are not the database administrator (DBA), you will most likely work with your DBA (as we do) to get this error resolved.
After the issue that caused the problem is resolved and the redo logs are cleared, then the database, and therefore the BI application, will allow new connections as normal.

Thanks for reading and I hope you found this helpful.

Data Analysis, Data Development, Database Administration

Connecting to Microsoft SQL Server database from Oracle SQL Developer

If you work primarily with Oracle databases, you may use SQL Developer. But you may also need to connect to Microsoft SQL Server databases and not necessarily want to install a new front-end database tool, such as Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS).  You can connect to SQL Server from SQL Developer.

First, download the appropriate JDBC Driver for the version of SQL Server that you need to connect to. Then follow the steps in the video at the link below on the Oracle website.

https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/developer-tools/sql-developer/sql-server-connection-viewlet-swf-089886.html

Good luck.

 

Database Administration, Databases

Work-around Solution for Oracle Database Error ORA-01792: maximum number of columns in a table or view is 1000

When you get this Oracle database error message …

Error message: Caused By: java.sql.SQLSyntaxErrorException: ORA-01792: maximum number of columns in a table or view is 1000

This may be a solution for you …

There is a workaround … set the “_fix_control” parameter to ‘17376322:OFF‘.

You can use one of the following statements to set the parameter:

alter session set "_fix_control" = '17376322:OFF';

or

alter system set "_fix_control" = '17376322:OFF';

More information can be found in the following Oracle Documents –  Doc ID 1956038.1 and Doc ID 1951689.1.

Database Administration, Databases

How to determine your database version for various RDBMS’s: Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, DB2

Occasionally you may need to check one of your database’s version for the purpose of creating a ticket with the software vendor, for checking compatibility with other software, preparing for upgrades, getting database client software, and other reasons.

Below are commands for identifying the version of your database for a few of the more popular RDBMS’s.  Please keep in mind that these may or may not work on your version of database or type of operating system.

RDBMS_popular_relational_databses

ORACLE

  • SELECT * FROM V$VERSION;

Your output will be something like this …
version_output_oracle

SQL SERVER

Try one of the following:

  • Select “Help -> About” from the SQL Server Management Studio menu.
  • select @@version
  • You may also connect to the server by using Object Explorer in SQL Server Management Studio. After Object Explorer is connected, it will show the version information in parentheses, together with the user name that is used to connect to the specific instance of SQL Server.

MYSQL

Try one of the following:

  • shell> mysql –version
  • mysql> SHOW VARIABLES LIKE ‘%version%’;
  • mysqladmin version  -or- mysqladmin –v

DB2

Try one of the following:

  • SELECT * FROM TABLE(SYSPROC.ENV_GET_INST_INFO());
  • SELECT GETVARIABLE(‘SYSIBM.VERSION’) FROM SYSIBM.SYSDUMMY1;