Making a direct connection from ArcGIS Desktop to a geodatabase in Oracle

You can use a direct connection from ArcGIS Desktop to your ArcSDE geodatabase. Provided you have already installed and configured the database management system (DBMS) client on the client computers, perform the following steps to set up a direct connection from ArcGIS Desktop.

Note:

If there is an existing connection to an ArcSDE geodatabase in the ArcGIS Desktop instance, any subsequent connections matching the original server, instance, and authentication mode properties will use the original connection properties. This means that if you connect to the same ArcSDE geodatabase with a connection file that does not save user name and password or version and there is already a connection to the same ArcSDE geodatabase server and instance that does save the user name and password or version, you will not be prompted to fill in the missing properties; the properties from the original connection with the saved login or version will be used.

Steps:

1. Expand the Database Connections folder in the Catalog tree. This can be accessed in one of two ways:
   • Start ArcMap, ArcScene, or ArcGlobe, open the Catalog window, then double-click the Database Connections folder in the Catalog tree.
   • Start ArcCatalog and double-click the Database Connections folder in the Catalog tree.
2. Double-click Add Spatial Database Connection.

   This opens the Spatial Database Connection dialog box.

3. In the Server text box, type the name of the server on which the Oracle database resides.
4. What you type in the Service text box varies depending on the version of Oracle client you use and whether you are connecting to the master sde instance or a geodatabase in a user's schema.
   • If you are connecting to Oracle using an Oracle 10g client, type sde:oracle10g:<SQL_Net_alias> in the Service text box.
   • If you are connecting to Oracle using an Oracle 11g client, type sde:oracle11g:<SQL_Net_alias> in the Service text box.
   • If you are connecting to a geodatabase in a user's schema instead of the sde master geodatabase, type sde:oracle10g:<SQL_Net_alias>:<schema_name> or sde:oracle11g:<SQL_Net_alias>:<schema_name> in the Service text box. Be sure to provide the name of the schema that contains the geodatabase to which you want to connect.

   The SQL Net alias was set when your computer was configured to use a direct connection. Contact your system administrator if you do not know what value to substitute for this variable.

   Tip:

   If you want to include an environment variable to the connection string, add a semicolon at the end of the string and add the variable. For example, sde:oracle11g:oranet:fred;SDEHOME=c:\ArcGIS\bin for connecting to a user-schema geodatabase or sde:oracle10g:oranet10;SDEHOME=c:\ArcGIS\bin for a connecting to the master geodatabase. If you specify multiple variables, separate them with semicolons. For example, sde:oracle10g:oranet10;LOCAL=mynetalias;SDEHOME=c:\ArcGIS\bin.

5. Leave the Database text box blank.
6. If using database authentication, type your user name in the Username text box and type your password in the Password text box.
7. Uncheck Save username and password if you do not want your login information saved with the connection.
8. If using operating system authentication, click the Operating system authentication button.
   The database authentication information becomes unavailable.
9. Spatial database connections are made to the sde.DEFAULT version by default. If you are connecting to any other version, including a user-schema geodatabase DEFAULT version, you must change the version. Click Change in the Connection details section.
   1. When the Connection Details dialog box opens, choose the version of the geodatabase to which you want to connect. This could be <schema>.DEFAULT or any other version of that geodatabase.

      For example, if the schema the geodatabase is in is tubor, and you want to connect to the qa77 version, choose tubor.qa77 from the transactional version list.

   2. Click OK on the Connection Details dialog box to close it.
10. If you do not want to save the version connection information you provided in the last step, uncheck Save the version with the connection file.
11. Click Test Connection.

    If the test is successful, the button becomes unavailable. If the test fails, you cannot access data in the geodatabase until you provide the correct information or the database problem has been resolved.

12. Click OK.
13. Type a new name for the spatial database connection.
14. Press ENTER.

Note:

If there is an existing connection to an ArcSDE geodatabase in the ArcGIS Desktop instance, any subsequent connections matching the original server, instance, and authentication mode properties will use the original connection properties. This means that if you connect to the same ArcSDE geodatabase with a connection file that does not save user name and password or version and there is already a connection to the same ArcSDE geodatabase server and instance that does save the user name and password or version, you will not be prompted to fill in the missing properties; the properties from the original connection with the saved login or version will be used.