err-1000: maximum open cursors exceeded when performing an ArcGIS operation

Error Message

The following Oracle error is being encountered:

"err-1000: maximum open cursors exceeded when performing an ArcGIS operation."

Cause

To improve performance, ArcSDE 9 holds open numerous cursors within Oracle. Holding a cursor open can prevent the query from being parsed upon each execution and improves the overall scalability of the system.

A session is limited to a maximum number of concurrent open cursors by the Oracle initialization parameter open_cursors. The parameter's default value is 300, but based upon the complexity of the organizations data model, for example, the number of feature classes, the ArcSDE session can require a large number of cursors to be open.

If the session attempts to open a new cursor, but already has the maximum number of cursors open, the Oracle error err-1000 is raised.

Solution or Workaround