Create a direct connection to Oracle

Summary

Instructions provided describe how to create a direct connection to an Oracle database.

Connecting directly from a client application to a geodatabase means that communication between the database and client takes place by way of a direct-connect driver, not through an ArcSDE service. It also means that a lot of the processes that would have taken place on the server are now going to take place on the client machines.

The following are some examples of when to use a direct connection:

- When there is no desire to administer an ArcSDE service. The direct-connect database driver does not require the administration of the ArcSDE service. There is no intermediate giomgr process to set up, configure, or start.

- The direct-connect database driver provides additional options for scaling a system. The direct-connect architecture moves the ArcSDE server functionality to the desktop. This removes the ArcSDE load from the database server and allows additional resources to be freed up for the DBMS, which means better scalability on the database server.

- The direct connection configuration can be useful in failover environments. For example, it is easier to configure a system with Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) using the direct-connect driver.

- To use operating system authentication for ArcGIS connections to Oracle, a direct connection must be used to create a spatial database connection.

Procedure

1. Open ArcCatalog.
2. Expand Database Connections and double-click on 'Add Spatial Database Connection'.
3. Type in the name of the Server where the Oracle database resides.
4. For Service, if using Oracle9i, specify:
   
   sde:oracle9i
   
   If using Oracle10g, specify:
   
   sde:oracle10g
   
   
5. Type the user for Username.
6. For Password, type the password for the user followed by '@<net service name>'. Ex:
   
   Username: SDE
   Password: SDE_ADMIN@ORCL
7. Click OK.