Create Oracle Connections
You can create a new connection, or connect to an existing connection from the Create New Connection window.
Tip: You can configure Toad Data Studio to accept connection information from Toad for Oracle.
Client Connection or Direct Connection
You can connect to your database using a native Oracle database provider in Toad using one of the following methods:
|
Connection Method |
Advantages |
Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
|
Client connection Client tab—Uses an installed Oracle Client or Oracle Instant Client to establish a connection to the database from Toad. |
Supports LDAP Configure Oracle LDAP Support about configuring the Oracle client to use LDAP. |
Requires an Oracle client Note: Toad supports Oracle clients and Oracle Instant clients using version 9i or later. |
|
Direct connection Direct Connect tab—Uses TCP/IP to connect directly to the database. |
Does not require an installed Oracle Client Recommended for connecting to Oracle 8i databases |
This method only supports common data types. Some advanced Oracle object types cannot be retrieved when connecting using this method. This method does not support LDAP. (To connect using LDAP, use the Client Connection method instead.) This method cannot be used in a cross-connection query. |
|
Note: Quest recommends using one of the methods described in this table to connect to Oracle rather than an ODBC driver. Because ODBC connectivity is generic, it is not full-featured and may not be as robust as the fully exploited native database provider. | ||
Data Types Supported
Toad supports both the 32-bit and the 64-bit versions of the Oracle Client. The following table identifies which Oracle data types are supported for each client type.
| Data Type | Supported Using 32-Bit Client |
Supported Using 64-Bit Client |
|---|---|---|
| CHAR |  |
|
| VARCHAR2 and VARCHAR | |
|
| NCHAR and NVARCHAR2 | |
|
| LONG | |
|
| NUMBER | |
|
| DATE | |
|
| TIMESTAMP | |
|
| BLOB | |
|
| CLOB | |
|
| NCLOB | |
|
| BFILE |  |
|
| RAW, LONG RAW | |
|
| ROWID | |
|
| XMLType 1, 2 | |
|
| SDO_GEOMETRY | |
|
| VARRAY | |
|
| Nested Table | |
|
| User-Defined | |
|
Table Notes:
- An XMLType that uses an XML schema is supported, but only when using Oracle Client 11.2 or later.
- XMLType data that is stored as binary XML is not supported.
Configure the Oracle Instant Client
The Oracle Instant client installs only those files needed to connect to your database using OCI. Because this client does not write to the registry (no ORACLE_HOMES) or add to the environmental path, you must manually set environment variables so the client can be used with Toad.
To configure the Oracle Instant Client to work with Toad
- Save the Oracle Instant Client files in any location on the computer where Toad is installed.
- On your Windows desktop, right-click My Computer and select Properties.
- Select the Advanced tab and click Environment Variables.
-
Click New under System Variables and complete the following:
Variable name Variable Value PATH <Path where Instant Client is installed>;%PATH%
For Example: C:\Program Files\OracleInstantClient;%PATH%
TNS_ADMIN <Path where tnsnames.ora file is installed>
- To use the Oracle Instant Client connection in a cross-connection query, you must also install an Oracle ODBC driver. (While the Oracle Client full install includes an ODBC driver, the Oracle Instant Client does not.)
Note: You cannot use an Oracle Direct Connection in a cross-connection query.
Create an Oracle Connection
To create an Oracle connection
-
Click
on the toolbar (ALT+F+N).
-
Select Oracle from the Group list box.
-
Review the following for additional information:
Login Tab Description Database name
Select the alias to use when connecting. This list displays aliases from LDAP, as well as any local tnsnames.ora file.
When you initially open the connection dialog, Toad retrieves the list of LDAP names from the LDAP server. Toad caches this list and displays it upon subsequent requests, within one Toad session. To refresh the list, click
.
Note: If you do not select a database, Toad uses the ORACLE_SID for the selected home. If an ORACLE_SID value does not exist and you do not specify a database, you cannot connect.
Password
Enter the password to use when connecting.
Tip: After connecting, you can set a master password to further secure your connection in Tools | Options| Environment | Security.
Connect as
Select whether to connect as either SYSDBA or SYSOPER if you have the appropriate permissions. Otherwise, use the default.
Schema
Select a schema if you frequently work in a different schema than the one associated with your user name. Explain plan table
(Optional) Specify the location of an existing explain plan table to use instead of Toad automatically creating one for you when you execute a statement. This is useful if you do not have necessary permissions to create explain plan tables or want to use an existing table.
Category
Select or create a category if you want to color code Editor tabs for a specific connection. This can help differentiate between development and production databases. You can also set an option to color code the Object Explorer pane and object editor windows (Create, Alter, Drop, etc.). Save password
Select this check box if you plan to use this connection in a scheduled Automation script.
Note: This option is disabled if Toad was installed with Prohibit saving passwords selected.
Oracle Client Tab
Description
Current home
Modify the Oracle home to use, if needed.
TNSNames Editor
Click this button to edit your local TNSNames file.
Tip: You can press CTRL+F to open the Find/Replace window to locate entries in the TNS Names Editor. Pressing F3 locates the next entry that matches your criteria.
SQLNET Editor
Click this button to edit SQLNET.ORA parameters. Before editing this file, you should create a backup copy. See SQLNET.ORA Profile Parameters in the Oracle documentation for more information. Direct Tab
Description
SID
Enter the ORACLE_SID value for the database. This value is specified in the registry under each installed home.
Advanced Tab Description ODBC driver
If an Oracle Client is installed, the default is the Oracle ODBC driver.
If an Oracle Client is not installed, the default is the Microsoft Access ODBC driver.
Tip: You can specify the ODBC driver to use for all connections for this database provider in Tools | Options | Database | Oracle.
-
Click Connect to connect immediately while saving the connection information. Optionally, click Save to save the connection without connecting.
Note: Go to Tools | Options | Database | Oracle to specify default options to use in Oracle connections.
Tip: Connections are stored in the connections.xml file and can be found by clicking the Application Data Directory link in Help | About.