What do the log *oconf* contain? (4302594)

Events pertaining to activation are logged in event_log but also in SID_oconf01.log where SID refers to the Oracle SID of the source database. The SID_oconf01.log is of significance as it logs important info about the events that occur during activation.

The event_log does list out the object names and their objects ids when they are brought into replication. It lists out if an object failed to be included in replication. It also lists out sundry info such as the presence or absence of primary key, unique key for objects. But the SID_oconf01.log lists additional info which may be of use when analyzing the activation process.

The *oconf* log lists out the type of activation done (live or nolock), presence (or absence) of supplemental logging, the Oracle version of the source database, the events that occur during activation which pertain to the activation only such as building object cache, initiating of locks on a table, starting SCN when a table is brought into replication, etc. It lists out the names of the tables but not their object ids. It does not lists the redo log sequence or offset associated with the object when it is brought into replication. It also lists out the objects that are removed from replication.

It is cumulative in the sense that the log keep growing as and when subsequent activations are performed. The log is a useful tool for diagnosis and provide additional info other than what is provided in the event log. It supplements event log for diagnosing the problems.