CODEWITHSUNDEEP
oracle-databasedbf
Omar_sorour
Omar_sorour

Reputation: 1

Open dbf file from oracle database

My instructor gave me a username and password and .dbf file and tell me to open it and try to retrieve with sqlplus and oracle database

I tried to open the dbf file from excel mysql and ms server but it i gave me an error

Upvotes: 0

Views: 1416

Answers (2)

pmdba
pmdba

Reputation: 7043

Speaking as a DBA: As Littlefoot stated, you can't just read a data file from an Oracle DB. At best they are proprietary binary file formats, assuming it isn't encrypted on top of that. Nor can you take a data file from one database instance and just plug it in to another database instance. You also can't import it to mySQL or any other database engine: as a stand-alone data file it can only be properly read by its original database installation (i.e. the specific database instance that created it).

Oracle has specific tools available to copy data and/or files from one database to another, but those would generally use the RMAN backup manager (used to make physical backups) or (more likely in your case) the Datapump "Transportable Tablespace" feature.

  • To restore it from an RMAN backup you would need a complete full backup of the entire source database instance: RMAN backup sets including all data files, redo logs (and perhaps archived logs), control files, parameter files, encryption keys,, and possibly more.
  • To restore a transportable tablespace dump you would need your own running Oracle database instance, the correct parameters to run the impdp import utility, and the assistance/cooperation of the DBA.

You need to confirm if the file you were given is such an export dump (though the .dbf file extension would suggest not), and how you are expected to access the data. You won't be able to just "open the file".

Upvotes: 2

Littlefoot
Littlefoot

Reputation: 143103

.DBF extension probably represents datafile; I don't think you can read it with any tool (at least, I don't know of any).

You should find an Oracle DBA who might try to help; in order to restore a database (which is contained in that file), they might need control file(s), redo log files and ... can't name what other files (I'm not a DBA).

Then, if everything goes OK, database might be started up so that you'd be able to connect to it using credentials you were given.

Upvotes: 0

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