XL98: Troubleshooting Problems with Oracle 3.01 ODBC Driver (182813)

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What You Must Have to Connect to an Oracle Database

To connect to an Oracle database, you must have installed and have correctly configured the following items:

• The Oracle client software.
• The Oracle ODBC driver.
  
  You can install an Oracle ODBC driver by selecting the Data Access component in the Value Pack installer.
• An ODBC data source for the database that you want to query.

The second and third requirements regarding the ODBC driver and the data source are familiar; however, the first requirement is different from any other databases that you typically connect to through Microsoft Query 98 Macintosh Edition. If the Oracle client software is not installed, please contact your database administrator. Oracle provides this software, and Microsoft cannot help you configure the Oracle client.

Which Oracle ODBC Driver Is Supported?

Microsoft Query uses the Microsoft 3.01 Oracle PPC ODBC driver that is included with Office 98. Microsoft does not support any third-party Oracle ODBC drivers.

Determining the Version of the Oracle Client Software

The Oracle client software is made up of many different components. The following sections discuss how to check the version of several key components of the Oracle client software.

Checking the Version of the SQL*Net Client

One very important component of the Oracle client software is the SQL*Net Client. To check the version of the SQL*Net Client that you are using, follow these steps:

1. Open the <Oracle Client>:Installer folder on the hard disk where <Oracle Client> is the name of the folder in which the Oracle client software is installed.
2. Double-click Oracle Installer. Look for the version of SQL*Net listed in the Products Installed list box on the right side of the Software Asset Manager window. The version of SQL*Net will be listed as follows:

   SQL*Net Client 2.1.4.0.4

NOTE: If you have not installed the Oracle Installer to your hard drive, then you must run the Oracle Installer from your Oracle Products CD.

Version 2.1.4.0.4 of the SQL*Net Client is the only version of the Oracle client software that is supported by the Microsoft 3.01 Oracle PPC ODBC driver.

Checking the Version of OracleOci71Lib

The OracleOci71Lib file is important to the operation of the Oracle client software. To check the version of OracleOci71Lib that you are using, follow these steps:

1. Open the <Oracle Client>:Libraries folder on the hard disk where <Oracle Client> is the name of the folder in which the Oracle client software is installed.
2. Click to select a file named OracleOci71Lib.
3. On the File menu, click Get Info.

The version number should be similar to the following: NOTE: Later (and earlier) versions of the OracleOci file are named differently. For example, you may have a file named OracleOci73Lib.

The Microsoft 3.01 Oracle PPC ODBC driver does not work with later versions of the OracleOci71Lib file. The Microsoft 3.01 Oracle PPC ODBC driver is designed to work with version 7.1.4.1.6 of OracleOci71Lib file.

NOTE: The Microsoft 3.01 Oracle PPC ODBC driver is backward compatible with earlier versions of the OracleOci71Lib file. However, the driver does not work with version 7.1.4.1.4 of OracleOci71Lib.

Creating a Data Source That Points to an Oracle Database

Creating a data source for an Oracle database is not that different from creating a data source for any other database. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Point to Get External Data on the Data menu, and then click Create New Query.
2. Double-click "<New Data Source>."
3. In Step 1 of the Create New Data Source dialog box, type the name that you want to give the data source.
4. In step 2 of the Create New Source dialog box, click "Microsoft 3.01 Oracle PPC" in the list.
5. Click Connect in step 3 of the Create New Data Source dialog box.
   
   You are prompted for the following pieces of information:

   Server Name
   User Name
   Password

   This dialog box is not provided by the ODBC driver; it is supplied by the Oracle client software. If this dialog box does not appear, the Oracle client software may not be configured correctly, or there may be an environmental conflict that prevents the Oracle client from working correctly.
   
   If you type the correct information into the dialog box and you receive an error message, the ODBC driver or the Oracle client cannot connect to the database. At this point, you may want to use the NetTest program to determine whether the Oracle client can communicate with the database. For more information, refer to the "Using NetTest to Troubleshoot Connecting to an Oracle Database" section of this article.

Using NetTest to Troubleshoot Connecting to an Oracle Database

The Oracle Client includes a utility called NetTest that can be used to determine whether a valid connection can be made to a database from the client computer. If you are experiencing problems connecting to the Oracle database, run NetTest to see if you have a valid connection. To run NetTest, follow these steps:

NOTE: Microsoft does not support the NetTest utility. If you have problems running NetTest, contact your database administrator.

1. Open the <Oracle Client>:Applications:Networking folder where <Oracle Client> is the name of the folder in which the Oracle client software is installed.
2. Double-click NetTest.
3. Click Logon on the Database menu. Supply the appropriate information in the Username, Password, and Database boxes, and then click Login.
   
   NOTE: If you do not know this information, please contact your database administrator.

If the connection is successful, you will see text similar to the following in the Result box: If the connection is successful, you have confirmed that the Oracle client software is configured correctly.
If you cannot connect to the Oracle database with NetTest, the problems that you are experiencing are independent of the ODBC driver or Query. Please contact your database administrator for assistance.