dbForge Schema Compare for Oracle allows you to connect a database and a server using the Database Connection Properties dialog.
To create a connection to the server:
1. On the Database menu, select New Connection to open the Database Connection Properties dialog.
2. On the General tab of the dialog, select the connection type that defines how the database connection is established and specify the general connection details.
Note
The connection details you need to enter vary based on the selected connection type.
The following table describes connection parameters for the Direct connection type.
Parameter | Description |
---|---|
Host | Server or host name where the Oracle database is running. |
Port | Port number. The default port number is 1521. |
Service Name/SID | Logical database service to connect to an Oracle database. |
User and Password | User credential details. By default, the password is saved automatically. If you don’t want to save the password, clear the Allow saving password checkbox. |
The following table describes connection parameters for the TNS (Transparent Network Substrate) connection type.
Parameter | Description |
---|---|
Server | Server name where the Oracle database is running. |
User and Password | User credential details. By default, the password is saved automatically. If you don’t want to save the password, clear the Allow saving password checkbox. |
Home | Oracle client home directory. The default option is Instant Client. |
The following table describes connection parameters for the TNS (using OS Authentication) connection type.
Parameter | Description |
---|---|
Server | Server name where the Oracle database is running. |
User and Password | User and password are inherited from the current OS user. |
Home | Oracle client home directory. The default option is Instant Client. |
3. In the Connect as list, select a role with which you want to connect to the server. The available roles include Normal (default), SYSDBA, SYSOPER, SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, and SYSKM. To show all schema objects, select the Show all objects checkbox.
4. In the Connection Name box, enter a name for the server you want to connect to. By default, the host name is used. If you want to specify a different name, enter it here. This setting is optional.
5. In the Environment Category list, select the environment category from the list, such as Development, Production, Sandbox, and Test. This setting is optional. To customize a connection category, see Windows connection coloring.
6. Optional: Switch to the Advanced tab to configure advanced connection properties:
7. Optional: To verify the connection, select Test Connection. The window with the message informing about a successful connection appears. Select OK to close the window.
8. To create the connection to the server, select Connect.
You can create, edit, and delete connections using Connection Manager. To open it, do one of the following:
Connection Manager allows you to do the following:
Window connection coloring immediately lets you know which server you’re connected to. When setting the database connection properties, you can add coloring for each server connection in the Environment Category list of the Database Connection Properties dialog.
To add connection coloring, select an arrow in the Environment Category and then select the required coloring.
In the Environment Category, select to open the Options dialog. Here, you can customize category settings by choosing colors, editing, adding, or deleting categories. You can also assign colors to all schemas or specific schemas within a connection.
1. Next to the Environment Categories grid, select New Color Match.
2. In a new row, specify a server and/or a schema name and environment.
3. To save the changes, select OK.
1. Select the color match you want to remove.
2. Next to the Environment Categories grid, select Delete Color Match.
3. To save the changes, select OK.
1. Next to the Category Settings grid, select New Category.
2. In a new row, specify an environment name and choose a shape and a color.
3. To save the changes, select OK.
1. Select the category you want to delete.
2. Next to the Category Settings grid, select Delete Category.
3. To save the changes, select OK.
Direct mode does not require an Oracle Client to be installed on your workstation. dbForge Schema Compare for Oracle talks to the Oracle server directly; no third-party libraries are required.
You can connect to a multi-threaded server using Direct mode. The server must be configured to use a specific port and TTC protocol. This can help you avoid firewall conflicts.
Direct mode advantages:
Direct mode restrictions:
Note
You can return to a connection via a TNS at any time if the restrictions become critical for you.
The TNS connection type is an appropriate option in any of the following circumstances:
A TNS connection uses an alias entry from a tnsnames.ora file. dbForge Schema Compare for Oracle uses only one tnsnames.ora file. You may have more than one on your local machine or want to use the tnsnames.ora file on a remote machine, so note that dbForge Schema Compare for Oracle looks sequentially for the tnsnames.ora file in the following locations:
You need to create the TNS_ADMIN environment variable in the case when the tnsnames.ora file exists, but dbForge Schema Compare for Oracle doesn’t use it.
Note
dbForge Schema Compare for Oracle uses connection via a TNS by default.
With OS authentication, Oracle Database uses a database user’s OS login credentials to authenticate that user. The user doesn’t provide a username or password to access the database, and Oracle Database doesn’t store and manage the account password. Local OS authentication can be used when the client and the database server are on the same machine. Remote OS authentication is possible but is not considered secure.