Importing an Oracle database dump file

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

This article provides steps to import an Oracle dump file.

Symptoms:

• Importing a Oracle dump file fails
• You see this error:
  
  (ORA-39002: invalid operation
  ORA-39070: Unable to open the log file.
  ORA-39145: directory object parameter must be specified and non-null)

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 4.0.x
VMware vCenter Server 4.1.x
VMware vCenter Update Manager 4.0.x
VMware vCenter Update Manager 4.1.x

Resolution

To import an Oracle database, open a command line and run this import command (impdp or imp):

Note: For more information about the import command, see the Additional Information section of this article.

C:\>impdp vpxadmin/password full=Y DIRECTORY=test_dir dumpfile=vcentDB_2010_Dec_20.dmp LOGFILE= imp_vcentDB_2010Dec20.log

If you run the import command and see the errors in the Symptoms section, you have either not created the test_dir directory or the user name you used to log in does not have the required privileges on that folder.

You must create the directory and assign the required privileges, then run the import command.

If test_dir exists, make sure you are not deleting other files from that directory by logging into SQLPLUS and running this command to find the exact path of the directory:

SQL> SELECT directory_path FROM dba_directories WHERE directory_name = 'TEST_DIR';

If the directory does not exist, you must create it and assign the required privileges.

To create the directory manually, run the command:

SQL> CREATE OR REPLACE DIRECTORY test_dir AS '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/';

To assign the required privileges to the directory:

SQL> GRANT READ, WRITE ON DIRECTORY test_dir TO user_name;

Additional Information

The import Oracle utility imp reads generated files created by the export utility and loads the objects and data into the Oracle database. Tables are created, their data is loaded, and the indexes are built. Following these objects, triggers are imported, and constraints are enabled.

Rows are inserted before triggers are enabled to prevent the firing of the triggers for each new row. Constraints are loaded last due to referential integrity relationships and dependencies among tables.

The exp export command is deprecated in Oracle 11g. If you are using Oracle 11g, you can only use impdp/expdp or imp commands.

All imp/exp and impdp/expdp are valid in Oracle 10g.