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                 Oracle ODBC Driver Frequently Asked Questions
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 1 What are the configuration parameters for the odbc.ini / connection string?
 2 What should I put in the DB parameter in the odbc.ini / connection string?
 3 Do I need a tnsnames.ora file? 
 4 Do I need a sqlnet.ora file?
 5 Where do I put tnsnames.ora / sqlnet.ora?
 6 SQLForeignKeys takes a very long while to return.


 1 What are the configuration parameters for the odbc.ini / connection string?

   The driver specific parameters that may be specified in the odbc.ini are
   DB = <global-database-identifier>
   USER = <user>
   PASSWORD = <password>
   Trace = [ Yes | No ]
   TraceFile = <filespec>

   Trace defaults to No if not specified. 
   TraceFile defaults to /tmp/oracle.log

   The driver specific parameters that may be specified in the connection 
   string (or SQLConnect parameters) are
   DB = <global-database-identifier>
   UID = <user>
   PWD = <password>

   DB, UID and PWD override the DB, USER and PASSWORD parameters of the 
   odbc.ini.

   If either UID or PWD are given in the connect parameters, then 
   (respectively) USER and PASSWORD need not be specified in the odbc.ini.
   If no DB is specified at all, an attempt will be made to connect to the 
   "default database"


 2 What should I put in the DB parameter in the odbc.ini / connection string?

   The content of the DB parameter is passed drirectly through to the Oracle
   client, which has several ways in which it can try to resolve the name.
   
   Commonly the server listener will have an entry of the same name as its 
   fully qualified domain, so if the server is oracle.mydomain.com entering 
   this as the DB parameter is often sufficient.

   Also common is the presence of the ORACLE_SID environment variable. If this
   is present and the surrounding setup is correct, an empty or omitted DB 
   parameter should ensure a connection.
   
   Other than these two options, the DB parameter will need to be the 
   database identifier as described by the local naming scheme (tnsnames.ora,
   sqlnet.ora)


 3 Do I need a tnsnames.ora file? 

   If the server has a listener entry of the same name as its fully qualified
   domain name, you will not need a tnsnames.ora file (use the FQDN of the 
   server).

   If the database specified by the FQDN listener entry on the server is not
   the database that you wish to access or the server does not have a listener
   entry equal to its FQDN, then a tnsnames.ora file is a common way of 
   specifying more explicitly how to connect to the correct database.

   A "quick start" to tnsnames.ora is given on the easysoft.org www site at
   http://www.easysoft.org/projects/oracle/docs.phtml
   The Oracle Net8 Adminsitrator's Guide gives full details


 4 Do I need a sqlnet.ora file?

   If you use any extra security features, an Oracle names server or have an
   unusual name resolution system, you may require a sqlnet.ora. 
   The Oracle Net8 Adminsitrator's Guide gives full details.
   
   A "quick start" to sqlnet.ora is given on the easysoft.org www site at
   http://www.easysoft.org/projects/oracle/docs.phtml
   The Oracle Net8 Adminsitrator's Guide gives full details
   

 5 Where do I put tnsnames.ora / sqlnet.ora?

   The "official" place to put them is in the network/admin subdirectory of 
   the directory specified in the ORACLE_HOME environment variable.
   They also (may) work if placed in /etc, but not in /usr/local/etc

 6 SQLForeignKeys takes a very long while to return.

   There are an enormous number of possible key combinations even in an Oracle
   database with very few user tables. 

$Id: FAQ,v 1.1.1.1 2002/02/11 19:48:06 dbox Exp $