Register an Oracle database with ArcGIS Server
In this topic
- Install Oracle client software
- Set variables
- Connect to Oracle
- Grant privileges
- Register with ArcGIS Server
As an ArcGIS Server administrator, you have the option to register your data folders, databases, and geodatabases with ArcGIS Server. Data registration provides ArcGIS Server a list of locations to access. Data registration also helps ArcGIS Server adjust data paths when publishing across machines.
The following sections describe how to prepare your ArcGIS client to connect to an Oracle database (whether the database contains a geodatabase or not) and register the database with ArcGIS Server.
Install Oracle client software
Oracle client software must be installed on all ArcGIS client machines that will connect to the database. See Connect to Oracle from ArcGIS for instructions on installation and configuration of the Oracle client software. Use the following table to determine the appropriate configuration for your site:
| Installation combinations | Configuration to use |
|---|---|
ArcGIS Server (single server site) and Oracle are installed on the same server; ArcGIS for Desktop is installed on a different machine. | Install a 32-bit Oracle client on the ArcGIS for Desktop machine, and make sure the PATH variable is set to the Oracle client home directory. You do not need to install an Oracle client on the server because files to connect are installed with the Oracle DBMS. Just be sure the LD_LIBRARY_PATH (Linux server) or PATH (Windows server) system variable is set to the Oracle home directory. If you set a tnsname for the Oracle client, you must use the same name on the ArcGIS Server machine and the ArcGIS for Desktop computer. |
ArcGIS Server is installed on one or more servers that are separate from the DBMS. ArcGIS for Desktop is on a computer separate from both Oracle and ArcGIS Server. | You must install the 64-bit Oracle client on all ArcGIS Server machines and be sure the PATH (Windows) or LD_LIBRARY_PATH (Linux) system variable is set to the Oracle client home directory. You must also install a 32-bit Oracle client on the ArcGIS for Desktop machine, and be sure the PATH variable is set to the Oracle client home directory. If you set a tnsname for the Oracle client, you must use the same name on all of the servers in the ArcGIS Server site and the ArcGIS for Desktop computer. |
ArcGIS Server and ArcGIS for Desktop are installed on the same server; Oracle is installed on a different server. | You must install both the 64-bit and 32-bit Oracle clients on the ArcGIS machine. Set the PATH variable so that the 64-bit Oracle client home directory is listed first. If your ArcGIS Server site includes additional servers, you must install the 64-bit Oracle client on each of the servers in the site, and set the PATH variable to the Oracle client home directory. |
ArcGIS Server, ArcGIS for Desktop, and Oracle are all installed on one machine. | Install the 32-bit Oracle client so that ArcGIS for Desktop can connect to the database. ArcGIS Server will use the 64-bit client files installed with the Oracle DBMS to connect. Make sure that the 64-bit Oracle home directory is listed first in the PATH system variable. If your ArcGIS Server site includes additional servers, you must install the 64-bit Oracle client on each of the servers in the site, and set the PATH variable to the Oracle client home directory. |
If you will be registering the geodatabase as a managed database, the user with which you connect must have privileges sufficient to create data in the geodatabase. See Privileges for geodatabases in Oracle for more information.
Set variables
There are variables you must set in the ArcGIS Server init_user_param.sh script to reference the Oracle client libraries when connecting from ArcGIS for Server (Linux). Which variables you set depends on the type of Oracle client you install and how you configure it.
See the "Reference the database client libraries in the init_user_param.sh script" section of Configuring a connection to a database in ArcGIS Server for more information.
Connect to Oracle
To register a database with the server, you must provide connection information. There are two ways you can do this:
- Import an existing .sde file that contains the connection information.
You can create a Database Connection (.sde) file from the Catalog tree in ArcGIS for Desktop, using the Create Database Connection geoprocessing tool or a Python script.
- Provide your connection information at the time of registration.
No matter which way you choose, you must provide the following information to connect to Oracle:
- The type of DBMS to which you are connecting (in this case, Oracle)
- A valid Oracle connection string
If your Oracle server and client are set up to use Easy Connect, you can provide a valid Easy Connect string. Some examples of this connection type are provided in Database connections in ArcGIS for Desktop. Or you can provide the Oracle tnsname. See Oracle's documentation set for a full list of connection types and syntax.
- The type of authentication to be used: database or operating system
If database authentication is used, you must provide a valid database user name and password. You must save this information with the connection file.
If operating system authentication is used, use a domain account for the ArcGIS Server account and add it to the Oracle database. ArcGIS Server will use this account to connect to the database.
Beginning with ArcGIS 10.3 geodatabases, you cannot use an ArcSDE service to connect. If you want to connect to a previous release geodatabase using an ArcSDE service, create a .sde file using the Create ArcSDE Connection File geoprocessing tool or a Python script. Then you can import the connection when you register the geodatabase with ArcGIS Server.
Grant privileges
The database user, role, or ArcGIS Server account (if you're using operating system authentication) with which you connect to the database must be granted privileges in the database to access the data to be published. The privileges and the circumstances under which you need to grant them are as follows:
| Privilege | Reason |
|---|---|
CREATE SESSION | Required to connect to the database. |
CREATE TABLE | Selection sets of over 100 records cause a log file table to be created in the database by default. You can change log file settings to avoid having to grant this privilege. See Log file table options for geodatabases in Oracle for more information. |
SELECT privileges on the datasets to be published. | The user or ArcGIS account must have at least SELECT privileges on the datasets to be published. See Grant and revoke dataset privileges for instructions on granting privileges. |
INSERT, UPDATE, and/or DELETE privileges on data published to editable feature services | To edit data through a feature service, privileges sufficient to edit must be granted on the datasets in the database. See Grant and revoke dataset privileges for instructions on granting privileges. |
Register with ArcGIS Server
You can register the database from Server Manager or the Catalog tree in ArcGIS for Desktop. See the following topics for an explanation of registration options and how to register the database: