Good morning,
Using the Informatica ILM suite, we've retired a number of database applications (which ran on Oracle) into the so-called Optimized File Archive, or OFA.
The information stored in there can be accessed using their File Archive Service, or FAS.
To allow access for certain tools, they've also got an ODBC and JDBC driver (from the original company that created the archive bit, RainStor), to be able to get to tables in archives.
I've been able to set it up for Aquafold's Aqua Data Studio (ADS), but given that that is shareware I've only got an evaluation version, expiring in 2 weeks.
Since SQLdeveloper, like ADS, is a Java-based tool, and it also allows for third party JDBC drivers, I'm inclined to think that somehow SQLdeveloper should also be able to connect to those archives. Unfortunately, I always get an error message: "Invalid connection information specified. Verify the URL format for the specified driver"
There are some slight differences between ADS and SQLdev in setting up such a JDBC connection.
In ADS, apart from providing user/pw, I have to specify following:
- name of the JDBC driver ("com.simba.client.core.SimbaJDBCDriver")
- location of the JDBC driver (e.g. "C:\Ora\RainStorJDBC-3.0.1.2.jar")
- JDBC URL of format "jdbc:simba://<host>:<port>;Archive=<archive>;ConnectionTimeout=3600;Parser=ORACLE"
In SQLdev I can import the JDBC driver (menu > Tools > Preferences, then under Database > Third Party JDBC Drivers), and in the Database Connection Screen create a new connection, provide the user/pw of the so-called Service Manager (from FAS), and choose Connection Type "Advanced" to then specify the "Custom JDBC URL", which would have to be the same as above. If I test the connection, I get an instant error:
"Status: Failure -Test failed: Invalid connection information specified. Verify the URL format for the specified driver".
Informatica's Global Customer Support are saying that SQLdev can't do it, but I'm just wondering whether some really bright lights in the Oracle community have found an alternative route to be able to connect to such FAS/OFA archives. Given the similarities between ADS and SQLdev, to me it seems it - somehow - has to be possible as well...
Thanks in advance for thinking about this problem/challenge.
Cheers!
Edited by: exapat on Dec 7, 2012 10:43 AM
Did some further investigations, on other third party drivers. Those ones (e.g. for SQL Server) - when loaded - create an extra tab in the connection screen.
The RainStor JDBC driver does not do that, and I can imagine that that's where it falls short.
If indeed the case, what could be done to overcome this?