Upgrading Express Databases

New terminology: Analytic workspace

In Oracle9i, the term database refers only to the relational database. Express databases are now called analytic workspaces. In OLAP Services, an analytic workspace can be used either as a transient data cache or as a persistent data repository. You can also use it to store SPL programs, analytic workspace metadata, and data definitions.

Procedure: Upgrading an Express database

Follow these steps to upgrade an Express database for use as an analytic workspace in Oracle9i:

1. Make a backup of the Express database. (Optional)

2. Note the location of the database. By default, the OLAP service will search olap/db of the installation directory for databases. Other directories can be added to the search path by adding them to the ServerDBPath configuration setting. If a database is not in the search path, you will need to specify the full path name each time you attach it.

3. Check the ownership of the database file, and make sure that the installation user (such as oracle) has write access.

   For example, if the database is owned by oesdba, and the primary group is dba, then the installation user (such as oracle) must also be a member of the dba group, and the dba group must have write access.

4. Use OLAP Worksheet to open an OLAP Services session.

5. Check the instance character set with the following command:

   show nls_lang
   

   Note: Refer to "Localization Support" for more information on character sets.

6. Assign the instance character set to the database with the following command, substituting the name of your Express database for dbname:

   database attach dbname updatecharset
   

   Important: Proceed to the next step only if you are sure that the server character set includes all of the characters in the database. If you have any doubt, you should check the data stored in text variables to verify that it is readable. After you have updated the database, you cannot change its character set.

7. Save the new analytic workspace:

   update
   

8. Revise any programs in the workspace to delete references to obsolete commands, as described in "Express SPL".