B Oracle Locator

Oracle Locator (also referred to as Locator) is a feature of Oracle Database Standard Edition. Locator provides core features and services available in Oracle Spatial and Graph.

It provides significant capabilities typically required to support Internet and wireless service-based applications and partner-based GIS solutions. Locator is not designed to be a solution for geographic information system (GIS) applications requiring complex spatial data management. If you need capabilities such as linear referencing, advanced spatial functions, or Spatial and Graph web services, use Oracle Spatial and Graph instead of Locator.

Like Spatial and Graph, Locator is not designed to be an end-user application, but is a set of spatial capabilities for application developers.

Locator is available with the Standard Edition One, Standard Edition, and Enterprise Edition of Oracle Database, and with Oracle Database XE (Express Edition). Spatial and Graph is a priced option available only with Oracle Database Enterprise Edition. Spatial and Graph includes all Locator features as well as other features that are not available with Locator.

If you want to ensure that you are using only features available in Locator, see Installing and Deinstalling Locator or Spatial and Graph Manually. For licensing information about Spatial and Graph and Locator, see Oracle Database Licensing Information.

The installation of Locator depends on the successful and proper installation of Oracle Multimedia. Oracle Multimedia is installed and configured with Oracle Database, although you can install Oracle Multimedia manually if necessary, as documented in Oracle Multimedia User's Guide. During the installation of Oracle Multimedia, Locator is installed.

In general, Locator includes the data types, operators, and indexing capabilities of Oracle Spatial and Graph, along with a limited set of the subprograms (functions and procedures) of Spatial and Graph. The Locator features include the following:

For information about spatial concepts, the SDO_GEOMETRY object type, support for SQL Multimedia types annotation text, and indexing and loading of spatial data, see Chapters 1 through 5 in this guide. For reference and usage information about features supported by Locator, see the chapter or section listed in Table B-1.

Table B-1 Features Included with Locator

Feature Described in

Spatial operators, including SDO_JOIN but not including SDO_POINTINPOLYGON. (SDO_JOIN and SDO_POINTINPOLYGON are technically table functions, but they are documented with the operators.)

Spatial Operators

SDO_GEOM package subprograms

SDO_GEOM Package (Geometry)

Spatial aggregate functions

Spatial Aggregate Functions

Coordinate system transformation subprograms (SDO_CS package)

SDO_CS Package (Coordinate System Transformation)

Implicit coordinate system transformations for operator calls where a window needs to be converted to the coordinate system of the queried layer

Spatial Operators

Function-based spatial indexing

SDO_GEOMETRY Objects in Function-Based Indexes

Table partitioning support for spatial indexes (including splitting, merging, and exchanging partitions and their indexes)

Using Partitioned Spatial Indexes and Exchanging Partitions Including Indexes

Geodetic data support

Geodetic Coordinate Support and Legacy Tables and Views

SQL statements for creating, altering, and deleting indexes

SQL Statements for Indexing Spatial Data

Parallel spatial index builds (PARALLEL keyword with ALTER INDEX REBUILD and CREATE INDEX statements) (new with release 9.2)

SQL Statements for Indexing Spatial Data

SDO_GEOMETRY object type methods

SDO_GEOMETRY Methods

SQL Multimedia spatial types (ST_xxx types)

SQL Multimedia Type Support

SQL Multimedia functions (ST_xxx functions) whose Oracle Spatial and Graph counterparts are supported for Locator

ST_xxx Functions and Spatial and Graph Counterparts

Annotation text

Annotation Text Type and Views

Package (SDO_MIGRATE) to upgrade data from previous Spatial and Graph releases to the current release

SDO_MIGRATE Package (Upgrading)

Tuning subprograms (SDO_TUNE package)

SDO_TUNE Package (Tuning)

Spatial utility functions (SDO_UTIL package)

SDO_UTIL Package (Utility)

Classes in the oracle.spatial.geometry (sdoapi.jar) and oracle.spatial.util (sdoutil.jar) packages of the Spatial and Graph Java API

Oracle Spatial and Graph Java API Reference

Object replication

Oracle GoldenGate documentation

Table B-2 lists Spatial and Graph features that are not supported for Locator, with the chapter in this guide or the separate manual that describes the feature.

Table B-2 Features Not Included with Locator

Feature Described in

Linear referencing system (LRS) support (SDO_LRS package)

Linear Referencing System (concepts and usage) and SDO_LRS Package (Linear Referencing System) (reference)

Three-dimensional geometry support: the use of 3D spatial indexing, 3D operators, and subprograms on 3D data is not supported for Locator.

Three-Dimensional Spatial Objects (3D concepts and usage)

Spatial analysis and mining subprograms (SDO_SAM package)

SDO_SAM Package (Spatial Analysis and Mining)

OpenLS support, including support for geocoding, mapping, business directory (Yellow Pages), and driving directions (routing) services

OpenLS Support and SDO_OLS Package (OpenLS) . See also:

Web feature service (WFS) support (SDO_WFS_PROCESS and SDO_WFS_LOCK packages)

Web Feature Service (WFS) Support (concepts and usage), and SDO_WFS_PROCESS Package (WFS Processing) and SDO_WFS_LOCK Package (WFS) (reference)

Catalog services for the Web (CSW) support (SDO_CSW_PROCESS package)

Catalog Services for the Web (CSW) Support (concepts and usage) and SDO_CSW_PROCESS Package (CSW Processing) (reference)

Triangulated irregular network (TIN) and point cloud (PC) data types and related subprograms

Three-Dimensional Spatial Objects (concepts and usage), and SDO_TIN_PKG Package (TINs) (SDO_TIN_PKG reference) and SDO_PC_PKG Package (Point Clouds) (SDO_PC_PKG reference)

SDO_POINTINPOLYGON (technically a table function but documented with the operators)

Spatial Operators

GeoRaster support

Oracle Spatial and Graph GeoRaster Developer's Guide

Topology data model

Oracle Spatial and Graph Topology Data Model and Network Data Model Graph Developer's Guide

Network data model graph

Oracle Spatial and Graph Topology Data Model and Network Data Model Graph Developer's Guide

Classes in packages other than the oracle.spatial.geometry (sdoapi.jar) and oracle.spatial.util (sdoutil.jar) packages of the Spatial and Graph Java API

Oracle Spatial and Graph Java API Reference

Although Locator is available on both the Standard and Enterprise Editions of Oracle Database, some Locator features require database features that are not available or are limited on the Standard Edition. Some of those Locator features and their availability are listed in Table B-3.

Table B-3 Feature Availability with Standard or Enterprise Edition

Feature Standard/Enterprise Edition Availability

Parallel spatial index builds

Supported with Enterprise Edition only.

Multimaster replication of SDO_GEOMETRY objects

Supported with Enterprise Edition only. (Single master/materialized view replication for SDO_GEOMETRY objects is supported with both Standard Edition and Enterprise Edition.

Partitioned spatial indexes

Requires the Partitioning Option with Enterprise Edition. Not supported with Standard Edition.

B.1 Installing and Deinstalling Locator or Spatial and Graph Manually

To install Spatial and Graph or to use any features that are specific to Spatial and Graph but not Locator, you must meet the licensing requirements for Spatial and Graph. For licensing information about Spatial and Graph and Locator, see Oracle Database Licensing Information.

Note:

If you install and configure Oracle Multimedia with Oracle Database, then Oracle Locator is also installed.

Scripts are available to perform certain installation and deinstallation operations relating to Locator and Spatial and Graph:

  • mddins.sql manually deinstalls Spatial and Graph and leaves only Locator, thus "installing" only Locator. This ensures that you can use only features available in Locator and no features that are available only with Spatial and Graph.

  • mdinst.sql manually installs Spatial and Graph, so that you are able to use all features available with Spatial and Graph and Locator.

If you want to ensure that you are using only Locator features, but Spatial and Graph is already installed, run the mddins.sql script, as follows:

  1. Ensure that Oracle Multimedia is installed.

  2. Connect to the database as the SYS user with SYSDBA privileges (SYS AS SYSDBA, and enter the SYS account password when prompted).

  3. Start SQL*Plus, and enter the following statement:

    • Linux: @$ORACLE_HOME/md/admin/mddins.sql

    • Windows: @%ORACLE_HOME%\md\admin\mddins.sql

If you need to be able to use Spatial and Graph, you can run the mdinst.sql script, as follows:

  1. Connect to the database as the SYS user with SYSDBA privileges (SYS AS SYSDBA, and enter the SYS account password when prompted).

  2. Start SQL*Plus, and enter the following statement:

    • Linux: @$ORACLE_HOME/md/admin/mdinst.sql

    • Windows: @%ORACLE_HOME%\md\admin\mdinst.sql