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Toad for Oracle
Login Screen
When you start Toad a Login screen displays. The screen lists your previous connections (user, server, and the date and time of the connection). Option boxes next to each connection let you check Auto Connect, Save Password, and
Favorite.
You can create a new connection to Oracle or select from a list of previous connections. All checked connections in the Autoconnect Column are automatically connected each time you start Toad.
The date format comes from the workstation setting in Settings | Control
Panel | Regional Settings | Date | Short date style option.
Server Login
You get to this dialog via the File | New Connection menu item or when Toad starts up.
You can create a new connection to Oracle or select from a list of previous connections. Toad will fill the database dropdown with the names of previous sessions and any aliases in TNSNAMES.ORA.
To create a new connection
1.
Type the name of the database in the dropdown combo box labeled
Database. The server name you use must have an entry in the
TNSNAMES.ORA file.
2.
Type the name of the USER in the textbox labeled User/Schema.
3.
Type the PASSWORD for the user in the textbox labeled Password.
Asterisks will display instead of characters as you type.
4.
Click OK
– OR –
Press <ENTER>.
To use a previous connection
If the View | Options| Oracle | Save passwords for Oracle Connections option is checked
THEN
You can double-click a previous connection from the list in the left panel to automatically logon.
Logon and Logoff
Otherwise, follow these steps.
1.
Select a previous connection from the list in the left panel.
2.
Type in the Password.
3.
Click OK or press <ENTER>.
Toad saves the USER/DATABASE combinations between Toad sessions, but does not save the password.
DO NOT ENABLE THE Save passwords for Oracle connections OPTION
UNLESS YOU HAVE A SECURE ENVIRONMENT.
If the option is unchecked then the Save Pwd? column will display in the previously used connections grid. If you check the column the password is saved for the respective connection in the Login Grid.
To delete a previous connection
1.
Select a connection from the Server, User, Last Connect list.
2.
Press the <DELETE> key.
If you are having trouble running Toad with Personal Oracle 8.1.5
If you are using Toad with Personal Oracle 8.1.5 or later and receiving errors like
"No Listener" try the following:
1.
Open a Command Prompt.
2.
Type "lsnrctl" and <ENTER>
3.
Type the command "start"
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Toad for Oracle
Database dropdown
The database dropdown supports multiple aliases for tnsnames.ora entries.
The home that is selected by default in the dropdown at Toad startup is determined in the following order
1.
If an Oracle client DLL is specified as a command line parameter when launching Toad (for example TOAD.exe
OCIDLL=C:\Oracle\Ora92\bin\oci.dll).
2.
The Toad default home
3.
The Oracle default home as determined by Oracle’s Home Selector
If the OCIDLL parameter is used then the Home dropdown is disabled, because every connection will be made with this home regardless of what selection is made in the dropdown
If LOCAL and ORACLE_SID are set for home, LOCAL is used first.
If you do not specify a database from the dropdown list of databases, then the
ORACLE_SID for the selected home is used. If there is no ORACLE_SID value and you do not specify a database in the dropdown, then no connection can take place.
Operating System Authentication
Toad can accept logins where the operating system validates the user and password. Select the database alias and leave the Username and Password textboxes empty. Oracle will prefix your workstation login and attempt a login.
To configure this on the server side, the init.ora initialization parameters file must have: remote_os_authent = true os_authent_prefix = "OPS$" or whatever prefix you select.
For example, Joe Smith logs onto the ORA805 database, enters "ORA805" in the
Database textbox, and leaves Username and Password empty. His NT login is
"JSMITH", which gets prefixed with "OPS$" giving a username of "OPS$JSMITH."
Oracle attempts a login and Toad starts up.
The next time you bring up the Server Login window, any previous logins that were O/S authentication logins will have username = "EXTERNAL". You don't need to type over the word EXTERNAL in the username textbox when reconnecting.
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Logon and Logoff
You can use Oracle usernames without passwords in Toad. Whatever you enter in Database, Username, and Password boxes are passed to the database. If the database permits default passwords, you can connect.
Connect using dropdown drilldown button
This button opens the Oracle Home Editor window which shows all Oracle
Homes. It also lets you see which Oracle Homes are valid installs. The information can be copied to the clipboard and pasted into an email for technical support issues.
You can edit SID, NLS_LANG, and SQLPATH by double-clicking or via the right-click menu.
If a SQL*Net entry is not valid, you can click the Advice button for suggestions.
Make this the Toad default home
Check this check box to make the home selected in the dropdown the Toad default home. Uncheck the check box to remove that home as the Toad default home.
If you are upgrading to version 8.5 and you had your Toad default home previously set, you’ll have to reset it on the first execution of Toad 8.5. After that, the default home feature will work as expected.
SQLNet Editor link
This lets you set SQLNET.ORA parameters on the SQLNet editor screen. You can click View File and manually add/edit entries. A Make Settings Editable check box lets you make the screen editable. Clicking OK will save the changes to
SQLNET.ORA. Create Backup File and Restore Backup File buttons on the
SQLNET Editor screen let you create backups and restore backups from that screen.
A green check next to the SQLNet Editor link indicates that a SQLNET.ORA file has been found for that home. A red X indicates that the file cannot be found.
A red lock indicates the file (SQLNET.ORA) is read only.
TNSNames Editor link
This opens the TNSNames editor preloaded with the TNSNAMES.ORA file for the selected home.
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Toad for Oracle
A green check next to the link indicates that the TNSNAMES.ORA file has been found for that home. A red X indicates that the file cannot be found.
A red lock indicates the TNSNAMES.ORA file is read only.
The TNSNames Editor supports multiple aliases. To add/edit entries that contain multiple aliases, type each alias separated by either a space or a comma in the
Name:edit box.
Refresh button
This refreshes the previously used connection info for the left pane of the login window, the list of databases from the tnsnames for the database dropdown, and all of the home information from the registry/hard disk for the home selection dropdown.
Save Passwords for Oracle Connections
One of the Toad options is Save Passwords for Oracle Connections. The default for this option is unchecked. When unchecked, Toad puts in the username for the password. When checked, the password is saved in CONNECTIONS.INI. All passwords are encrypted.
Before you check the Save passwords for Oracle Connections box, be sure you work in a secure environment where your CONNECTIONS.INI file will not fall
into the wrong hands.
To turn on the Save Passwords for Oracle Connections option
1.
Go to View | Options | Oracle.
2.
Click Save Passwords for Oracle Connections to check that option.
3.
Either quit Toad and restart
– OR –
Click the Save All Options button in the main toolbar.
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