Toad Data Point User Guide
Connect
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8. Click Connect to connect immediately while saving the connection information.
Optionally, click Save to save the connection without connecting.
Tip: Connections are stored in the connections.xml file and can be found by clicking the
Application Data Directory link in Help | About.
Click here to view a video about creating connections in Toad Data Point
Create Oracle Connections
You can create a new connection, or connect to an existing connection from the Create New
Connection window.
Click here to view a video about creating connections in Toad Data Point
Tip: You can configure Toad Data Point to accept connection information from Toad for Oracle.
Client Connection or Direct Connection
You can connect to your database using a native Oracle database provider in Toad using one of the following methods:
Connection Method Advantages Disadvantages
Client connection
Client tab—Uses an installed Oracle Client or
Oracle Instant Client to establish a connection to the database from Toad.
Supports LDAP Requires an Oracle client
Note: Toad supports Oracle clients and Oracle Instant clients using version 9i or later.
Direct connection
Direct Connect tab—
Uses TCP/IP to connect directly to the database.
Does not require an installed Oracle
Client
Recommended for connecting to
Oracle 8i databases
This method only supports common data types. Some advanced Oracle object types cannot be retrieved when connecting using this method.
This method does not support
LDAP. (To connect using LDAP, use the Client Connection method instead.)
This method cannot be used in a cross-connection query.
Note: Dell recommends using one of the methods described in this table to connect to
Oracle rather than an ODBC driver. Because ODBC connectivity is generic, it is not fullfeatured and may not be as robust as the fully exploited native database provider.
Toad Data Point User Guide
Connect
Configure the Oracle Instant Client
The Oracle Instant client installs only those files needed to connect to your database using
OCI. Because this client does not write to the registry (no ORACLE_HOMES) or add to the environmental path, you must manually set environment variables so the client can be used with Toad.
To configure the Oracle Instant Client to work with Toad
1. Save the Oracle Instant Client files in any location on the computer where Toad is installed.
2. On your Windows desktop, right-click My Computer and select Properties.
3. Select the Advanced tab and click Environment Variables.
4. Click New under System Variables and complete the following:
Variable name
PATH
Variable Value
<Path where Instant Client is installed>;%PATH%
For Example: C:\Program Files\OracleInstantClient;%PATH%
<Path where tnsnames.ora file is installed> TNS_
ADMIN
5. To use the Oracle Instant Client connection in a cross-connection query, you must also install an Oracle ODBC driver. (While the Oracle Client full install includes an
ODBC driver, the Oracle Instant Client does not.)
Note: You cannot use an Oracle Direct Connection in a cross-connection query.
Create an Oracle Connection
To create an Oracle connection
1. Click on the toolbar (ALT+F+N).
2. Select Oracle from the Group list box.
3. Review the following for additional information:
Login Tab
Database name
Description
Select the alias to use when connecting. This list displays aliases from LDAP, as well as any local tnsnames.ora file.
When you initially open the connection dialog, Toad retrieves the list of LDAP names from the LDAP server. Toad caches this
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Toad Data Point User Guide
Connect
Password
Connect as
Schema
Explain plan table
Category list and displays it upon subsequent requests, within one Toad session. To refresh the list, click .
Note: If you do not select a database, Toad uses the ORACLE_
SID for the selected home. If an ORACLE_SID value does not exist and you do not specify a database, you cannot connect.
Enter the password to use when connecting.
Tip: After connecting, you can set a master password to further secure your connection in Tools | Options| Environment |
Security.
Select whether to connect as either SYSDBA or SYSOPER if you have the appropriate permissions. Otherwise, use the default.
Select a schema if you frequently work in a different schema than the one associated with your user name.
(Optional) Specify the location of an existing explain plan table to use instead of Toad automatically creating one for you when you execute a statement. This is useful if you do not have necessary permissions to create explain plan tables or want to use an existing table.
Select or create a category if you want to color code Editor tabs for a specific connection. This can help differentiate between development and production databases. You can also set an option to color code the Object Explorer pane and object editor windows (Create, Alter, Drop, etc.).
Click here to view a video of this feature.
Select this checkbox if you plan to use Automation to generate reports.
Description
Save password
Oracle
Client Tab
Current home
TNSNames
Editor
SQLNET
Editor
Modify the Oracle home to use, if needed.
Click this button to edit your local TNSNames file.
Tip: You can press CTRL+F to open the Find/Replace window to locate entries in the TNS Names Editor. Pressing F3 locates the next entry that matches your criteria.
Click this button to edit SQLNET.ORA parameters. Before editing this file, you should create a backup copy. See
SQLNET.ORA Profile Parameters in the Oracle documentation
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