[[PageOutline]]

= SQL Database Access - Oracle =

== Driver Name ==

The name of the Oracle driver to be passed to SQL.Databases.Create subprogram is "ORACLE".

== Driver's Options ==

Supported options are listed in the table below, see Oracle documentation for detailed description of options.

|| '''''database''''' || Connect to this database ||
|| '''''password''''' || User's password ||
|| '''''user'''''     || User name ||

== Build instructions ==

Oracle module requires Oracle 11i (or latter) client installed. [http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/features/instant-client/index-097480.html Oracle Instant Client] is also supported. Automatic configuration facility use ORACLE_HOME environment variable to find where oracle client libraries are. It is possible to specify path to libraries in the command line of `configure` (or `configure.exe` on Windows) program with --with-oracle-libdir switch, for example:

{{{
configure --with-oracle-libdir=/oracle/lib
}}}


=== Install Instant Client on Windows ===
Easiest way to work with oracle driver on Windows OS is next.
 * Download and unpack instant client archive for your OS, for instance, [http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/winsoft-085727.html instantclient-basic-nt-12.1.0.2.0.zip]. Add path to unpacked directory to PATH environment variable. Matreshka `configure` will found oci.dll there. 

=== Install Instant Client on OpenSUSE ===
 * Download instant client RPMs for your OS, for instance, oracle-instantclient11.2-basic-11.2.0.3.0-1.x86_64.rpm and oracle-instantclient11.2-devel-11.2.0.3.0-1.x86_64.rpm 
 * Install them using '''rpm -i oracle-instantclient*.rpm'''
 * Set correct ORACLE_HOME and LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment:
{{{
export ORACLE_HOME=/usr/lib/oracle/11.2/client64/
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$ORACLE_HOME/lib
}}}
  or
   * create /etc/profile.d/oracle.sh file:
{{{
export ORACLE_HOME=/usr/lib/oracle/11.2/client64/
}}}
   * create /etc/ld.so.conf.d/oracle.conf file:
{{{
/usr/lib/oracle/11.2/client64/lib
}}}
   * run ldconfig

=== Install Instant Client on Mac OS ===
Easiest way to work with oracle driver on Mac OS is next.
 * Download and unpack instant client archive for your OS, for instance, [http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/intel-macsoft-096467.html instantclient-basic-macos.x64-11.2.0.4.0.zip]. Point environment variables to unpacked directory: 
{{{
export ORACLE_HOME=/User/max/instantclient_11_2
export DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH=$ORACLE_HOME/lib
}}}
* Create symlinks for lib and libclntsh to let matreshka `configure` find it:
{{{
ln -s . $ORACLE_HOME/lib
ln -s $ORACLE_HOME/libclntsh.dylib.* $ORACLE_HOME/libclntsh.dylib
}}}

==  Supported data types ==
Supported League.Values are String, Integers and Float.

Don't use more than 64kbytes of data for Strings.

For integers column use Integer datatype or better Number (18,0).

For floats columns datatype use Binary_Float or Binary_Double.
For now Number datatype can be used also, but it changes
when Universal_Decimal will be ready.