Preface

This manual guides you through the process of planning and executing migrations, upgrades, and downgrades for the Oracle database system. It describes basic principles and Oracle product features, and it contains step-by-step instructions for migration, upgrade, and downgrade operations.

The following topics are covered in this preface:

Oracle8 Migration contains information that describes the features and functionality of the Oracle8 and the Oracle8 Enterprise Edition products. Oracle8 and Oracle8 Enterprise Edition have the same basic features. However, several advanced features are available only with the Enterprise Edition, and some of these are optional. For example, to use Objects, you must have the Enterprise Edition and the Objects Option.

See Also:

Getting to Know Oracle8 and the Oracle8 Enterprise Edition for information about the differences between Oracle8 and the Oracle8 Enterprise Edition and the features and options that are available to you.

Audience and Assumed Knowledge

This manual is for database administrators (DBAs), application programmers, security administrators, system operators, and anyone who plans or executes migration, upgrade, or downgrade operations on Oracle software. Users are assumed to be familiar with Version 7 of the Oracle server (Oracle7) and with their operating system environment. Users also are assumed to be familiar with Oracle database management system (DBMS) concepts. The first chapter of Oracle8 Concepts provides a comprehensive introduction to the concepts and terminology used in this migration manual.

How Oracle8 Server Migration is Organized

This manual contains the following chapters and appendices:

Chapter 1: Migration Overview

This chapter summarizes migration procedures and the responsibilities of database administrators and application programmers.

Chapter 2: Preparing to Migrate

This chapter describes the steps to complete before migrating the database.

Chapter 3: Migrating Using the Migration Utility

This chapter describes how to migrate a version 7 database to version 8 using the Migration Utility.

Chapter 4: Migrating Using Export/Import

This chapter describes how to migrate a version 7 or version 6 database to version 8 using the Export and Import utilities.

Chapter 5: After Migrating the Database

This chapter describes the steps to complete after migrating the database to version 8.

Chapter 6: Upgrading Version 7 Applications

This chapter describes how to upgrade version 7 applications and tools for use with version 8.

Chapter 7: Migration Issues for the Version 8 ROWIDs

This chapter covers issues associated with the new version 8 ROWIDs in relation to migrating columns containing ROWIDs to version 8.

Chapter 8: Upgrading and Downgrading

This chapter describes the steps to complete to upgrade a database from release 8.0.3 to release 8.0.4. This chapter also covers downgrading a version 8, release 8.0.4 database to release 8.0.3 or to version 7, release 7.3.

Appendix A: Migration Utility Messages

This appendix lists the messages displayed by the Migration Utility and includes an explanation for each message, probable cause(s) of each message, and suggested corrective action for each error condition.

Appendix B: Control File Fixed View Changes

This appendix briefly describes changes from version 7, release 7.3 to the version 8 server Control File Fixed Views.

Appendix C: Version 8 INIT.ORA Changes

This appendix briefly describes Oracle INIT.ORA file initialization parameters important for migration. Specifically, this appendix describes initialization parameters that have been added, changed, or dropped since release 7.3.

Appendix D: New SQL Key and Reserved Words

This appendix lists the keywords and reserved words new to version 8.

Appendix E: General System Requirements for Migration

This appendix discusses system requirements that may be important for successful migration to version 8.

Conventions Used in This Manual

The following conventions are used in this manual:

UPPERCASE Words

Uppercase calls attention to command keywords, object names, parameters, filenames, and so on. For example:

"If you create a private rollback segment, its name must be included in the ROLLBACK_SEGMENTS parameter in the PARAMETER file."

Italicized Words

Italicized words indicate the first occurrence and definition of a term, as in the following example:

"A database is a collection of data to be treated as a unit. The general purpose of a database is to store and retrieve related information, as needed."

Italicized words also indicate emphasis and book titles.

Code Examples

SQL, Server Manager line mode, and SQL*Plus commands and statements are displayed in a fixed-width font, separated from normal text, as in the following example:
INSERT INTO emp (empno, ename) VALUES (1000, 'SMITH'); ALTER TABLESPACE users ADD DATAFILE 'users2.ora' SIZE 50K;

Example statements may include punctuation, such as commas or quotation marks. All punctuation in example statements is required. Depending on the application, a semicolon or other terminator may or may not be required to end a statement.
Uppercase words in example statements indicate the keywords within Oracle SQL. When you issue statements, however, keywords are not case sensitive.
Lowercase words in example statements indicate words supplied only for the context of the example. For example, lowercase words may indicate the name of a table, column, or file.

Your Comments Are Welcome

We value and appreciate your comments as an Oracle user and reader of our Oracle manuals. As we write, revise, and evaluate our documentation, your opinions are especially important input for us. Before the preface of each printed manual is a Reader's Comment Form, which we encourage you to use to tell us what you like and dislike about this manual or any other Oracle manual. If you do not find this form, please write your remarks to us in any convenient form. At your earliest convenience, please send your opinions to the following U.S. mail address, fax number, or email.

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infodev@us.oracle.com

UPPERCASE Words	Uppercase calls attention to command keywords, object names, parameters, filenames, and so on. For example:
	"If you create a private rollback segment, its name must be included in the ROLLBACK_SEGMENTS parameter in the PARAMETER file."
Italicized Words	Italicized words indicate the first occurrence and definition of a term, as in the following example:
	"A database is a collection of data to be treated as a unit. The general purpose of a database is to store and retrieve related information, as needed."
	Italicized words also indicate emphasis and book titles.
Code Examples	SQL, Server Manager line mode, and SQL*Plus commands and statements are displayed in a fixed-width font, separated from normal text, as in the following example: INSERT INTO emp (empno, ename) VALUES (1000, 'SMITH'); ALTER TABLESPACE users ADD DATAFILE 'users2.ora' SIZE 50K; Example statements may include punctuation, such as commas or quotation marks. All punctuation in example statements is required. Depending on the application, a semicolon or other terminator may or may not be required to end a statement. Uppercase words in example statements indicate the keywords within Oracle SQL. When you issue statements, however, keywords are not case sensitive. Lowercase words in example statements indicate words supplied only for the context of the example. For example, lowercase words may indicate the name of a table, column, or file.