Oracle Client and ArcGIS Desktop Capabilities

[MichaelVolz]

To All SDE and Desktop Users:

I have an environment where the Oracle SDE database has been upgraded to 11g from 10g, but the desktop clients remained at 10g due to the huge number of mxd layers that would need to be converted to 11g in the connection parameters.  I have started writing python code to convert these layers in a batch mode.  While performing this testing I noticed that even though a test computer has no 10g Oracle Client software but it does have 11g Oracle Client software installed, the connections to SDE still work.

As such, it would appear from the surface that this big conversion job is not necessary.  My question would then be what functionality would I be missing if I leave the Oracle 10g client connections in place, even though the desktop computers would have the 11g Oracle Client software installed on them?

Any help or feedback regarding this issue are greatly appreciated.  Thank you.

[MarcoBoeringa]

The role of the Oracle Client in ArcGIS Geodatabase behaviour and functionality is actually quite minimal to nil to my knowledge. Oracle Client is just necessary to make an ODBC connection to your database and send back and forth SQL transaction data, it acts as a kind of "bridge" between the ArcGIS client and your RDBMS, just like any normal ODBC driver.

It is the Geodatabase level (ArcGIS 9.x, 10.0, 10.1 etc.) that mainly determines what you can or can't do on a Geodatabase and in ArcGIS.

[MichaelVolz]

Can anyone from ESRI confirm mboeringa2010's response?

It would save a lot of work at this time if I would not need to update the SDE connections to show an 11g Oracle client connection instead of a 10g Oracle client connection.

[MichaelVolz]

Anyone from ESRI have any ideas on this topic?

[VinceAngelo]

Esri supports Oracle 10g with the 10g client and Oracle 11g with the 11g client,
using Oracle's client drivers.  While 10g clients may be able to connect to 11g
servers, I doubt you'll always have a fault-free path.

If you want certification of the 10g ArcGIS client with Oracle 11g servers, you'd
need to speak to Esri about it directly, not solicit input through the user forums
(where few of the active employees, myself included, have the authority to make
such assurances).

- V

[MichaelVolz]

Thanks Vince

I just wanted to try the ESRI forum first for responses, before I created a tech incident.

[VinceAngelo]

Tech Support isn't the only vehicle (you can go through your RO or vertical marketing
segment as well), but creating an incident has a built-in tracking mechanism.

- V

[MarcoBoeringa]

Esri supports Oracle 10g with the 10g client and Oracle 11g with the 11g client,
using Oracle's client drivers.  While 10g clients may be able to connect to 11g
servers, I doubt you'll always have a fault-free path.

Vince, the OP isn't using Oracle Client 10g against an 11g Oracle server. Just read the first post again:

I have an environment where the Oracle SDE database has been upgraded to 11g from 10g, but the desktop clients remained at 10g due to the huge number of mxd layers that would need to be converted to 11g in the connection parameters.  I have started writing python code to convert these layers in a batch mode.  While performing this testing I noticed that even though a test computer has no 10g Oracle Client software but it does have 11g Oracle Client software installed, the connections to SDE still work.

As such, it would appear from the surface that this big conversion job is not necessary.  My question would then be what functionality would I be missing if I leave the Oracle 10g client connections (--> EDIT: Probably the ArcGIS connection files) in place, even though the desktop computers would have the 11g Oracle Client software installed on them?

If I understand it well, it is just the ArcGIS connection files that have originally been created while the Oracle Client 10g was still installed, and that the OP thought needed reconfiguration.

[VinceAngelo]

Here's the relationships that are supported:

sde:oracle10g <-> Oracle 10g client <-> Oracle 10g Server

sde:oracle11g <-> Oracle 11g client <-> Oracle 11g Server

This is my understanding of what is present:

sde:oracle10g <-> Oracle 11g client <-> Oracle 11g Server

The "sde:oracle10g" invokes Oracle's 10g libraries (oci.dll), for which Oracle
provides reverse compatibility in the 11g client.  This is not an Esri-tested and
certified configuration.  It may work, but it cannot take advantage of any 11g
capabilities present in the sdeora11gsrvr101 DLL.  This is the subject of the
discussion with Tech Support.

- V

[MarcoBoeringa]

This is my understanding of what is present:

sde: oracle10g <-> Oracle 11g client <-> Oracle 11g Server

My understanding too.

The "sde: oracle10g" invokes Oracle's 10g libraries (oci.dll), for which Oracle
provides reverse compatibility in the 11g client.  This is not an Esri-tested and
certified configuration.  It may work, but it cannot take advantage of any 11g
capabilities present in the sdeora11gsrvr101 DLL.

Do I understand it well that the 10g libraries are separately included with the 11g Client install?, or is the oci.dll just "equipped" with the capability to handle 10g type connection requests ("sde: oracle10g"), invoking a different path in the code?

Any known 11g specific capabilities in the sdeora11gsrvr101 DLL? Do I need to think in terms of support for newly introduced native Oracle data types via ArcSDE configuration keywords, and not so much in terms of actual geodatabase functionality, as that is more depended on the geodatabase level (9.x, 10.x etc.), and not so much the database?