Net.Data Language Environment Reference

Oracle Language Environment

The Oracle language environment provides native access to your Oracle data. You can access Oracle tables from Net.Data running in CGI, FastCGI, NSAPI, ISAPI, or GWAPI mode. This language environment supports Oracle 7.2, 7.3, and 8.0.

Restrictions:

• Stored procedures are not supported through this language environment.

• The DATABASE variable is not used to access Oracle databases.

• The LOGIN variable must contain the Oracle database instance name. For example, ora73 is the defined instance name in the following LOGIN variable:

  LOGON=admin@ora73
  

To access Oracle from Net.Data

1. Verify that the ENVIRONMENT statement in the Net.Data initialization file is correct for the Oracle language environment. See the configuration chapter in Net.Data Administration and Programming Guide for steps and examples.

2. Ensure the appropriate components of Oracle are installed and working as follows:

   1. Install SQL*Net on the machine where Net.Data is installed, if it is not already installed. For more information, see the following URL:

      http://www.oracle.com/products/networking/html/stnd_sqlnet.html
      

   2. Verify that the Oracle tnsping function can be used with the same security authorization that your Web server uses. To verify, log on with your Web server's user ID and type:

      tnsping oracle-instance-name
      

      Where oracle-instance-name is the name of the Oracle system that your Net.Data macros access.

      You might not be able to verify the tnsping function on Windows NT if your Web server runs under system authority. If so, skip this step.

   3. Verify that the Oracle tables can be accessed with the same security authorization that your Web server uses. To verify, enter an SQL SELECT statement, using the SQL*Plus line command tool, to access an Oracle table with an SQL SELECT statement with the authority of your Web server. For example:

      SELECT * FROM tablename
      

      You might not be able to verify table access on Windows NT if your Web server runs under system authority. If so, skip this step.

   Troubleshooting: Do not proceed if the above steps fail. If any of the steps fail, check your Oracle configuration.

3. Ensure that the Oracle environment variables are set correctly in your Web server process.

   • For AIX, put the following lines in the /etc/environment file:

     ORACLE_SID=oracle-instance-name
     ORACLE_HOME=oracle-runtime-library-directory
     

   • For Windows NT, use the System Properties Control panel to add the following environment variables:

     ORACLE_SID=oracle-instance-name
     ORACLE_HOME=oracle-runtime-library-directory
     

   Hint: You might require additional lines for other Oracle environment variables, depending on the Oracle facilities you plan to use, such as national language support and two phase commit. Consult the Oracle administration documentation for more information on these environment variables.

4. Test the connection to Oracle from Net.Data. In your Net.Data macro file, specify the appropriate values in the LOGIN and PASSWORD variables. Do not define the DATABASE variable when accessing Oracle databases. The following is an example of connect statement in a macro file:

   %DEFINE LOGIN=user_ID@remote-oracle-instance-name
   %DEFINE PASSWORD=password 
   

   Local Oracle instances:

   If you access the local Oracle instance only, do not specify the remote-oracle-instance name as part of the login user ID, as in the following example:

   %DEFINE LOGIN=user_ID
   %DEFINE PASSWORD=password
   

   Live Connection:

   If you use Live Connection, then you can specify the LOGIN and PASSWORD in the Live Connection configuration file, although it is not recommended for security purposes. For example:

   LOGIN=user_ID
   PASSWORD=password
   

   Hint: Do not specify the DATABASE variable for Oracle.

5. Test your configuration by running a CGI shell script to ensure that the Oracle instance can be accessed from your Web server, as in the following example:

   #! /bin/sh
   echo "content-type; text/html
   echo
   echo "< html>< pre>"
   set
   echo "</pre>< p>< pre>"
   tnsping oracle-instance-name
   echo
   

   Alternatively, you can execute tnsping directly from a Net.Data macro, as in the following example:

   %DEFINE testora = %exec "tnsping oracle-instance-name"
   %HTML (report){
   < P>About to test Oracle access with tnsping.
   < hr>
   $(testora)
   < hr>
   < P>The Oracle test is complete.
   %}
   

   Troubleshooting:

   If the verification step fails, check that all the preceding steps were successful by verifying the following items:

   • Check your Oracle configuration.

   • Verify that the Oracle environment variable syntax is correct and that no variables are missing.

   • Check the Oracle connection, ensuring that you have entered the correct user ID and password.

Example:

After you have completed the accessing verification steps, you can make calls to the Oracle language environment with functions in the macro file, as in the following example:

%FUNCTION(DTW_ORA) STL1() {
insert into $(tablename) (int1,int2) values (111,NULL)
%}