12/5/071 How to Connect to the CAP Server & Convert MS Access Databases from RDB to ORACLE (CAP server environment) Marshall Silberstein (with additions by Dawn Syverson) Reporting and Data Services 12/5/072 Important Notices It is VERY IMPORTANT to make a copy of your MS Access database for backup purposes before making any changes. You may need to revert back if you run into problems. All examples assume MS Access 2003 12/5/073 Connecting to the CAP Server To access the CAP Server to run adhoc queries, use START/All Programs/Accessories but could also be found under START/Programs/CAP/CAP Server Contact the IT Desk at if you have trouble locating this link. 12/5/074 Connecting & Enabling Shared Resources Identify where your MS Access database resides; is it a local C or D drives, campus network H or S drive, etc? A ccess the CAP Computer using Start/All Programs/CAP/CAP Server link (see previous slide) 12/5/075 Login to theCAP Server using your Network id and password (the same ones you use for logging into your computer). 12/5/076 The My Computer window may open and display all of your drives, including the CAP server, your shared network and local PC. Your drives are now remotely connected. You may close the window. 12/5/077 You may now open MS Access from within the CAP server environment. 12/5/078 How to Convert Your MS Access dB from RDB to ORACLE Method 1 using Linked Table Manager (a quick way to convert databases) 12/5/079 Method 1 - Linked Table Manager option Open your MS Access database (from within CAP environment) Select Tools, Database Utilities, Linked Table Manager 12/5/0710 Select all the appropriate tables, then select Always prompt for new location box. Then select OK. This is important! It tells the machine to look for the new Data Source Note the DSN name. When we complete the conversion process the DSN name will be different! It will read the name of your new ORACLE database! 12/5/0711 The Select Data Source window will display. Select the Machine Data Source tab. Select Machine Data Source Tab 12/5/0712 raredata is the data source. See the next page about database names. After highlighting raredb, Click OK Scroll down to the name of the new ORACLE dB data source. Highlight it, then Click OK 12/5/0713 You will now be prompted to enter your ORACLE User Name and Password. NOTE: This login/password combination is the one you would have received after having completed the Operational Data Security Form sent out by IT Desk. If you do not have a username for this system contact the IT Desk at to obtain Service name (i.e. database name) User Name ORACLE Password Click OK 12/5/0714 After Clicking OK, the tables will begin to refresh their links (note the small status bar on bottom left). This may take a few minutes and is dependent upon on the number of tables in your MS Access database. When the Refresh is complete, note how the tables have linked to the ORACLE database. In our example it reads DSN=raredb Status bar Click OK. You have successfully converted your RDB tables to ORACLE. 12/5/0715 ERROR MESSAGES You may see several error messages when using the Linked Table Manager. Examples There are several tables with that name. Please specify owner in the format owner.table. The Microsoft Jet database engine could not find the object XX_XXXX_XXX. Make sure the object exists and that you spell its name and path name correctly. If so, it means the Link Table Manager could not determine ownership or location of the table and will not convert it. Write down the table names. You will need to uncheck the tables it erred on (ST_ADM_STAT, ST_APP, and ST_GRADE_HIST in the example) and move on. You will want to use the manual method for linking these tables, Method #2. 12/5/0716 You may now close the Linked Table Manager window You should be transported back to your database, Table View 12/5/0717 Now open a table and test the conversion. Run an existing query or two. The query should run smoothly and give you results. If so, you are all done. If not, you may need to rebuild the query manually. See Method #2. Congratulations upon successfully converting your tables and queries from RDB to the ORACLE database! Sample of successful query 12/5/0718 How to Convert Your MS Access dB from RDB to ORACLE Method 2 Manually converting each table, line-by- line. A very thorough option, where tables are renamed, linked and tested. 12/5/0719 Method 2 - Manual conversion option Start with your current MS Access database (which is linked to the RDB database) Right Click mouse in white space, select Link Tables 12/5/0720 Select drop-down Files of Type, the ODBC Databases () Select the Systen DSNtab, then select the ORACLE server name (raredata), click OK 12/5/0721 12/5/0722 Enter your ORACLE User Name and ORACLE Password, click Ok 12/5/0723 You will now see a list of database System Tables that are unfamiliar. DO NOT USE THEM. 12/5/0724 Scroll down (or hit the I key) to find tables beginning with ISRS.TABLENAME. This is the new naming convention. Find the ISRS. tables you want to add because they are going to replace the older RDB tables. Click OK when done selecting and highlighting the tables. NOTE: while most tables are found in the isrs. Schema, information considered private data and requiring High user rights can be found in the ods. Schema and some system- wide validation tables are now located in the isrsval. Schema if you cant find the table you are looking for within the isrs schema try one of the others. A list of tables and their schemas can be found atin the document titled operational data tables and views 12/5/0725 DO NOT SELECT a Unique Record Identifier when prompted, because it will present problems with your data. Click Cancel DO NOT SELECT a Unique Record Identifier when prompted, because it will present problems with your data. Click Cancel 12/5/0726 You will now see two sets of tables within your database. They will be in alphabetical order. The next step is to rename tables because we are going to keep one set and eventually delete the other. Then your existing queries will pull from the new machine source tables and you will not have to rebuild queries. This will save you a lot of time! Two sets of tables are visible in alpha order Old familiar (from RDB database) New starting with ISRS_ (from ORACLE) Notice how they are named! Tables from RDB CT_COU CU_COU FA_PKG_AWD_CNTRL SPEC_CMMT, etc. New tables from ORACLE ISRS_CT_COU ISRS_CU_COU ISRS_FA_PKG_AWD_CNTRL ISRS_FA_PKG_BUDG_CNTRL ISRS_SPEC_CMMT ISRS_ST_APP ISRS_ST_COU ISRS_ST_TERM_MGMT RDB ORACLE RDB 12/5/0727 Rename the old RDB tables. The suggestion is to place the letter z in front of them. This disables them. See the FAQ below. Steps to Rename Right click the old table name Select Rename from the popup box 12/5/0728 FAQ Inquiring minds ask Question Why the letter z? Answer Tables appear in alphabetical order and by entering a z character; you are forcing all of the old tables to sort to the bottom of the list. This will help you visually and make it much easier when the time comes to delete the old RDB tables! 12/5/0729 The old table name will be active and blue in color. Type in a lower case z in the front of the name. Caution not to delete the name. Just enter a z in the front of them. Move your cursor to the next old table name and complete your entry of zs. This image illustrates how the name field looks when active. 12/5/0730 This image shows how all the old tables have automatically relocated to the bottom of the list because they have been renamed with the letter z. The z acts as an alpha sorter and visual helper. 12/5/0731 Guess what? NOW is time to rename all of your new ORACLE tables to be the same as your original tables. (Yes, you are in the home stretch now! Can you feel it?). These may be the same names as those in existing queries, only they will pull from the ORACLE database and not the RDB database. However, there may be instances where a query may need to be rebuilt because of a new table name. This shows you how to rename a new ORACLE table. Right click on the table name, select Rename from the popup menu, and highlight the part you want to delete, then Delete it. You will be left with a familiar reading table name. In this example we are going to change ISRS_CT_COU to be CT_COU. 12/5/0732 This image shows you what it looks like after you deleted the leading ISRS_ Continue deleting the ISRS_ from the remaining new tables. 12/5/0733 Newly renamed Oracle Tables And in this image, we see how all the new tables have been renamed. The old tables are at the bottom of the list, starting with the letter z. Old RDB Tables 12/5/0734 AT THIS POINT, it is time to open some tables. If satisfied, run existing queries. Test to see if they connect and run from ORACLE. If you are not satisfied with the performance of your queries, return to table view and make sure all of your tables are connected to the ORACLE database. You may also need to build new queries if you cannot assure the data source. Last Step: kick back and relax. Congratulations! You have successfully converted your MS Access database from RDB to ORACLE. Questions or Comments? Contact Marshall Silberstein Reporting and Data Services (RADS) 12/5/0735 FAQs - Inquiring minds want to know Question: WHAT HAPPENS IF I RUN INTO A PROBLEM USING METHOD #1 LINKED TABLE MANAGER or I do not get the desired results I am looking for? Answer: Then you will need to use Method #2 an excellent and thorough method, where you visit, fix and manually link tables. Question: What happens if I do not find my table within the ORACLE ISRS_ schema? Answer: Search carefully within the ISRS_ and ISRSVAL_ schemas. If the table is not present you will need to determine if the missing table is local to your campus or not. Local tables are those created on campus to meet local needs. They need to be rebuilt and cannot be automatically converted. If the missing table is an ISRS Table or View, contact Marshall Silberstein atQuestion: What are ISRS_, ISRSVAL_ and ODS_ schemas? Answer: These are new naming conventions used in the CAP Oracle environment. ISRS_ are campus data tables and data views ISRSVAL_ are MnSCU system defined tables and views ODS_ are added value tables and views Question: How do I know if a table is local or linked by ODBC? Answer: Table View will provide visual clues If it is a globe and arrow it means the table is linked by ODBC. However until you look at Link Table Manager you may not know what it is linked to. It could be linked to MnSCU RDB, MnSCU ORACLE, MS SQL server, etc. 2. If it is a small rectangle it means that it is a locally built table residing on your Access dB.