Troubleshooting

This information is for those installing the software on their own computer. If you are only using the installation on University machines, please skip this page.

Installing Oracle 11g and SQL Developer

The Oracle database and SQL Developer are two different pieces of software which need to be installed separately. You can download them both using the links on the left.

Install the Oracle database first: unzip the downloaded file and run setup.exe

During setup you will be asked to set the adminstrator password. DO NOT FORGET THIS PASSWORD. You will need it for all administrative operations such as creating new user accounts and backing up your work.

To install SQL Developer you only have to unzip the distribution to a known location. There is no dedicated instalation script. It is recommended to put the sqldeveloper folder into C:\oraclexe which was created when you installed the database. That way all of your Oracle software is in the same place.

If you chose the distribution of SQL Developer without the bundled JDK, you will need to tell the application where your JDK is when you first start it.

If you have the latest JDK installed, you will probably also see the warning below. Just click Yes.

As SQL Developer starts up you will see a progress bar like the one below. There will another couple of dialog boxes which pop up - just take the obvious options...

Once the application has started, you will need to make a connection to the database. Typically the first connection you make will use the SYSTEM user account. To do this you need to:

1. Choose a name for the connection
2. Supply the account username and password

By convention, connection names are usually a combination of the username and the system identifier, which in this case is XE (short for Oracle Express Edition). The password for the SYSTEM user is the one you created during installation. Put these values into the new connection dialog as show below and click Test to make sure there are no errors. If everything is OK, you wills see a success status message in the bottom left-hand corner.

Listener error

If you get error ORA-12505, please follow the instructions below.

1. Stop the Oracle listener process: Open a Windows CMD window and type lsnrctl stop

2. Stop the database: Use the shortcut icon in the Oracle program group. Be sure to run it as administrator

3. Using a text editor, edit C:\oraclexe\app\oracle\product\11.2.0\server\database\initXE.ora and add a second line to the file as shown below

   SPFILE='C:\oraclexe\app\oracle\product\11.2.0\server\dbs/spfileXE.ora'
   local_listener = 'XE'
   

4. Edit the file C:\oraclexe\app\oracle\product\11.2.0\server\network\ADMIN\listener.ora and replace the reference to your computer with localhost as shown below

   LISTENER =
     (DESCRIPTION_LIST =
       (DESCRIPTION =
         (ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = IPC)(KEY = EXTPROC1))
         (ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = localhost)(PORT = 1521))
        )
      )
   

5. Edit the file C:\oraclexe\app\oracle\product\11.2.0\server\network\ADMIN\tnsnames.ora and replace the reference to your computer with localhost as shown below

   XE =
      (DESCRIPTION =
         (ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = localhost)(PORT = 1521))
         (CONNECT_DATA =
            (SERVER = DEDICATED)
            (SERVICE_NAME = XE)
          )
       )
   

6. Save all files and restart the database using the shortcut icon. Remember to run it as administrator.