Add Oracle Instant Client

This article explains how to install Oracle Instant Client in Exasol.

You can use Oracle Instant Client to connect to an Oracle database and load data using the IMPORT FROM ORA syntax. You install the client by uploading it to BucketFS.

Prerequisites

  • Traffic must be allowed on the port used for the default bucket in BucketFS. The default port for this bucket is 2581.

  • In AWS deployments, the Amazon EC2 security group must contain an inbound rule to allow traffic on the port used for the default bucket in BucketFS. The default port for this bucket is 2581. For more information, refer to the AWS documentation.

Always change the default write password of the default bucket to a secure password. For more information, see .

Procedure

  1. Download the compatible version of Oracle Instant Client to your local machine.

    For Exasol 8.31.0 and earlier, Oracle Instant Client 12.1.0.2.0 is the only supported version of the client. You can download this version from the Oracle Instant Client Downloads page.

    For Exasol 8.32.0 and later, Oracle Instant Client 23.5.0.24.07 is required. This version of the client has been deprecated by Oracle and is therefore not available on the Oracle website. You can download this client using this direct link.

  2. Upload the zip archive containing the client to BucketFS in Exasol. By default, the database is configured to use the following path for Oracle Instant Client:

    /buckets/bfsdefault/default/drivers/oracle/

Example:

The following examples use curl on a Linux terminal, but you can also use other interfaces and tools.

Placeholder values in the examples are styled as Bash variables, for example: $NODE_IP. Replace these placeholders with your own values.

Copy 
curl -v --insecure -X PUT -T instantclient-basic-linux.x64-23.5.0.24.07.zip https://w:$WRITE_PW@$DATABASE_NODE_IP:2581/default/drivers/oracle/instantclient-basic-linux.x64-23.5.0.24.07.zip

The option --insecure or -k tells curl to bypass the TLS certificate check. This option allows you to connect to a HTTPS server that does not have a valid certificate. Only use this option if certificate verification is not possible and you trust the server.

You must connect to one of the database nodes, not to the access node.

Verification

To verify that the Oracle Instant Client is installed, perform an IMPORT statement using the IMPORT FROM ORA syntax. For example:

Copy 
CREATE OR REPLACE CONNECTION OCI_ORACLE
    TO '192.168.99.103:1521/xe'
    USER 'system'
    IDENTIFIED BY 'oracle';
Copy 
SELECT * FROM (
    IMPORT FROM ORA at OCI_ORACLE
    STATEMENT 'select ''Connection works'' from dual'
);