Testing an Oracle Database Connection to InfoAccess

After installing the Oracle client, you will want to test your connection to ensure the software is installed correctly. This document details how to test your Oracle database connection through the Windows command prompt for both 32- and 64-bit Oracle installations.

Prepare for Testing

Before you test the connection to InfoAccess, ensure you have the Oracle client installed and your TNSnames.ora file is in the correct location with an entry for INFOACCESS or DWHP. If you have both 32-bit and 64-bit versions installed, ensure you know your Oracle client paths. Note that paths can be different on different machines. You can find your Oracle client path by searching for tnsping in Windows Explorer. Please refer to Downloading and Installing Oracle 12c Client and Adding, Edting, or Replacing Your TNSnames.ora File for InfoAccess for more information.

Open the Command Prompt by pressing the Windows key (between Left Control and Alt with the Windows logo) on your keyboard and typing cmd.

Press Enter or click on Command Prompt, which will open a Command Prompt window.

Testing Instructions

There are three sets of instructions, depending on your specific Oracle client configuration:

You have a 32-bit or a 64-bit version of the Oracle client installed.
You have a 32-bit and a 64-bit version of the Oracle client installed, and you want to test the 32-bit connection.
You have a 32-bit and a 64-bit version of the Oracle client installed, and you want to test the 64-bit connection.

One Version Installed (32-bit or 64-bit)

In this case, testing is simple. Type tnsping infoaccess into the Command Prompt window and you should see something similar to the following:

As you can see from the screenshot above, OK indicates a successful instllation and test.

Multiple Versions, testing 32-bit installation

In Command Prompt, you must change the directory to where the tnsping command is located in the 32-bit Oracle client installation. Type cd C:\, which will allow you to change the directory to the 32-bit Oracle path. You'l know this is successful when Command Prompt shows C:\> before the cursor.

To navigate to the bin folder in your 32-bit instllation, type the following in Command Prompt and press Enter(assuming your 32-bit instllation is C:\Oracle32).

cd Oracle32\product\12.2.0\client_1\bin

The Command Prompt window should look like this:

Type tnsping infoaccess into the Command Prompt window and you should see something similar to the following:

As you can see from the screenshot above, OK indicates a successful instllation and test.

Multiple Versions, testing 64-bit installation

In Command Prompt, you must change the directory to where the tnsping command is located in the 64-bit Oracle client installation. Type cd C:\, which will allow you to change the directory to the 64-bit Oracle path. You'l know this is successful when Command Prompt shows C:\> before the cursor.

To navigate to the bin folder in your 64-bit instllation, type the following in Command Prompt and press Enter(assuming your 64-bit instllation is C:\Oracle64).

cd Oracle64\product\12.2.0\client_1\bin

The Command Prompt window should look like this:

Type tnsping infoaccess into the Command Prompt window and you should see something similar to the following:

As you can see from the screenshot above, OK indicates a successful instllation and test.

Troubleshooting

If your testing is unsuccessful and / or generating an error message, you will need to reach out to your IT staff for assistance, including the error message. Likely issues are an incorrect bit version installed, incorrect path for the tnsping program, or a missing TNSnames.ora file.

If you have questions about this document, please contact the Office of Data Management and Analytics Services (ODMAS, https://data.wisc.edu/) at info@data.wisc.edu.