Oracle database server uses dump files for backup purposes. It provides special tools EXP and EXPDP to export data from database into dump files. The format of Oracle dump files is not documented and also there is no way to extract data from Oracle dump files besides importing it back into database via the standard IMP and IMPDP tools. Both tools can import data to a working instance of Oracle server only. Sometimes migration projects require access to the data without deploying Oracle database or migration data from Oracle dump file to another database management system. Those cases are not covered by using Oracle IMP or IMPDP tools.
In order to get more exposure to Oracle dump format, Intelligent Converters company has investigated Oracle dump formats and released the product to export it into the most popular data sources. This is OraDump Export Kit, collection of tools to migrate data from Oracle dump files to PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle, MS Access, MS Excel and comma separate values.
Main capabilities of OraDump Export Kit:
- all versions of Oracle dump files generated by EXP or EXPDP tools are supported
- high performance algorithm of reading data from dump files
- Oracle components or any other middleware are not required
- support for all built-in Oracle types including XML and spatial
- support for parallel export (multi-file) Oracle dump
- all settings can be stored into profile to simplify next migration of the same dump file
- support for encrypted Oracle dump files (password is required)
Besides those features listed above, OraDump Export Kit offers some extended capabilities providing more flexibility and customization of the migration process. The product allows to edit the destination table by modifying name, type and other attributes of any column as well as excluding particular columns from migration. Also, it can export the data into a script file instead of migrating it to the target database directly. The script file will include SQL statements to create tables, indexes, constraints and to insert the data. This approach may be used as a workaround for those cases when direct connection to the target database is not available.
Limitations of OraDump Export Kit:
- user-defined types are not supported
- compressed dump files are not supported
- views, stored procedures, packages and triggers are not migrated
For those customers who not sure if OraDump Export Kit fits their needs, the vendor offers free demo version with limited features. It allows to convert not more than fifty records for each database table and does not convert foreign keys. All other capabilities of the product can be tested using demo version.
OraDump Export Kit is supplied with one year subscription for updates that allows to receive new versions of migration tools included in the package for free within the subscription period. More information about OraDump Export Kit can be found at the official site of Intelligent Converters.
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