A new utility was provided with Siebel version 16.0 (i.e., IP2016) that is quite useful. OracleXEConfig allows you, as a developer, to have multiple Oracle XE instances on your computer and enables you to quickly switch to one that is active. It also allows you to create empty local databases. This is extremely useful if you support multiple clients or work on multiple projects.
The utility resides in the Tools\BIN directory:
Launching this utility brings up this tab:
What is the instance name? What is the username/password you want created? What is the pick directory? The pick directory is the only tricky one: it is requesting is the install directory in which the .DBF files are located. For most people, creating a local DB will be:
C:\Siebel_Install_Image\16.0.0.0\Windows\Client\Siebel_Tools\Disk1\stage\XE\Utils\Local\64bit
Of course, if your OS is 32-bit, you should choose that one.
After clicking [Setup], here is the end result (after about five minutes):
Now, on my MacBook, I have two different databases to choose from: one for the ASCEND project and one for the Sun project.
Two final notes:
- I found that after switching databases, I needed to reboot. There is probably a way to avoid this, but it was easy enough to do.
- The database is initially empty, as mentioned in a previous blog post.
