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Lesson 3Running Export
ObjectiveExplain how to use Export.

Running Oracle Export for Database Backup

This lesson will introduce you to the various options available using the Export utility.
You can run Export two ways. The first is to call the utility directly from the operating system by executing exp80.exe from within the BIN directory of your Oracle installation. You can do this as an interactive dialog or by providing a parameter file. The second is by using Data Manager from within Oracle Enterprise Manager.
For demonstration purposes, we will be using MS Windows for all examples within this course; you may be using a different operating system and will thus have some differences.

Oracle Export Utility

To use the Export utility, you
  1. must have the create session privilege on your database;
  2. should have the exp_full_database role enabled;
  3. should have run the script ccatalog.sql under the schema SYS; and
  4. have sufficient space to export your data.

There are three modes of exporting:
  1. Table mode export: A user can export tables with his or her schema.
  2. User mode export: A user can export all objects within his or her schema.
  3. Full database mode: All objects can be exported.

Let us review the different methods to invoke Export.

Operating System Level

The Export utility can be found in the /bin directory under your oracle_home, such as C:\Oracle\bin. You invoke the Export utility as the user system, which has the default password of manager with the following command: 

exp80 system/manager

This command invokes Export in an interactive mode. The following Slide Show demonstrates the export of an entire database using this procedure:
1) Export Interactive 1 2) Export Interactive 2 3) Export Interactive 3 4) Export Interactive 4
  1. This starts Export in interactive mode and includes the entry of the interactive Export options.
  2. This displays the beginning of your database export.
  3. Displays the SCOTT AND DEMO tables being exported.
  4. This displays the end of export after all tables have been exported.

Interactive Export
The interactive method demonstrated in the SlideShow allows for few export options.
A better method would be to specify a parameter file as part of the command itself.
This command would look like this:

Deprecated syntax used with Oracle 8

C:\Oracle\bin> exp80 system/manager 


PARFILE=backup.dat

This parameter file can contain any option that you might need to specify export information from your database. You can overwrite the parameters in this file by including them after the PARFILE entry.
An example of this is: 
C:\Oracle\bin> exp80 system/manager 


PARFILE=backup.dat FULL=N

When performing a full database export, write all user data and database creation statements (data files, tablespaces, indexes, and the like) to your export file except for the database user SYS information.

Oracle Enterprise Manager

A more graphical method to export data is provided by Oracle Enterprise Manager (OEM). By using the Data Manager component of OEM, you can invoke a wizard that will walk you through either the export or the import process.
The first page of the Export Wizard is shown below. Please refer to the online OEM documentation that is included on the release CDs for further information.
First page of the Export Wizard
First page of the Export Wizard.

Running Export - Quiz

Click the Quiz link below to check your understanding of the Export utility.
Running Export - Quiz
In the next lesson, you will learn to use the Export utility to perform a complete backup of your database.