Drop a Target Database using RMAN

Starting with Oracle10g Release 1, Oracle provides a method to completely drop a database with one simple statement. This method makes use of the DROP DATABASE command in RMAN.

NOTE: Although this should be obvious from the title of the article, the following will completely drop the target database including all datafiles, controlfiles, redo log files, SPFILE, and if you want all backups and archived redo log files associated with the database. Consider yourself warned.

The DROP DATABASE Command

NOTE: Before the target database can be dropped, it must be mounted in EXCLUSIVE mode with RESTRICTED SESSION enabled.

Before dropping the database, let's take a look at the complete syntax for the RMAN DROP DATABASE command:

DROP DATABASE;

DROP DATABASE NOPROMPT;

DROP DATABASE INCLUDING BACKUPS;

DROP DATABASE INCLUDING BACKUPS NOPROMPT;

When "NOPROMPT" is specified, RMAN will not prompt for confirmation before deleting the database. The default for RMAN is to prompt for confirmation. Restrictions and Usage Notes

• This command can only be run from RMAN.
• You must be connected to the target database from RMAN while the database is mounted in EXCLUSIVE mode with RESTRICTED SESSION enabled.
• When using the "DROP DATABASE" command, RMAN drops the target database including the following files at the operating system level:

• Datafiles
• Online Redo Log Files
• Controlfiles
• SPFILE (if it exists)

· When including the "INCLUDING BACKUPS" clause, RMAN will delete the files listed above as well as the following files at the operating system level:

• Archive Redo Logs
• Backup pieces generated by RMAN for the target database

· When using the "DROP DATABASE" command with RMAN connected to a recovery catalog, RMAN will unregister the target database.

• The "DROP DATABASE" command does not delete the following files:
• init.ora (text version of the Oracle initialization file)
• password file

· If the operating system is Windows NT/2000, then it does not delete the Windows NT service for the target database instance.

DROP DATABASE EXAMPLE In this article, I will be dropping a database named orcl. The orcl database is in archive log mode and has several backups included in the Flash Recovery Area. I want to drop the target database along with all backup files.

$ sqlplus "/ as sysdba"



SQL> shutdown immediate

Database closed.

Database dismounted.

ORACLE instance shut down.



SQL> startup mount exclusive

ORACLE instance started.



Total System Global Area  285212672 bytes

Fixed Size                  1218992 bytes

Variable Size             100664912 bytes

Database Buffers          180355072 bytes

Redo Buffers                2973696 bytes

Database mounted.



SQL> alter system enable restricted session;



System altered.



SQL> exit



$ rman target /



Recovery Manager: Release 10.2.0.1.0 - Production on Mon Aug 7 17:33:25 2006



Copyright (c) 1982, 2005, Oracle.  All rights reserved.



connected to target database: ORCL (DBID=1123903688, not open)



RMAN> drop database including backups;



database name is "ORCL" and DBID is 1123903688



Do you really want to drop all backups and the database (enter YES or NO)? YES



using target database control file instead of recovery catalog

allocated channel: ORA_DISK_1

channel ORA_DISK_1: sid=156 devtype=DISK



List of Backup Pieces

BP Key  BS Key  Pc# Cp# Status      Device Type Piece Name

------- ------- --- --- ----------- ----------- ----------

51      31      1   1   AVAILABLE   DISK        /u02/flash_recovery_area/ORCL/backupset/2006_08_07/o1_mf_annnn_TAG20060807T164635_2fh9of4s_.bkp

52      32      1   1   AVAILABLE   DISK        /u02/flash_recovery_area/ORCL/backupset/2006_08_07/o1_mf_nnndf_TAG20060807T164638_2fh9ogvf_.bkp

53      33      1   1   AVAILABLE   DISK        /u02/flash_recovery_area/ORCL/backupset/2006_08_07/o1_mf_ncsnf_TAG20060807T164638_2fh9vzo0_.bkp

54      34      1   1   AVAILABLE   DISK        /u02/flash_recovery_area/ORCL/backupset/2006_08_07/o1_mf_annnn_TAG20060807T165009_2fh9w2lm_.bkp

deleted backup piece

backup piece handle=/u02/flash_recovery_area/ORCL/backupset/2006_08_07/o1_mf_annnn_TAG20060807T164635_2fh9of4s_.bkp recid=51 stamp=597861997

deleted backup piece

backup piece handle=/u02/flash_recovery_area/ORCL/backupset/2006_08_07/o1_mf_nnndf_TAG20060807T164638_2fh9ogvf_.bkp recid=52 stamp=597861998

deleted backup piece

backup piece handle=/u02/flash_recovery_area/ORCL/backupset/2006_08_07/o1_mf_ncsnf_TAG20060807T164638_2fh9vzo0_.bkp recid=53 stamp=597862207

deleted backup piece

backup piece handle=/u02/flash_recovery_area/ORCL/backupset/2006_08_07/o1_mf_annnn_TAG20060807T165009_2fh9w2lm_.bkp recid=54 stamp=597862210

Deleted 4 objects


released channel: ORA_DISK_1

allocated channel: ORA_DISK_1

channel ORA_DISK_1: sid=156 devtype=DISK

specification does not match any archive log in the recovery catalog

database name is "ORCL" and DBID is 1123903688

database dropped

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(C) June 2008, manivelcode