Rename a database

This document explains you steps for renaming an oracle database manually:

Check the name of our database.

SQL> select name from v$database;

            NAME                                                   

            ---------

            TEST

Create a trace file of the controlfile

SQL> alter database backup controlfile to trace;      

          Above command will create a trace file of controlfile in the user_dump_dest location

          /oracle/admin/TEST/udump/TEST_ora_xxxx.trc

          Note: Take a backup of the above trace file before you edit.

                  

Shutdown the database we planned to rename.

         SQL> shutdown immediate

Modify (TEST_ora_xxxx.trc) the created trace file:

1.     Find the line reading # Set #2. RESETLOGS case

2.     Remove all lines above this line.

3.     Change the line containing the database name from

CREATE CONTROLFILE REUSE DATABASE "TEST" NORESETLOGS NOARCHIVELOG
to
CREATE CONTROLFILE SET DATABASE "DEV" RESETLOGS NOARCHIVELOG
Note: In my case, the database is running in noarchive log mode.

4.     Remove the line “RECOVER DATABASE USING BACKUP CONTROLFILE”.

5.     Remove lines starting with #.

                 After the modification it looks like this:

STARTUP NOMOUNT

CREATE CONTROLFILE SET DATABASE "DEV” RESETLOGS NOARCHIVELOG

    MAXLOGFILES 16

    MAXLOGMEMBERS 2

    MAXDATAFILES 512

    MAXINSTANCES 1

    MAXLOGHISTORY 13146

LOGFILE

  GROUP 2 (

    '/ database/oradata/TEST /redo02a.log',

    ' database/oradata/TEST /redo02b.log'

  ) SIZE 25M,

  GROUP 3 (

    ' database/oradata/TEST /redo03a.log',

    ' database/oradata/TEST /redo03b.log'

  ) SIZE 25M,

  GROUP 4 (

    ' database/oradata/TEST /redo04a.log',

    ' database/oradata/TEST /redo04b.log'

  ) SIZE 25M

-- STANDBY LOGFILE

DATAFILE

  ' /database/oradata/TEST /system.dbf01',

  ' /database/oradata/TEST /s_srs_data_07',

                  .

                  .

                  .

CHARACTER SET US7ASCII

;

 Move the controlfiles away so that they can be re-created..

              $ mv /database/oradata/TEST/control.ctl   control.ctl.old 

              $ mv /database/oradata/TEST /control.ctl   control.ctl.old 

The database name must be change in the initDEV.ora:

                      db_name =DEV

                   instance_name=TEST

                  service_names= DEV           

               SQL>sqlplus / as sysdba

Run the modified control file trace.

               SQL>@ TEST_ora_xxxx.trc (modified control file trace file name)

               SQL> select name from v$database;

                               NAME

                               ---------

                               DEV