CATALOG

Syntax

Text description of the illustration cataloga.gif

Purpose

Use the CATALOG command to:

• Add metadata about a user-managed datafile, control file, or archived log copy to the recovery catalog and control file.
• Record a datafile copy as a level 0 backup in the RMAN repository, which enables you to use it as part of an incremental backup strategy.
• Record the existence of user-managed copies of Oracle release 8.0 or later databases created before RMAN was installed.
• Record the existence of the last user-managed datafile copies made after the final shutdown in Oracle version 7 and before running the migration utility.

  See Also: Oracle9i Recovery Manager User's Guide to learn how to manage target database records stored in the catalog

Restrictions and Usage Notes

• Execute the CATALOG command within the braces of a a RUN command or at the RMAN prompt.
• You must be connected to the target database, and the database must be mounted or open. If you use a recovery catalog, then the catalog must be open.
• For a user-managed backup to be cataloged, it must be:
  • Accessible on disk.
  • A complete image copy of a single file.
  • A datafile, control file, or archived log backup. If the datafile backup is inconsistent, then it must have been created with the BEGIN BACKUP/END BACKUP statements.

  RMAN treats all user-managed backups as image copies. Note that during cataloging, RMAN does not check whether the file was correctly copied by the operating system utility: it just checks the header.

You cannot use CATALOG to perform the following operations:

• Catalog any datafile copies that were created in Oracle7 unless they were made after the final consistent shutdown in Oracle7 and before running the migration utility, or were made of a tablespace that was offline normal or read-only at the time of the migration. In other words, no Oracle7 redo must need to be applied to the backups to roll them forward.
• Recatalog backup pieces or backup sets. If you run CHANGE ... UNCATALOG against an RMAN backup, then it is permanently unusable by RMAN.
• Rename a backup piece or move a backup piece from one place to another.

Keywords and Parameters

Syntax Element	Description
CONTROLFILECOPY 'filename'	Specifies the filename of a control file copy to be added to or updated in the recovery catalog and control file. The control file copy can be: A copy of a normal control file (that is, not a standby control file) created with the RMAN command COPY CURRENT CONTROLFILE command or the SQL statement ALTER DATABASE CREATE CONTROLFILE A standby control file copy created with the RMAN command COPY STANDBY CONTROLFILE or the SQL statement ALTER DATABASE CREATE STANDBY CONTROLFILE
DATAFILECOPY 'filename'	Specifies the filename of a datafile copy to be added to or updated in the recovery catalog and control file.
ARCHIVELOG 'filename'	Specifies the filename of an archived log to be added to or updated in the recovery catalog and control file.
TAG = tag_name	Specifies the tag that will be assigned to this copy in the control file and recovery catalog, for example, SUNDAY_PM_BACKUP. Note that tag names are not case sensitive.
LEVEL = integer	Indicates that the file copy should be recorded as an incremental backup at the specified level. Only level 0 is supported. You can perform incremental backups by using a datafile copy as the base level 0 backup.

Examples

Cataloging an Archived Redo Log: Example

This example assumes that you made operating system copies of archived logs or transferred them from another location, and then added them to the RMAN repository:

CATALOG ARCHIVELOG '?/oradata/archive1_30.dbf', '?/oradata/archive1_31.dbf', 
                   '?/oradata/archive1_32.dbf';

Cataloging a File Copy as an Incremental Backup: Example

The following example catalogs datafile copy users01.bak as an incremental level 0 backup:

CATALOG DATAFILECOPY '?/oradata/users01.bak' LEVEL 0;

Note that you can create datafile copies both with the RMAN COPY command and by using operating system utilities in conjunction with ALTER TABLESPACE BEGIN/END BACKUP.