This article provides a brief introduction into configuring and using transportable tablespaces.

1. Verify that the set of source tablespaces are self-contained
2. Generate a transportable tablespace set.
3. Transport the tablespace set
4. Import the tablespaces set into the target database.

In this example, we will be transporting the tablespaces, "FACT1, FACT2, and FACT_IDX" from a database named DWDB to REPORTDB. The user that owns these tables will be "DW" and password "DW".

Verify Self-Contained Status with the DBMS_TTS Package

To verify that all tablespaces to transport are self-contained, we can use the TRANSPORT_SET_CHECK procedure within the DBMS_TTS PL/SQL Package. The first parameter to this procedure is a list of the tablespaces to transport. Keep in mind that all indexes for a table, partitions, and LOB column segments in the tablespace must also reside in the tablespace set. The second parameter to this procedure is a boolean value that indicates whether or not to check for referential integrity.

SQL> connect sys/change_on_install@dwdb as sysdba

SQL> exec DBMS_TTS.TRANSPORT_SET_CHECK('fact1, fact2', TRUE);

SQL> SELECT * FROM TRANSPORT_SET_VIOLATIONS;

VIOLATIONS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Index DW.DEPT_PK in tablespace FACT_IDX enforces primary constriants  of table D
W.DEPT in tablespace FACT1

Index DW.EMP_PK in tablespace FACT_IDX enforces primary constriants  of table DW
.EMP in tablespace FACT1

OOOPS! As we can see from the above example, I forgot to include all tablespaces that will make this self-contained. In this example, I forgot to include the FACT_IDX tablespace. Let's correct that:

SQL> exec DBMS_TTS.TRANSPORT_SET_CHECK('fact1, fact2, fact_idx', TRUE);

SQL> SELECT * FROM TRANSPORT_SET_VIOLATIONS;

no rows selected

Generate a Transportable Tablespace Set

To generate a Transportable Tablespace Set, you will need to perform the following:

1. Place all tablespace within the tablespace set in READ ONLY mode.
2. Use Export to gather tablespace data-dictionary information.
3. Copy datafiles and the export dump from the source location to the target location.
4. Place all tablespace within the tablespace set back to READ/WRITE.

% sqlplus "sys/change_on_install@dwdb as sysdba"
SQL> ALTER TABLESPACE fact1 READ ONLY;
SQL> ALTER TABLESPACE fact2 READ ONLY;
SQL> ALTER TABLESPACE fact_idx READ ONLY;
SQL> exit

% exp
  userid=\"sys/change_on_install@dwdb as sysdba\"
  transport_tablespace=y
  tablespaces=fact1,fact2,fact_idx
  triggers=y
  constraints=y
  grants=y
  file=fact_dw.dmp

% cp /u10/app/oradata/DWDB/fact1_01.dbf    /u10/app/oradata/REPORTDB/fact1_01.dbf
% cp /u10/app/oradata/DWDB/fact2_01.dbf    /u10/app/oradata/REPORTDB/fact2_01.dbf
% cp /u09/app/oradata/DWDB/fact_idx01.dbf  /u09/app/oradata/REPORTDB/fact_idx01.dbf

% sqlplus "sys/change_on_install@dwdb as sysdba"
SQL> ALTER TABLESPACE fact1 READ WRITE;
SQL> ALTER TABLESPACE fact2 READ WRITE;
SQL> ALTER TABLESPACE fact_idx READ WRITE;
SQL> exit

Transport the Tablespace Set

To actually transport the tablespace, this is nothing more than copying (or FTP'ing) all tablespace set datafiles to be put in their proper location on the target database. In the section previous to this, we did that with the cp command in UNIX.

In some cases this would be necessary if the files where copied off to a staging area in the previous step.

Import the Tablespace Set

Before actually importing the tablespace(s) into the target database, you will need to ensure that all users that own segments in the imported tablespaces exist. For this example, the only user that owns segments in the exported tablespaces is DW. I will create this user:

% sqlplus "sys/change_on_install@reportdb as sysdba"
SQL> create user dw identified by dw default tablespace users;
SQL> grant dba, resource, connect to dw;
SQL> exit

We now use the Import utility to bring the tablespace set's data-dictionary information into the target database.

The two required parameters are TRANSPORT_TABLESPACE=Y and DATAFILES='...' as in the following example:

% imp
  userid=\"sys/change_on_install@reportdb as sysdba\" 
  transport_tablespace=y
  datafiles='/u10/app/oradata/REPORTDB/fact1_01.dbf, /u10/app/oradata/REPORTDB/fact2_01.dbf, /u09/app/oradata/REPORTDB/fact_idx01.dbf'
  file=fact_dw.dmp

Final Cleanup