What does $ mean?

[NuniPR]

Hi guys!!!

As usual, I know you'll come to the rescue!!!

I have a question regarding the "$" symbol. I am new at the company I work for and they've assigned me to administer an Oracle DB. The thing is that as a programmer, I never had to worry about certain things...

I have a user, which I understand is like a sys user. It's user id has a "$" at the beginning. What does it mean? Also, for the $USER, who has privileges to modify it?

Thanks so much in advance for your quick response.


Nunina

 

[yelworcm]

If this is at a UNIX level, it is likely a shell script variable.

 

[Ogzilal]

Hi,

Variable names in unix start with a $ sign.
When you are connected, you can display them with the comand env his way :

env

appers a long list like this

LOGIN=oracle
LOGNAME=oracle
MAIL=/usr/spool/mail/dmadmin
MAILCHECK=600
MAILMSG='[YOU HAVE NEW MAIL]'
MANPATH=/usr/share/man:/usr/dt/man:/usr/local/man:/apache/apa_1.3.19/man
NLS_LANG=FRENCH_France.UTF8
NLS_NUMERIC_CHARACTERS=.,
NLSPATH=/usr/lib/nls/msg/%L/%N:/usr/lib/nls/msg/%L/%N.cat
NLS_SORT=FRENCH
ODMDIR=/etc/objrepos
OPTIND=1
ORACLE_HOME=/oracle/ora_9.2.0
ORACLE_SID=EXTEST
....
.....

All these variables may be changed by the user connected because they belong to his [env]ironment.

I can change ORACLE_SID like this and connect to new instance with sqlplus :

ORACLE_SID=SID_DEVL
sqlplus system/password

 

[SantaMufasa]

Aau,

You may wish to point out to Nunina that the method/syntax of assigning a Unix system variable a value (as in your example, "ORACLE_SID=SID_DEVL") depends upon the "Unix shell" you are using (Bourne shell, k-shell, c-shell [by the seashore <wink>], et cetera).

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[

http://www.dasages.com:

Providing low-cost remote Database Admin services]
Click here to join Utah Oracle Users Group on Tek-Tips if you use Oracle in Utah USA.

 

[Turkbear]

Hi,
As an added note, if your new company expects you to be an Oracle DBA and you have had no experience/training at this, I hope they are willing to send you to classes to learn what to do ( and, perhaps more importantly, what NOT to do) with a production Oracle database..
If not, find a new company to work for -



To Paraphrase:"The Help you get is proportional to the Help you give.."

 

[KenCunningham]

I don't suppose this has anything to do with an Operating System Authenticated User (OPS$<username>)?

 

[NuniPR]

Hi,

No, I don't think it's at Unix level. Actually the DB runs in Windows 2003.

Thanks

Nunina
Cognos BI Administrator
San Juan, PR

 

[Turkbear]

Hi,
I have never seen a USER named $<anythingelse>( Oracle, in fact, will not allow $ to start a Username, the $ is a reserved character and has limitations on where it can be used)..

There is a table called USER$ in the SYS schema..But,do not manipulate any SYS or SYSTEM objects directly...


Please read the Oracle Adminsitrator's guide and the Oracle Concepts manual..

Good docs are here:

http://tahiti.oracle.com

To Paraphrase:"The Help you get is proportional to the Help you give.."

 

[NuniPR]

Hi Guys!

It's been a while, sorry. Have been in training all over the states for the past couple of months.

The Oracle database runs in a Windows Server (2003). The $USER appears on EVERY table. In ocasions, it appears as the user that LAST_MODIFIED whatever.

I believe it is a system owner of some type. That's my confusion.

Any other insight would be great. Most Oracle help sites assume Unix is the OS.

Thanks,

Nunina

Nunina
Cognos BI Administrator
San Juan, PR

 

[Turkbear]

Hi,
'appears on every table' exactly where?
Stuff does not 'appear' in/on a table unless something puts it there..


Was it Oracle training?






To Paraphrase:"The Help you get is proportional to the Help you give.."

 

[Turkbear]

Hi,
Further thoughts/points:

A complete search of Oracle's objects fails to find even one that starts with a $ .
I suspect some auditing trigger or code is trying to insert a Username into the table by assigning the name to an operating system variable called $USER but that it is being 'seen' as a Literal string instead and that is what is being inserted...Find the code and you may find the problem..





To Paraphrase:"The Help you get is proportional to the Help you give.."

 

[hoinz]

Hello,

actually it is possible to have a username $USER,
if you use suitable syntax,
proof of concept:

SQL> create user $USER identified by testpw;
create user $USER identified by testpw
            *
ERROR at line 1:
ORA-00911: invalid character


SQL> create user "$USER" identified by testpw;

User created.

SQL> select username from all_users
  2  where username like '$%';

USERNAME
------------------------------
$USER

SQL>

Nunina,
to make sure, could you please log in as sysdba, and run the select I gave above?

regards

 

[hoinz]

Hello again,

one more thought: I think the idea Ken posted on 3 Nov 05 11:07 might be the answer.

For this, Nunina, two more questions:

1)You wrote that you are on Windows. Is there a Windows user whose username is just USER?
2)In your init<SID>.ora file, is there an entry for os_authent_prefix?
(Default is OPS$, but it might be $ here.)

regards