When does the Oracle library for st_shapelib.dll need to be changed?

Question

When does the Oracle library for st_shapelib.dll need to be changed?

Answer

The library is the path for Oracle to locate the external .dll file used by st_geometry functions and operators with Oracle's external process. 

To identify the st_shapelib library's current location in Oracle, execute the following SQL statement, as the SDE user, in SQL*Plus:

SQL> SELECT library_name, file_spec FROM user_libraries;

LIBRARY_NAME FILE_SPEC
------------ --------------------------------------------
ST_SHAPELIB  D:\ESRI\ArcSDE\ora10gexe\bin\st_shapelib.dll

The value for file_spec must match the st_shapelib.dll's physical file location on the server. If it does not match, st_geometry operators and functions fail to execute. 

If for any reason the path to the library must be changed, for example, the administrator moves the file location for SDEHOME or an Oracle export file is being imported from another instance where the path to the st_shapelib.dll is different, then the library specification must be updated to match the correct location of the st_shapelib.dll. 

A possible indicator as to when the library location may need to be updated is when the following error message is encountered when executing a st_geometry function or operator (the error is an indicator that the value for the specified library location may be invalid). 

SQL> SELECT sde.st_astext(shape) FROM sewers WHERE objectid = 10;
ERROR:
ORA-06520: PL/SQL: Error loading external library
ORA-06522: Unable to load DLL
ORA-06512: at "SDE.ST_GEOMETRY_SHAPELIB_PKG", line 70
ORA-06512: at "SDE.ST_GEOMETRY_OPERATORS", line 68

To fix the problem, update the library path in SQL*Plus, as the SDE user, by setting the file directory to the location where the st_shapelib.dll resides.

SQL> CREATE OR REPLACE LIBRARY st_shapelib
  2  AS 'C:\Program Files\ESRI\ArcSDE\ora11gexe\bin\st_shapelib.dll';
  3  /

Library created.

Creating the library causes dependent objects to become invalid. Oracle best practices recommend all objects should be compiled and valid. To ensure all objects are valid in the SDE schema, execute the following command as the SDE user: 

EXECUTE sys.utl_recomp.recomp_serial('SDE');
PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.

Verify all objects are valid. 

SQL> SELECT object_name FROM user_objects WHERE status = 'INVALID';

no rows selected