SQL Developer will look in the following location in this order for a tnsnames.ora file
- $HOME/.tnsnames.ora
- $TNS_ADMIN/tnsnames.ora
- TNS_ADMIN lookup key in the registry
- /etc/tnsnames.ora ( non-windows )
- $ORACLE_HOME/network/admin/tnsnames.ora
- LocalMachine\SOFTWARE\ORACLE\ORACLE_HOME_KEY
- LocalMachine\SOFTWARE\ORACLE\ORACLE_HOME
To see which one SQL Developer is using, issue the command show tns
in the worksheet
If your tnsnames.ora file is not getting recognized, use the following procedure:
-
Define an environmental variable called TNS_ADMIN to point to the folder that contains your tnsnames.ora file.
In Windows, this is done by navigating to Control Panel > System > Advanced system settings > Environment Variables…
In Linux, define the TNS_ADMIN variable in the .profile file in your home directory.
-
Confirm the os is recognizing this environmental variable
From the Windows command line:
echo %TNS_ADMIN%From linux:
echo $TNS_ADMIN -
Restart SQL Developer
- Now in SQL Developer right click on Connections and select New Connection…. Select TNS as connection type in the drop down box. Your entries from tnsnames.ora should now display here.