Error in Recover Database - ORA-01547 , ORA-01194 and ORA-01110

Question

Hello folks,
I am facing a problem when recovering a database..
I made each tablespace in backup mode, then copied the datafile. I revert back the tablespace status to normal status.Once all datafiles are copied to target location, i created the control file from the source db.
I started the target db by
sqlplus "/ as sysdba"
then i executed the control file
SQL>@ctrlfile.sql
Control file got created.
SQL>recover database until cancel using backup controlfile;
it asked for archives. I gave the path one by one until everything was done.Now i gave 'cancel' as below.
Specify log: {<RET>=suggested | filename | AUTO | CANCEL}
cancel
ORA-01547: warning: RECOVER succeeded but OPEN RESETLOGS would get error below
ORA-01194: file 377 needs more recovery to be consistent
ORA-01110: data file 377: '<path>/xxfndx01.dbf'
ORA-01112: media recovery not started
Could anyone please tell me where I went wrong and how can I move ahead from this stage???
Later on, when I gave open resetlogs, it gave the same error(as below)
SQL> alter database open resetlogs;
alter database open resetlogs
ERROR at line 1:
ORA-01194: file 377 needs more recovery to be consistent
ORA-01110: data file 377: '<path>/xxfndx01.dbf'
Please let me know the mistake I made, how to avoid that and how to proceed now ???
Thanks,
Cherrish Vaidiyan
[email protected]

Answer 1

Hello Cherrish,
A very good question you have asked. I hope you realize that you're doing an incomplete recovery. There is some amount of information that is still there in the online redo-log, that would not be applied on your target db. Moreover when you're using backup controlfile, you do not know till which point you need to apply archive logs.
For incomplete recovery, Oracle for some reason has been very strict about the recover database command. i.e.
recover database using backup controlfile
recover database using backup controlfile until cancel
Is not same. It also applies to the command that you had given. By giving the command 'recover database using backup controlfile until cancel', you're telling Oracle that incomplete recovery is in process, and you would do resetelogs, to make sure all files are in sync. This is required when you have lost the redo-logs
In case you have just lost the control file. All latest redo-logs, archive-logs and datafiles are okay (or have been restored), then recover database using backup controlfile; would work perfectly okay. and resetlogs would not be required.. and that would be a complete recovery
I hope this all makes sense to you
Regards
Sudhanshu