SQL Developer 3.2/4EA1 not fully reading TNSNAMES

Question

Hi,
We are using both 3.2 and the 4EA1 versions, and have found that both are not fully reading the TNSNAMES file.
In the TNSNAMES file, we have databases that are configured with either SID or SERVICENAME.
It isn't excluding databases setup with either.
Can anyone suggest what the issue might be?
Cheers,
Russell H.

Answer 1

This is just a shot in the dark, but have you checked your tnsnames file to see if anything besides the entry name (and commented lines) begins in column one?  Although sqlplus will usually parse such entries successfully, some of the other tools have had issues with them in the past... they seem to misparse the entry, which often messes up the processing of subsequent items.
Here's a quick example, with spaces replaced by periods for readability:
# good entry
mydb=
..(DESCRIPTION=
....(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=myhost)(PORT=1521))
....(CONNECT_DATA=(SERVICE_NAME=myservice))
# bad entry
mydb=
(DESCRIPTION=
..(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=myhost)(PORT=1521))
..(CONNECT_DATA=(SERVICE_NAME=myservice))
If memory serves, only the entry name is actually supposed to begin in column 1... pretty sure I found that documented somewhere, back when I first encountered the issue.  So if this is indeed your problem, I suspect that the official verdict would be that your tnsnames file is bad and needs to be corrected.
Again, this is just a wild guess.