In this article I am listing the common oracle errors that are mostly encountered.
So lets start identifying the errors their causes and the actions that should be taken when such
errors are displayed..
Error Cause
In an attempt to make a
basic peer-to-peer (single
1 ORA Error
protocol network)
connection.
Trying to execute an
ORA-00001: unique
INSERT or UPDATE
constraint (
2 statement that has created a
constraint_name )
duplicate value in a field
violated
restricted by a unique index
Trying to execute a LOCK
ORA-00054: resource TABLE or SELECT FOR
3 busy and acquire with UPDATE command with the
NOWAIT specified NOWAIT keyword but the
resource was unavailable.
4 ORA-00060: deadlock Trying to execute a
detected while waiting statement, but your session
for resource was deadlocked because
another session had the same
resource locked. The
statement(s) that you tried to
execute have been rolled
back.
Action
1. Verify that the Database Is
Running.
2. Perform a Loopback Test.
3. Check that same protocol
support is installed as on the
database server.
4. Check base connectivity for
underlying network
transport.
5. Check that the client
computer has the
tnsnames.ora and the
sqlnet.ora files in the correct
locations.
6. Test the Net8 foundation
layer.
1. Drop the unique constraint
2. Change the constraint to
allow duplicate values
3. Modify your SQL so that a
duplicate value is not
created
1. Wait and try the command
again after a few minutes.
2. Execute the command
without the NOWAIT
keyword.
1. You can wait a few minutes
and try to re-execute the
statement(s) that were rolled
back.
2. You can execute a
ROLLBACK and re-
execute all statements since
the last COMMIT was
 executed.
Check that there is sufficient disk
ORA-00200: controlfile It was not possible to create space and no conflicts in filenames
5
could not be created the controlfile. and try to create the controlfile
again.
ORA-00312: online log This message reports the
See the associated messages for the
6 string thread string: filename for details of
appropriate action to take.
`string` another message.
Concurrent update activity
ORA-00235: control
on a control file caused a
file fixed table
7 query on a control file fixed Retry the operation.
inconsistent due to
table to read inconsistent
concurrent update
information.
ORA-00313: open
The online log cannot be
failed for members of See accompanying errors and make
8 opened. May not be able to
log group string of log available.
find file.
thread string
ORA-00320: cannot
read file header from
9 The file is not available. Restore the log file.
log string of thread
string
ORA-00321: log string
10 of thread string, cannot Cannot write to the log file. Restore the access to the file.
update log file header
Correct the cause of the indicated
The indicated error caused
error (also recorded) so that future
two-pass instance or crash
ORA-00396: error instance or crash recovery can
recovery to fail. Recovery
11 string required fallback succeed with the two-pass
was retried with an alternate
to single-pass recovery algorithm. This usually requires
(slower) method to avoid the
making more main memory
error.
available to the recovery process.
12ORA-12154: You tried to connect to 1. Make sure that the
TNS:could not resolve Oracle, but the service name TNSNAMES.ORA file
the connect identifier is either missing from the exists and is in the correct
specified TNSNAMES.ORA file or is directory.
incorrectly defined. 2. Make sure that the service
name that you are
connecting to is included in
the TNSNAMES.ORA file
and that it is correctly
defined.

3. Make sure that there are no

syntax errors in the
 TNSNAMES.ORA file. For
example, if there are
unmatched brackets in the
file, the file will be rendered
unusable.
1. Fix the problem causing the
exception or write an
Backtrace message as the exception handler for this
ORA-06512: at
13 stack is unwound by condition.
stringline string
unhandled exceptions.
2. Contact your application
administrator or DBA.
1. The column name must
begin with a letter.
2. The column name can not
be longer than 30
characters.
3. The column name must be
Trying to execute a SQL made up of alphanumeric
ORA-00904: invalid statement that included an characters or the following
14
column name invalid column name or the special characters: $, _, and
column name is missing. #. If the column name uses
any other characters, it must
be enclosed in double
quotation marks.

4. The column name can not

be a reserved word.
1. Only numeric fields or
character fields that contain
numeric values can be used
in arithmetic operations.
Make sure that all
You executed an SQL
expressions evaluate to
ORA-01722: invalid statement that tried to
15 numbers.
number convert a string to a number,
but it was unsuccessful.
2. If you are adding or
subtracting from dates,
make sure that you
added/substracted a numeric
value from the date.
16ORA-00600: internal This is the generic internal Report as a bug - the first argument
error code; arguments: error number for Oracle is the internal error number
[string], [string], program exceptions. This
 [string], [string], indicates that a process has
[string], [string], encountered an exceptional
[string], [string] condition.
This error most commonly occurs
Trying to execute a SQL when you try to execute a SELECT
ORA-00936: missing
17 statement but you omitted a statement and forget to the list of
expression
part of the syntax. the columns in the SELECT
statement.
1. Refer to accompanying
messages for possible
causes and correct the
Oracle is not started up.
problem mentioned in the
Possible causes may be that
other messages.
either the SGA requires
2. If Oracle has been
ORA-01034: Oracle notmore space than was
18 initialized, then on some
available allocated for it or the
operating systems, verify
operating-system variable
that Oracle was linked
pointing to the instance is
correctly.
improperly defined.
3. See the platform specific
Oracle documentation.
1. Ensure the ADDRESS
parameters have been
entered correctly.
2. Ensure that the executable
ORA-12545: Connect
The address specified is not for the server exists.
failed because target
19 valid, or the program being
host or object does not
connected to does not exist. 3. If the protocol is TCP/IP,
exist
edit the TNSNAMES.ORA
file to change the host name
to a numeric IP address and
try again.

20ORA-00942: table or 1. SQL statement is 1. If this error occurred

view does not exist
2. You do not have
executed that because the table or view
references a table or does not exist, you will need
view that either does to create the table or view.
not exist. 2. If this error occurred
because you do not have
access to the table or view,
access to the table or you will need to have the
view, or the table or owner of the table/view, or
view belongs to a DBA grant you the
another schema and appropriate privileges to this
you didn't reference
 object.

3. If this error occurred

because the table/view
belongs to another schema
the table by the
and you didn't reference the
schema name.
table by the schema name,
you will need to rewrite
your SQL to include the
schema name.
1. Check for network problems
and review the SQL*Net
setup.
2. Look in the alert.log file for
ORA-03113: end-of-file You encountered an
any errors.
21 on communication unexpected end-of-file on
channel the communication channel.
3. Test to see whether the
server process is dead and
whether a trace file was
generated at failure time.
The executed statement Change the data, how it is
ORA-06502: PL/SQL: resulted in an arithmetic, manipulated, or how it is declared
22
numeric or value error numeric, string, conversion, so that values do not violate
or constraint error. constraints.
1. Reduce your use of shared
memory.
2. Increase the
SHARED_POOL_SIZE
ORA-04031: unable to Tried to use more shared
initialization parameter in
allocate num bytes of memory than was available.
23 the initialization file.
shared memory num, SGA private memory has
num, num been exhausted.
3. Use the
DBMS_SHARED_POOL
package to pin large
packages.
ORA-01756: quoted A quoted string is not
Insert the closing quote and retry
24 string not properly terminated with a single
the statement.
terminated quote mark (')
An attempt was made to
read from a file or directory Verify file and directory access
ORA-29283: invalid file
25 that does not exist, or file or privileges on the file system, and if
operation
directory access was denied reading, verify that the file exists.
by the operating system.
26ORA-00020: maximum All process state objects are 1. Wait a few minutes and try
number of processes in use. to re-execute the
 statement(s).

2. Shut down Oracle, increase

num exceeded the PROCESSES parameter
in the initialization
parameter file, and restart
Oracle.
1. Verify that the net service
name you entered was
1. Invalid address
correct.
specified or
2. Verify that the ADDRESS
destination is not
portion of the connect
listening.
ORA-12203: descriptor which
27 TNS:unable to connect corresponds to the net
2. This error can also
to destination service name is correct.
occur because of
underlying network
3. Ensure that the destination
or network transport
process (for example the
problems.
listener) is running at the
remote node.
Enter a valid username and
ORA-01017: invalid Logging into Oracle with an password combination in the
28 username/password; invalid username/password correct format. If the username and
logon denied combination. password are entered together, the
format is: username/password
1. Executing a
SELECT INTO
statement and no
rows were returned.
2. Referencing an
ORA-01403: no data
29 uninitialized row in a Terminate processing of the data.
found
table.

3. Reading past the end

of file with the
UTL_FILE package.
ORA-01033: ORACLE An attempt was made to log
Wait a few minutes. Then retry the
30 initialization or on while Oracle is being
operation.
shutdown in progress started up or shutdown