Add the ST_Geometry type to an Oracle database

You can add the Esri ST_Geometry type, subtype, and functions to your Oracle database using the Create Spatial Type geoprocessing tool or a Python script.

When you do, a user named sde is added to the database. The sde user owns the ST_Geometry type, subtypes, functions, and tables.

The following steps explain how to run the Create Spatial Type geoprocessing tool to install the ST_Geometry type in an Oracle database:

Steps:

1. Copy the libst_shapelib (st_shapelib for Windows) library from the DatabaseSupport directory in the ArcGIS client installation location and move it to a location on the Oracle server.

   Be sure to use the library appropriate for your Oracle server operating system.

   The directory on the server where you place the library must be accessible from the client machine from which you will run the Create Spatial Type tool or script. If placing the library on a UNIX or Linux machine, be sure the database administrator has read access to the folder and execute privileges on the library file.

2. Start ArcCatalog or ArcMap and open the Catalog window.
3. Create a connection to your Oracle database. Log in as an Oracle sys database administrator.
4. Open the Create Spatial Type tool.

   You can use the Search window to search for the tool or open the tool from the Workspace toolset of the Data Management toolbox.

5. Add the database connection you created in step 3 to the Input Database text box.
6. Type a password to be used for the sde database user in the SDE User Password text box.
7. If you want to create a tablespace to use as the sde user's default, type it in the Tablespace Name text box.

   The tablespace will be created in the Oracle default storage location with a size of 400 MB. If you want to control where the tablespace is placed or the size of the tablespace, create the tablespace in Oracle first, then specify the existing tablespace in the Tablespace Name text box. The tool will set this pre-existing tablespace as the default for the sde user.

8. For the ST_Geometry Shape Library Path text box, browse to or type the path to the directory on the Oracle server where you placed the libst_shapelib or st_shapelib file, including the name of the file.

   For example, if you placed the libst_shapelib.so file in the directory, libraries, on UNIX server boxy, you would type /boxy/libraries/libst_shapelib.so.

9. Click OK to run the tool.

The ST_Geometry type, subtypes, and functions are created in the schema of the sde user and an entry is made in Oracle for the shape library.

If you plan to use the ST_Transform function to perform geographic transformations, you must copy the pedata folder from your ArcGIS for Desktop installation directory, place it on the Oracle server, and set a PEDATAHOME environment variable on the server that points to that location.