This file can be edited
with a standard text editor like notepad or vi editor. This file will be
commonly referred as INIT.ORA file.
SPFILE (Server parameter
file) is a persistent server side binary file. SPFILE should only be
modified through “ALTER SYSTEM SET” command . Editing an SPFILE directly
will corrupt the file and the start up of the database or instance will
not be possible.
As SPFILe is a server side binary file, local copy of the PFILE is not required to start oracle from a remote machine.
Advantages of SPFILE compared to PFILE
- A SPFILE doesnot need a local copy of the pfile to start oracle from a remote machine. Thus eliminates configuration problems.
- SPFILE is a binary file and modications to that can only be done through ALTER SYSTEM SET command.
- As SPFILE is maintained by the server, human errors can be eliminated as the parameters are checked before modification in SPFILE
- It is easy to locate SPFILE as it is stored in a central location
- Changes to the parameters in SPFILE will take immediate effect without restart of the instance i.e Dynamic change of parameters is possible
- SPFILE can be backed up by RMAN
Difference between PFILE and SPFILE in Oracle :
Query to findout, if database is running with PFILE or SPFILE
Goto SQL prompt and execute the following command to figure out if database is started with a PFILE or SPFILE.
SQL > SELECT DECODE(value, NULL, ‘PFILE’, ‘SPFILE’) “Init File” FROM sys.v_$parameter WHERE name = ‘spfile’;
