Database Link Accessed Remotely Fails with ORA-12154, Locally Works (Doc ID 1593961.1)

Last updated on SEPTEMBER 08, 2023

Applies to:

Symptoms

After connecting remotely or via the listener to a source or origin database and then attempting to select across a dblink, the following error occurs:

ORA-12154: TNS:could not resolve the connect identifier specified.

In other words, you establish a connection via the listener, to an instance where a dblink is created. 

Sqlplus <username>/<password>@TNS_alias

Then you issue a select across the dblink like:

SQL>select * from dual@db_link_name;

This yields the ORA-12154 error.

However, when you connect locally to the same origin database, you cannot reproduce this failure using the same link name.

Set ORACLE_SID=<mysid>

Sqlplus <username>/<password>

SQL>select * from dual@db_link_name;
--> works

Changes

 This may be a new database link or the $TNS_ADMIN environment variable may have been changed recently.

Cause

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