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Error "ORA-21561: OID generation failed" Connecting to Oracle with a Mac


Published: 20 Aug 2014
Last Modified Date: 24 Aug 2022

Issue

When you try to connect to Oracle from Tableau Desktop on a Mac, the following error might occur:

An error occurred while communicating with the Oracle Database data source '<data source name>'.

Oracle database error 21561: ORA-21561: OID generation failed

Unable to connect to the server "<server name>". Check that the server is running and that you have access privileges to the requested database.

Environment

  • Tableau Desktop
  • Mac OS
  • Oracle

Resolution

Option 1

Edit the hosts file on the Mac to include local computer name by adding the computer name to the end of the 127.0.0.1 line. For example, the last line of the hosts file would read:
127.0.0.1 localhost <local computer name>
For more information, see Edit Host File in Mountain Lion on the Apple Community Forum or How to edit your Mac's Hosts file... on iMore.

Option 2

As an alternative workaround, ensure that no security software or antivirus is interfering with Tableau Desktop or Oracle. 
 

Cause

The local computer name and the name associated with the 127.0.0.1 IP address are not the same. 
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