How to connect Eclipse to Oracle database - Step by Step Guide

Though, I prefer Toad or Oracle SQL Developer tool to connect Oracle database, sometimes it's useful to directly connect Eclipse to Oracle using JDBC using its Data Source Explorer view. This means you can view data, run SQL queries to the Oracle database right from your Eclipse window. This will save a lot of time wasted during switching between Toad and Eclipse or Oracle SQL Developer and Eclipse. Eclipse also allow you to view Execution plan in both text and Graphical mode, which you can use to troubleshoot performance of your SQL queries. In this article, I'll tell you steps to connect Eclipse to Oracle database. Since Eclipse uses Java to connect to Oracle database, it asks for JDBC driver information. Since connecting using thin Oracle JDBC driver is much easier, as you just need to drop a JAR file in the classpath, we will be using JDBC thin driver to connect Oracle from Eclipse. Depending upon your Oracle version e.g. Oracle 10g or Oracle 11g you need to download Oracle JDBC thin driver e.g. ojdbc14.jar file. Just download this JAR file and configure it on Eclipse IDE. Enter username, password and sid and you are ready to execute SQL query to Oracle database from Eclipse.

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