Use defgen to run the DEFGEN utility from the command line of the Linux, UNIX, or Windows operating system. The defgen program is installed in the Oracle GoldenGate installation directory or library.

Syntax for Windows, UNIX, and Linux

defgen paramfile parameter_file 
[CHARSET character_set]
[COLCHARSET character_set]
[noextattr]
[pauseatend | nopauseatend]
[reportfile report_file]

The following syntax can also be used without any other options:

defgen

Used without options, the command runs the program interactively.

paramfile parameter_file

Required. Specifies the relative or absolute path name of the parameter file for the DEFGEN program that is being run.

COLCHARSET character_set

Any supported character set. See COLCHARSET for more information.

noextattr

Can be used to support backward compatibility with Oracle GoldenGate versions that are older than Release 11.2.1 and do not support character sets other than ASCII, nor case-sensitivity or object names that are quoted with spaces. NOEXTATTR prevents DEFGEN from including the database locale and character set that support the globalization features that were introduced in Oracle GoldenGate Release 11.2.1. If the table or column name has multi-byte or special characters such as white spaces, DEFGEN does not include the table definition when NOEXTATTR is specified. If APPEND mode is used in the parameter file, NOEXTATTR is ignored, and the new table definition is appended in the existing file format, whether with the extra attributes or not.

pauseatend | nopauseatend

(Windows only) When the process stops, requires an Oracle GoldenGate user to look at the console output and then strike any key to clear it. Also indicates whether the process ended normally or abnormally.

reportfile report_file

Sends command output to the specified report file. Without the reportfile option, the command output is printed to the screen.

defs_file updatecs charset

Converts the character set of a definitions file to a different character set if the file is transferred to an operating system with an incompatible character set. This procedure takes the name of the definitions file and the targeted character set as input. For example: defgen ./dirdef/source.def UPDATECS UTF-8.

updatecs helps in situations such as when a Japanese table name on Japanese Windows is written in Windows CP932 to the data-definitions file, and then the definitions file is transferred to Japanese UNIX. The file cannot be used unless the UNIX is configured in PCK locale. Thus, you must use updatecs to convert the encoding of the definitions file to the correct format.

Example

Following is a sample DEFGEN parameter file, defgenparam.prm:

DEFSFILE /home/oracle/ogg/ora/bin/ora.defs, 
PURGE useridalias oracle_source
table hr.employees;

Use the following command to call the DEFGEN program:

.$OGG_HOME/bin/defgen PARAMFILE defgenparam.prm