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ORA-06508

As a database manager delves further and further into their duties of constructing database materials for their company, several files and processes, both big and small, will start to seem like ancient history. Typically, this is fine as we create and store procedures just for that purpose; we want to be able to instantly recall past constructions and signal them at ease.
However, there are times when we create and store information in a database that, over time, becomes either incompatible with newly designed additions or corrupted. We are then forced to correct these past mistakes and adapt them to current requirements. The ORA-06508 is an error indicative of this type of situation in which maintenance must be performed on a past design to ready it for the up-to-date database needs.

The Problem

The ORA-06508 is an error deriving from a program unit being called and not being found. What this means is that the user tried to call a procedure that was not available due to the procedure being dropped or modified in an incompatible manner. It can also occur when the procedure or program was compiled, but contained errors.

If using the OWB (Oracle warehouse builder), a tool for managing and integrating data, in addition to other SQL operations, you can trigger the ORA-06508 error when one of the individual units within the program has not been appropriately compiled. It can also result from the program not being located, which indicates a problem with the $PATH environment variable.

The Solution

In order to correct this error, the user needs to check all programs referenced in an action. This will also included all package bodies, making sure the programs exist in full and are compatible with the action. You can run a query to discover any invalid objects or procedures that look like the following:

select

comp_id,
comp_name,
version,
status,
namespace,
schema

from

dba_registry;

In the event that the user finds that the procedure has been dropped, trying to re-create the stored procedure can provide a simple fix. Additionally, if the stored procedure was compiled with errors, the user can correct the errors and proceed accordingly.

In some rare instances, the user may receive an ORA-06508 error and, when the user ends the current session and opens a new session, the error will disappear. Typically this error will be accompanied in a stack with several other errors such as the ORA-04068 and ORA-04061, which reveal that existing states of packages have been discarded. If the values of variables and constants that comprise a package are at least one in number, then a package is stateful; otherwise, it is stateless. If a stateful package is recompiled later on, the next version of the package will cause Oracle to discard the existing package state and trigger the ORA-04068. It is rare that the user will need a package to be stateful, so go back to the package and see if anything you stated for variables and constants is necessary to continue. By doing this, the next time the procedure is run an error will not be triggered.

Looking forward

For the most part, by revisiting the logs in the database and running the aforementioned query to specify the origins of the error, an ORA-06508 can be resolved. The ‘select’ portion of the query will return any information needed to successfully uncover what is causing the error. From there, the user can adjust the portion of information and update accordingly. If there are still concerns remaining after implementing these corrections or if further information on concepts such as package states is needed, it is always recommended to contact a licensed Oracle consultant for in-depth inquiries.