Safe FME: How to add a ESRI ArcSDE datasource using Direct Connect for Oracle

Hey guys, I don’t know if you’re like me, but I find it pretty painful to connect to a ESRI ArcSDE (Oracle) database using Direct Connect in FME.

So here is a small reminder on how to do it.

1. First, you need to enter to database name (as defined in the TNSNAMES.ora file).
2. Then, enter the username. For example ‘sde’.
3. Enter the password with the following naming convention: ‘username@database’. For example ‘sde@Database’.
4. Instance. For example, if you have Oracle 11 g client installed, use ‘ sde:oracle11g’.
5. Just enter any value in the field Server, even though it is not used, unless FME won’t let you close the form.

Voilà!