Oracle File format specifiers – I use these all the time with RMAN – a reference Oracle’s documentation of:
formatSpec
https://docs.oracle.com/database/121/RCMRF/rcmsubcl012.htm#RCMRF195
formatSpec
RMAN substitution variables that are valid in format strings.
| Syntax Element | Description |
|---|---|
%a |
Specifies the activation ID of the database. |
%b |
Specifies the file name stripped of directory paths. It is only valid for SET NEWNAME and backup when producing image copies It yields errors if used as a format specification for a backup that produces backup pieces. |
%c |
Specifies the copy number of the backup piece within a set of duplexed backup pieces. If you did not duplex a backup, then this variable is 1 for backup sets and 0 for proxy copies. If a command is enabled, then the variable shows the copy number. The maximum value for %c is 256. |
%d |
Specifies the name of the database (see Example 4-23). |
%D |
Specifies the current day of the month from the Gregorian calendar in format DD. |
%e |
Specifies the archived log sequence number. |
%f |
Specifies the absolute file number (see Example 4-23). |
%F |
Combines the DBID, day, month, year, and sequence into a unique and repeatable generated name. This variable translates into c-IIIIIIIIII-YYYYMMDD-QQ, where:
Note: |
%h |
Specifies the archived redo log thread number. |
%I |
Specifies the DBID. |
%M |
Specifies the month in the Gregorian calendar in format MM. |
%N |
Specifies the tablespace name. This substitution variable is only valid when backing up data files as image copies. |
%n |
Specifies the name of the database, padded on the right with xcharacters to a total length of eight characters. For example, if prod1 is the database name, then the padded name is prod1xxx. |
%p |
Specifies the piece number within the backup set. This value starts at 1 for each backup set and is incremented by 1 as each backup piece is created.Note: If you specify PROXY, then the %p variable must be included in the FORMAT string either explicitly or implicitly within %U. |
%s |
Specifies the backup set number. This number is a counter in the control file that is incremented for each backup set. The counter value starts at 1 and is unique for the lifetime of the control file. If you restore a backup control file, then duplicate values can result. Also, CREATE CONTROLFILE initializes the counter back to 1. |
%t |
Specifies the backup set time stamp, which is a 4-byte value derived as the number of seconds elapsed since a fixed reference time. You can use a combination of %s and %t to form a unique name for the backup set. |
%T |
Specifies the year, month, and day in the Gregorian calendar in this format: YYYYMMDD. |
%u |
Specifies an 8-character name constituted by compressed representations of the backup set or image copy number and the time the backup set or image copy was created. |
%U |
Specifies a system-generated unique file name (default).The meaning of %U is different for image copies and backup pieces. For a backup piece, %U specifies a convenient shorthand for %u_%p_%c that guarantees uniqueness in generated backup file names. For an image copy of a data file, %U means the following:data-D-%d_id-%I_TS-%N_FNO-%f_%uFor an image copy of an archived redo log, %U means the following:arch-D_%d-id-%I_S-%e_T-%h_A-%a_%uFor an image copy of a control file, %U means the following:cf-D_%d-id-%I_%u |
%Y |
Specifies the year in this format: YYYY. |
%% |
Specifies the percent (%) character. For example, %%Y translates to the string %Y. |