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ORA-01031 Error Message “Insufficient Privileges” 

Error ORA-01031 means you are attempting to execute an operation for which you do not have appropriate privileges. There are several, possible causes for the ORA-01031 “Insufficient Privileges” error. They are:

  • You may be attempting to change the current Oracle username or password without having proper privileges.
  • You may be attempting to install an Oracle database without having proper operating system privileges.
  • You may be attempting to UPDATE a table when the user has SELECT access.
  • You may be using CONNECT INTERNAL to start up an Oracle database.
  • You may be granting a user privileges at a higher label than the current login when Trusted Oracle is configured in DBMS Mac.

With any error, always view the oerr command first to see the details of your error. This may help you find the best solution for your issue. The quickest solution may be for you to contact the database administrator. The database administrator can either grant you appropriate privileges to freely execute any operations. Another method is that the database administrator can execute the specific operation for you. Trusted Oracle users who receive error ORA-01031 yet have been granted the proper privileges at a higher level must be granted the right privileges again.

You may need to add the user to the database administrator group if you are encountering problems starting up Oracle. This can easily be done from the menu bar. To add new users to the database administrator group, go to the “Start” menu, then click on “Run.” Double click on the group name. Add any new users you wish to have database administrator privileges here. Know that when adding users to this group, you are giving them all privileges of a database administrator. Make sure these users should gain such access to the database before adding them to this list.

The database administrator may see this error if the target OS executables do not have the appropriate permissions. To avoid seeing error ORA-01031 as the database administrator, sign on  “as sysdba” with unlimited database privileges. If you continue to see this error and the solutions do not work, try posting your problem to an Oracle forum. Searching for current postings on forums may also provide you with guidance. Contact an Oracle expert consultant if you are still unable to resolve the issue. Double check the consultant’s Oracle qualifications to ensure the person has proper knowledge and experience.