Recover database without control files and redo log files

Again there has been some gap in my writing of articles. Today I will share one of
my
experience faced recently. We came to know that one of the databases crashed. After
some
investigation we found that we only had data files and initialization file intact.
All other
files i.e. control files and redo log files were lost. This was a development
database and the
control files and log files were not multiplexed (First mistake). With only data
files,
how would you recover a database with minimal loss? We even did not have consistent
backup
for the database (Second mistake). After doing some research, we finally decided to
give a
go to recover the database with available data files and initialization file.

The steps followed to recover the database:

Startup the database with the initialization file. As we do not have the control
files, start
the database in no mount state.

SQL> startup nomount

ORACLE instance started.

Total System Global Area 209715200 bytes

Fixed Size 1248140 bytes
Variable Size 75498612 bytes
Database Buffers 130023424 bytes
Redo Buffers 2945024 bytes
SQL>
Check the path of control files.

SQL> show parameter control

NAME TYPE VALUE

------------------------------------ -----------
------------------------------
control_file_record_keep_time integer 7
control_files string K:\ORCL10G\CONTROL\CONTROL01.C
TL, K:\ORCL10G\CONTROL\CONTROL
02.CTL, K:\ORCL10G\CONTROL\CON
TROL03.CTL
Having the details of all the data files at hand recreate the control files.

SQL> CREATE CONTROLFILE REUSE DATABASE "ORCL10G" RESETLOGS NOARCHIVELOG

MAXLOGFILES 16
MAXLOGMEMBERS 3
MAXDATAFILES 100
MAXINSTANCES 8
MAXLOGHISTORY 292
LOGFILE
GROUP 1 'K:\ORCL10G\LOG\REDO01.LOG' SIZE 50M,
GROUP 2 'K:\ORCL10G\LOG\REDO02.LOG' SIZE 50M,
GROUP 3 'K:\ORCL10G\LOG\REDO03.LOG' SIZE 50M
DATAFILE
'K:\ORCL10G\DATA\SYSTEM01.DBF',
'K:\ORCL10G\DATA\UNDOTBS01.DBF',
 'K:\ORCL10G\DATA\SYSAUX01.DBF',
'K:\ORCL10G\DATA\USERS01.DBF',
'K:\ORCL10G\DATA\EXAMPLE01.DBF',
'K:\ORCL10G\DATA\UNDOTBS02.DBF'
CHARACTER SET WE8MSWIN1252;

Control file created.

Note the RESETLOGS option in the create control file script. This will reset the
logs and
synchronizes the SCN between the database files, control files and redo log file.
Oracle
will re-create the redo log files when the database is opened with resetlogs
options.

Once the control file is created, try mounting the database. If the database mounts
well
then everything seems to be fine.

SQL> alter database mount;

Database altered.
The database mounted successfully. Open the database with resetlogs option.

SQL> alter database open resetlogs;

Database altered.
Here we go. The database opened successfully. The only point to consider is that of
the data loss. The data in the redo log files, as it existed before the loss, will
be lost. Hence the data loss here could be minimum.

Conclusion :

1. Always multiplex the Control files and Redo log files.

2. Have a consistent backup of the database.