Oracle SQL Developer - tables cannot be seen

Upgrades causing a game of hide and seek (with tables)?

A version upgrade, such as from 1.1 to SQL Developer 3, often brings the unwelcomed side effect of disappearing tables. Don’t panic, the tables haven’t gone walkabouts. It’s generally due to display settings.

Navigating display settings post-upgrade

• Locate Other Users in your tree view for tables outside your ownership.
• Expand your connection and do a clean sweep of filters as they can be tenacious and survive upgrades, potentially shielding tables.
• Be sure to include synonyms when applying filters, to unmask those shy tables.
• If the tables are playing the ultimate hide and seek, reset user interface settings, upgrade may have reset the rules of the game.

Playing around with JDBC driver

A JDBC driver bug, the real party-pooper, can sometimes result in tables doing a Houdini. A temp fix would be tweaking the JVM options in SQL Developer to -Doracle.net.disableOob=true.

Tables playing hard to get

Occasionally, queering a bashful table might work, while it chooses to remain incognito. Let’s look at potential scenarios:

Schema, permissions and table visibility quirks

• Tables generally lodge within the schema of the logged-in user. Those playing truant can be traced under Other Users.
• To interrogate tables owned by others, employ the owner prefix, such as admin.mytable.
• Double-check permissions and roles, the invisible cloak on the UI doesn’t impede the ability to query the table, if you have the golden ticket.

Understanding upgrade-specific behaviors

• New SQL Developer versions can bring a change in game rules; crack open the release notes for your version.
• Post-upgrade hiccups can be predicted and understood via SQL Developer logs, make them your first stop in your scavenger hunt.
• Join hands with the Oracle community, forums and support channels to stay ahead of the game with upgrades.

Network and VPN considerations (or the Bermuda triangle)

Working remotely often hinges on VPNs and unique access setups that can open a whole new can of worms.

VPN connection quirks

• Shared connections over VPN may run into a brick wall retrieving the data dictionary views due to network restrictions.
• If you find yourself down a rabbit hole, Join forces with the SQL Developer Team or the oracle community. Together, nothing is uncrackable.