Applications Systems

Oracle QA Monitor fails in SAM because Oracle Client software is not properly installed

This is an Oracle client dependency issue on the SolarWinds polling side. The component is failing in OracleQAProbe because SolarWinds cannot initialize the Oracle provider, and the UI shows: “The Oracle Client software must be properly installed” with System.Data.OracleClient requires Oracle client software version 8.1.7 or greater.

First published date

7/8/2026 4:07 PM

Last published date

7/8/2026 4:07 PM

Overview

This article addresses a Server & Application Monitor (SAM) issue where Oracle User Experience Monitor components fail and show an Oracle client dependency error. The issue affects Oracle monitoring components that rely on the Oracle User Experience Monitor on the SolarWinds Platform server or the Additional Polling Engine (APE).

A common error shown in the SolarWinds web console is:

Oracle returned an error. The Oracle Client software must be properly installed to use the Oracle QA Monitor.

The underlying exception may also show:

System.Data.OracleClient requires Oracle client software version 8.1.7 or greater.

Product section

Server Application Monitor

Cause

The Oracle User Experience Monitor requires Oracle client components on the SolarWinds polling system. SolarWinds documentation states that Oracle monitoring support requires either Oracle Data Provider for .NET (ODP.NET) or Oracle Instant Client to be installed on the SolarWinds Platform server and any APEs used for polling.

If the required Oracle client components are missing, incomplete, or not configured for the polling engine, Oracle QA Monitor components can fail with Oracle client initialization errors.

Resolution

Use the following steps to install the Oracle client components and configure the Oracle monitor correctly.

Step 1: Download the Oracle .NET / client installer

Download the Oracle client installer from Oracle's .NET downloads page. Oracle describes this page as the download source for ODP.NET, Oracle Client for Microsoft Tools, and ODAC packages for Oracle database connectivity.

Oracle download page

https://www.oracle.com/database/technologies/net-downloads.html

Step 2: Install the Oracle client package into the SolarWinds installation drive

Run the downloaded EXE installer and install it into the SolarWinds Platform installation drive used in the environment.

Example path used in this fix: D:\Program Files\SolarWinds\Orion

If the SolarWinds Platform is installed on another drive, use that installation path instead. SolarWinds documentation refers to this location as <Installation Directory>\SolarWinds\Orion.

Step 3: Download the 64-bit Oracle Instant Client Basic package

Download the 64-bit Oracle Instant Client Basic package from Oracle's Windows 64-bit Instant Client downloads page. Oracle lists the Basic package as the required package for OCI-based applications, and states that all installations require either the Basic or Basic Light package.

Oracle Instant Client download page : https://www.oracle.com/database/technologies/instant-client/winx64-64-downloads.html

In this case, the package used was:

instantclient-basic-windows.x64-23.26.0.0.0.zip

Oracle may publish a newer equivalent build on the same page, so use the current 64-bit Basic package if the filename has changed.

Step 4: Extract and copy the required Instant Client folders

After downloading the Instant Client ZIP file, extract the required contents and copy them into the SolarWinds Orion installation directory.

Folders used in this fix:

instantclient_23_0
META-INF

Copy these folders to:

D:\Program Files\SolarWinds\Orion

SolarWinds documentation states that extracted Instant Client files should be copied into the SolarWinds Orion directory.

Step 5: Set the Oracle Driver type in the Application Monitor or template

Open the affected Application Monitor or Application Monitor Template and set the Oracle Driver type to:

Microsoft .NET Data Provider

This setting is specifically documented by SolarWinds for Oracle User Experience Monitor components after installing the Oracle client.

Step 6: Set the polling platform to 64-bit

If a 64-bit Oracle Instant Client was installed, edit the Application Monitor or Application Monitor Template and set the following under Advanced:

Platform to run polling job on = 64-bit

Step 7: Repeat on any APEs that poll the application

If the application is polled by one or more Additional Polling Engines, repeat the Oracle client installation steps on each relevant APE. SolarWinds documentation explicitly states that Oracle drivers must be installed on the SolarWinds Platform server and any APEs in the environment.

Step 8: Retest the component

After the Oracle client files are installed and the driver type is updated, retest the affected Oracle component from the SolarWinds web console.

For more information, refer to the document below:
Configure SAM to monitor Oracle database servers

Disclaimer: Please note, any content posted herein is provided as a suggestion or recommendation to you for your internal use. This is not part of the SolarWinds software or documentation that you purchased from SolarWinds, and the information set forth herein may come from third parties. Your organization should internally review and assess to what extent, if any, such custom scripts or recommendations will be incorporated into your environment. You elect to use third-party content at your own risk, and you will be solely responsible for the incorporation of the same if any.