ORA-29913: error in executing ODCIEXTTABLEOPEN callout

What does it mean?

An error occurred while reading/parsing the source file when accessing an external table. Oracle failed in the access driver (ORACLE_LOADER / ORACLE_DATAPUMP) routine it calls to fetch external table data.

Why does it happen?

Usually the file is not present in the path the DIRECTORY object points to, the Oracle OS user lacks read permission on the file/directory, there is no write permission for log/bad files, or the access parameters (field delimiter, record format) are wrong. Often accompanied by sub-errors such as ORA-29400 and KUP-04xxx.

How to fix it

Read the sub-errors (KUP-xxxx) to determine the root cause. Verify the DIRECTORY path and that the file exists: SELECT directory_name, directory_path FROM all_directories; Grant the Oracle OS user read permission on the file and directory, and write permission on the log/bad directory. Match the ACCESS PARAMETERS section of the external table definition to the source file format. If necessary, check the READ/WRITE grants on the DIRECTORY.