Alan McDonald wrote:

>>I have found that I can create a database by offering ISC_USER = [owner]
>>rather than SYSDBA.
>>
>>Is there anything special about SYSDBA?
>>
>>Is SYSDBA just a convention or is the ISC_USER at database creation
>>time the real dba?
>>
>>Thanks
>>
>>mike
>
>
> SYSDBA is the server administrator. This identity has access to everything
> governed by the server. It's best practice, though, to create your databases
> with another user identity.

Alan - thanks. That specifically answers my poorly phrased question.

Objects inside the database can be owned by yet

> other users if you wish.
> But at all times, SYSDBA will be able to access all objects, backup and
> restore the database. The owner will also be able to backup and restore its
> database but this non-SYSDBA identity will not be able to backup a database
> for which it is not the owner.

And - I just read in TFB that SYSDBA is created upon installation -
which answers my flipside question about where these userids are stored.
My reading is that there is a server specific database for all the
userids no matter how many application databases there might be.
Permissions and rights to objects in any database are stored in the
server's own private database. This was really a question not a
statement :) ??

Mike