{"id":4392,"date":"2025-06-26T05:10:17","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T05:10:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/w3buddy.com\/?p=4392"},"modified":"2026-01-15T12:44:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T07:14:10","slug":"how-to-fix-ora-39142-incompatible-dump-file-version-in-impdp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/w3buddy.com\/blog\/how-to-fix-ora-39142-incompatible-dump-file-version-in-impdp\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Fix ORA-39142: Incompatible Dump File Version in impdp"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

While working with Oracle Data Pump (expdp<\/code>\/impdp<\/code>) to export and import data between different database versions, you may encounter this error during import<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ORA-39142: incompatible version number 5.1 in dump file \"your_dump_01.dmp\"\n<\/code><\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
This happens when the dump file is exported from a newer Oracle version<\/strong> (e.g., 19c) and imported into an older version<\/strong> (e.g., 12.1) without setting a compatible metadata version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this post, you\u2019ll learn why this happens<\/strong>, how to inspect the dump file version<\/strong>, and how to resolve it using the VERSION parameter<\/strong> \u2014 with real-world examples and commands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Problem Scenario<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Export performed on Oracle 19c (completes without error):<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
nohup expdp '\"\/ as sysdba\"' DIRECTORY=your_dir DUMPFILE=your_schema_%U.dmp LOGFILE=your_schema_exp.log SCHEMAS=your_schema COMPRESSION=ALL PARALLEL=4 REUSE_DUMPFILES=Y &\n<\/code><\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Import attempted on Oracle 12.1:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
nohup impdp '\"\/ as sysdba\"' DIRECTORY=your_dir DUMPFILE=your_schema_%U.dmp LOGFILE=target_schema_imp.log REMAP_SCHEMA=your_schema:target_schema PARALLEL=4 &\n<\/code><\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Full Error (as it appears):<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
ORA-39001: invalid argument value\nORA-39000: bad dump file specification\nORA-39142: incompatible version number 5.1 in dump file \"your_schema_01.dmp\"<\/code><\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Why This Happens<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Oracle embeds an internal dump file version number<\/strong> based on the database version used for export.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oracle Database Version<\/th>Dump File Version<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
10.1<\/td>0.1<\/td><\/tr>
10.2<\/td>1.1<\/td><\/tr>
11.1<\/td>2.1<\/td><\/tr>
11.2<\/td>3.1<\/td><\/tr>
12.1<\/td>4.1<\/td><\/tr>
12.2 \/ 18c \/ 19c<\/td>5.1<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Oracle 12.1 cannot import version 5.1<\/strong> dump files \u2014 that\u2019s why you see the error.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How to Check the Dump File Version<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Oracle provides a built-in utility to inspect dump headers, including the dump file version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2705 Step 1: Create the utility package (run once as SYS)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
@?\/rdbms\/admin\/show_dumpfile_info.sql\n<\/code><\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
This creates the SYS.SHOW_DUMPFILE_INFO<\/code> procedure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
You don\u2019t need to download anything \u2014 this script is already included in Oracle installations.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
\u2705 Step 2: Run the dump file inspection command<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
SET SERVEROUTPUT ON\nEXEC SYS.SHOW_DUMPFILE_INFO('your_dir', 'your_schema_01.dmp');<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Sample Output:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
SQL> SET SERVEROUTPUT ON\nSQL> EXEC SYS.SHOW_DUMPFILE_INFO('your_dir','your_schema_01.dmp');\n----------------------------------------------------------------------------\nPurpose..: Obtain details about export dumpfile. Version: 24-JUN-2025\nRequired.: RDBMS version: 10.2.0.1.0 or higher\n. Export Data Pump dumpfile version: 10.1.0.1.0 or higher\nUsage....: execute show_dumpfile_info('DIRECTORY', 'DUMPFILE');\nExample..: exec show_dumpfile_info('MY_DIR', 'expdp_s.dmp')\n----------------------------------------------------------------------------\nFilename.: your_schema_01.dmp\nDirectory: your_dir\nDisk Path: \/u01\/dumps\nFiletype.: 1 (Export Data Pump dumpfile)\n----------------------------------------------------------------------------\n...Database Job Version..........:\n...Internal Dump File Version....: 5.1 (Oracle19c Release)   <-- \u2757\ufe0f Important\n...Creation Date.................: Mon Jun 24 08:55:56 2025\n...File Number (in dump file set): 1\n...Master Present in dump file...: 1 (Yes)\n...Job Name......................: \"SYS\".\"SYS_EXPORT_SCHEMA_01\"\n...GUID (unique job identifier)..: 46BDA47EBD1076AEE053941315ACE706\n...Block size dump file (bytes)..: 4096\n...Metadata Compressed...........: 1 (Yes)\n...Data Compressed...............: 0 (No)\n----------------------------------------------------------------------------\nPL\/SQL procedure successfully completed.<\/code><\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
From this, you can confirm the dump file version (5.1<\/code>) and whether it\u2019s compatible with your target DB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2705 The Fix: Use VERSION Parameter During Export<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
To make the dump compatible with Oracle 12.1, export using the appropriate VERSION<\/code>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
nohup expdp '\"\/ as sysdba\"' DIRECTORY=your_dir DUMPFILE=your_schema_%U.dmp LOGFILE=your_schema_exp.log SCHEMAS=your_schema COMPRESSION=ALL PARALLEL=4 REUSE_DUMPFILES=Y VERSION=12.1<\/strong> &<\/code><\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Then import normally:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
nohup impdp '\"\/ as sysdba\"' DIRECTORY=your_dir DUMPFILE=your_schema_%U.dmp LOGFILE=target_schema_imp.log REMAP_SCHEMA=your_schema:target_schema PARALLEL=4 &<\/code><\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\u2705 This ensures the exported dump uses metadata version 4.1<\/strong>, which is compatible with Oracle 12.1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Summary: When to Use VERSION<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Source DB<\/th>Target DB<\/th>Use VERSION<\/code>?<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
19c<\/td>12.1<\/td>\u2705 Yes \u2014 VERSION=12.1<\/code><\/td><\/tr>
18c<\/td>11.2<\/td>\u2705 Yes \u2014 VERSION=11.2<\/code><\/td><\/tr>
12.2<\/td>12.1<\/td>\u2705 Yes \u2014 VERSION=12.1<\/code><\/td><\/tr>
12.1<\/td>12.1+<\/td>\u274c No<\/td><\/tr>
Lower \u2192 Higher<\/td><\/td>\u274c No<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Final Notes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • The ORA-39142<\/code> error occurs only during import<\/strong>, not export.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • VERSION<\/code> controls metadata structure<\/strong>, not actual data content.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Always match VERSION<\/code> to the lowest version<\/strong> between source and target.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Use SHOW_DUMPFILE_INFO<\/code> to verify dump compatibility before running imports in production.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
    While working with Oracle Data Pump (expdp\/impdp) to export and import data between different database versions, you may encounter this error during import: This happens when the dump file is exported from a newer Oracle version (e.g., 19c) and imported into an older version (e.g., 12.1) without setting a compatible metadata version. In this post, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"googlesitekit_rrm_CAowu461DA:productID":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1225],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-database"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/w3buddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/w3buddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/w3buddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/w3buddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/w3buddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4392"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/w3buddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4392\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4397,"href":"https:\/\/w3buddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4392\/revisions\/4397"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/w3buddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/w3buddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/w3buddy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}