Fixed – ORA-00844: Parameter not taking MEMORY_TARGET into account

When you start your database and it throws following error:

ORA-01078: failure in processing system parameters
ORA-00844: Parameter not taking MEMORY_TARGET into account
ORA-00851: SGA_MAX_SIZE 9445460234 cannot be set to more than MEMORY_TARGET 4547687648.

Cause: The SGA_MAX_SIZE parameter is larger than MEMORY_TARGET parameter.

May be you forgot to set the MEMORY_TARGET in the spfile after setting SGA_MAX_SIZE parameter or already set the MEMORY_TARGET parameter but forgot to set SGA_MAX_SIZE to 0.

Now to start your database, you need to remove the SGA_MAX_SIZE parameter from pfile and spfile.

If you are running a spfile, you must need to create a pfile from spfile. First connect with sys user using following command:

C:\>sqlplus /nolog

SQL*Plus: Release 11.2.0.2.0 Production on Sat Nov 16 11:17:53 2013

Copyright (c) 1982, 2010, Oracle.  All rights reserved.

SQL> conn sys/sys@xe as sysdba

Connected.

SQL>

If you are still unable to connect with SYS user, follow below steps:

C:\>set oracle_sid=xe

C:\>sqlplus /nolog

SQL*Plus: Release 11.2.0.2.0 Production on Sat Nov 16 11:19:37 2013

Copyright (c) 1982, 2010, Oracle.  All rights reserved.

SQL> conn sys/sys as sysdba

Connected.

SQL>

Once you are connected with database, create pfile from spfile:

SQL> create pfile from spfile;

File created.

Or

SQL> create pfile = 'D:\oraclexe\app\oracle\product.2.0\server\dbs\init.ora' from spfile='D:\oraclexe\app\oracle\product.2.0\server\dbs\SPFILEXE.ORA';

File created.

SQL> exit

Disconnected

Now, open the dbs directory which contain the newly created pfile and remove following lines from pfile (example based on Oracle 11g express):

Location: D:\oraclexe\app\oracle\product\11.2.0\server\dbs\init.ora

sga_max_size=2238535456

sga_target=0

Now recreate spfile from pfile:

SQL> create spfile from pfile;

File created.

Now startup the database will be successful:

SQL> startup

ORACLE instance started.

Total System Global Area  376635392 bytes

Fixed Size                  1383692 bytes

Variable Size             281019124 bytes

Database Buffers           88080384 bytes

Redo Buffers                6152192 bytes

Database mounted.

Database opened.

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