How to fix the Oracle error ORA-01178: file string created before last CREATE CONTROLFILE, cannot recreate?

In this post, you’ll learn more about the Oracle ErrorORA-01178: file string created before last CREATE CONTROLFILE, cannot recreate with the details on why you receive this error and the possible solution to fix it.

Oracle Error Description

ORA-01178: file string created before last CREATE CONTROLFILE, cannot recreate

Reason for the Error ORA-01178: file string created before last CREATE CONTROLFILE, cannot recreate

Attempted to use ALTER DATABASE CREATE DATAFILE to recreate a datafile that existed at the last CREATE CONTROLFILE command. The information needed to recreate the file was lost with the control file that existed when the file was added to the database.

How to fix the Error ORA-01178: file string created before last CREATE CONTROLFILE, cannot recreate ?

You can fix this error in Oracle by following the below steps

Find a backup of the file, and recover it. Do incomplete recovery to time before file was originally created.