How to fix the Oracle error ORA-01205: not a data file – type number in header is string?

In this post, you’ll learn more about the Oracle ErrorORA-01205: not a data file – type number in header is string with the details on why you receive this error and the possible solution to fix it.

Oracle Error Description

ORA-01205: not a data file – type number in header is string

Reason for the Error ORA-01205: not a data file – type number in header is string

The file type in the header is not correct for a data file. This is probably a log file or control file. If the type is not a small non-zero positive number then the header is corrupted.

How to fix the Error ORA-01205: not a data file – type number in header is string ?

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

Restore a copy of the correct data file and do recovery as needed.