# How do I access raw Oracle OCI8 database handle?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-do-i-access-raw-oracle-oci8-database-handle/80274>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [December 22, 2006, 11:27pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-do-i-access-raw-oracle-oci8-database-handle/80274 "2006-12-22T23:27:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![nate](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/e95f7d/32.png) [@nate](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/nate)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 11:27pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-do-i-access-raw-oracle-oci8-database-handle/80274/1 "2006-12-22T23:27:05Z")

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Hi, I know about the connection() routine in ActiveRecord::Base, but  
that gives you the ActiveRecord adapter, not the real OCI8 “dbh”  
database handle.

I’d like to do something like this:

class MyModel \< ActiveRecord::Base  
def some\_method  
dbh = connection()  
dbh.prepare(“BEGIN some\_procedure(?,?,?); END;”)  
dbh.execute(arg1, arg2, arg3)  
end  
end

Anybody able to do this? I know it goes around ActiveRecord, but I have  
a number of stored procedures I need to access (DBA’s require it for  
this app)

Thanks,  
Nate

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nate](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/e95f7d/32.png) [@nate](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/nate)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2007, 4:38pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-do-i-access-raw-oracle-oci8-database-handle/80274/2 "2007-01-03T16:38:53Z")

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Nate wrote:

> Hi, I know about the connection() routine in ActiveRecord::Base, but  
> that gives you the ActiveRecord adapter, not the real OCI8 “dbh”  
> database handle.  
> [snip]  
> Anybody able to do this?

ActiveRecord::Base.connection.raw\_connection.parse

Dan M.