Who is Scott Fall? Everything You Need to Know

Alright, let’s talk about this “scott fall” thing. So, the other day I was messing around, trying to remember a password for a database. You know how it goes – you set it up ages ago and then completely forget it. The database in question? Good ol’ Scott’s example schema. Yeah, the classic.

First thing I did, like any sane person, was try the usual suspects. “password”, “admin”, “scott”, “tiger” – you name it, I punched it in. No luck. Of course. It’s never that easy, is it?

So, I started digging around. I remembered that I had probably created it using SQL Developer back in the day. Fired that bad boy up. Tried connecting using the “SYS” user with “AS SYSDBA”. I figured maybe I had reset the password using that. Nope. “Invalid username/password; logon denied.” Okay, new plan.

Next, I thought, “Maybe I can just reset the password through the OS.” I logged into the server (thankfully I remembered that password!). Then I tried to connect to the database using the command line. Something like:

sqlplus / as sysdba

This usually works, because it authenticates using the operating system credentials. And… bingo! I was in. Felt like a freakin’ genius for a hot second.

Okay, now to reset the password for the “scott” user. Pretty straightforward SQL command:

ALTER USER scott IDENTIFIED BY tiger;

Boom. Password reset to “tiger”. I exited SQLPlus and tried connecting with SQL Developer using the “scott” user and the new “tiger” password. Success! Finally.

But here’s the kicker. While I was in there, I started poking around, looking at the tables, the data, all that jazz. And you know what I found? Nothing interesting! It was just the standard “scott” schema. Employees, departments, salaries… the usual.

Honestly, the whole thing was a massive time sink. I probably spent a good hour just trying to get back into that database. But hey, at least I got in, right? And now, I’ve documented it, so maybe I (or someone else) can benefit from my struggles. Next time, I’m writing down the freakin’ password!

Lessons Learned:

• Always document your database passwords. Seriously.
• “sqlplus / as sysdba” can be a lifesaver.
• Even getting into a “scott” schema can be an adventure.

That’s my “scott fall” adventure. Hope you enjoyed it!