Oracle Export: ORA-31600: invalid input value EMIT_SCHEMA for parameter NAME in function SET_TRANSFORM_PARAM

Question

Im trying to export a .dmp of an oracle database but am getting the follwoing error when I run the exp command

ORA-31600: invalid input value EMIT_SCHEMA for parameter NAME in function SET_TRANSFORM_PARAM

This is the first time I've tried to export from this server since it has been set up. Is there something I need to do to allow export to function in the correct manner.

THE FULL SOLUTION FOR ME WAS (WINDOWS MACHINE)

1) Open command prompt at C:\Oracle\Ora92\rdbms\admin

2) Logon to sqlplus as sysdba, to do this in command prompt you need to execute command sqlplus "sys as sysdba"

3) Run catexp.sql - this gets rid of some errors (to run type @@catexp.sql in command prompt)

4) Run catproc.sql

5) Run catmeta.sql this requires to shutdown oracle, run the patch and restart as described below.

1)logon sqlpus sysdba 2)shutdown immediate; 3)startup migrate; 4)@@catpatch.sql; 5)Shutdown immediate; 6)Startup;

Answer 1

Which version of Oracle are you using? Version 9.2 has the following issue if a patchset is not properly applied:

Symptom(s)
~~~~~~~~~~
You are performing a database export against your 9.2 database.  The database 
export abnormally ends with the following errors:

EXP-00056: ORACLE error 31600 encountered
ORA-31600: invalid input value EMIT_SCHEMA for parameter NAME in function 
SET_TRANSFORM_PARAM
ORA-06512: at "SYS.DBMS_SYS_ERROR", line 105
ORA-06512: at "SYS.DBMS_METADATA_INT", line 3926
ORA-06512: at "SYS.DBMS_METADATA_INT", line 4050
ORA-06512: at "SYS.DBMS_METADATA", line 836
ORA-06512: at line 1
EXP-00000: Export terminated unsuccessfully

This is detailed in Metalink document ID 257986.1.

Unless you're running RAC, the fix is to run /rdbms/admin/catpatch.sql. Likely cause is an incompletely applied patchset. You may need to be in restricted mode.