The import mode determines what is imported. The specified mode applies to the source of the operation, either a dump file set or another database if the NETWORK_LINK parameter is specified.
When the source of the import operation is a dump file set, specifying a mode is optional. If no mode is specified, then Import attempts to load the entire dump file set in the mode in which the export operation was run.
The mode is specified on the command line, using the appropriate parameter. The available modes are described in the following sections:
When you import a dump file that was created by a full-mode export, the import operation attempts to copy the password for the SYS account from the source database. This sometimes fails (for example, if the password is in a shared password file). If it does fail, then after the import completes, you must set the password for the SYS account at the target database to a password of your choice.