SQL*Plus

Users Guide and Reference

Release 8.1.5

February, 1999 Part No. A66736-01

SQL*Plus User s Guide and Reference, Release 8.1.5 Part No. A66736-01 Copyright 1996, 1999, Oracle Corporation. All rights reserved. Contributing Authors: Frank Rovitto

Contributors: Larry Baer, Lisa Colston, Roland Kovacs, Karen Denchfield-Masterson, Alison Holloway, Sanjeev Jhala, Christopher Jones, Anita Lam, Nimish Mehta, Luan Nim, Bud Osterberg, Irene Paradisis, Richard Rendell, Farokh Shapoorjee, Larry Stevens, Andre Touma The Programs are not intended for use in any nuclear, aviation, mass transit, medical, or other inherently dangerous applications. It shall be the licensees responsibility to take all appropriate fail-safe, backup, redundancy and other measures to ensure the safe use of such applications if the Programs are used for such purposes, and Oracle disclaims liability for any damages caused by such use of the Programs. The Programs (which include both the software and documentation) contain proprietary information of Oracle Corporation; they are provided under a license agreement containing restrictions on use and disclosure and are also protected by copyright, patent, and other intellectual and industrial property laws. Reverse engineering, disassembly, or decompilation of the Programs is prohibited. The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice. If you find any problems in the documentation, please report them to us in writing. Oracle Corporation does not warrant that this document is error free. Except as may be expressly permitted in your license agreement for these Programs, no part of these Programs may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without the express written permission of Oracle Corporation. If the Programs are delivered to the U.S. Government or anyone licensing or using the Programs on behalf of the U.S. Government, the following notice is applicable: Restricted Rights Notice Programs delivered subject to the DOD FAR Supplement are "commercial computer software" and use, duplication, and disclosure of the Programs including documentation, shall be subject to the licensing restrictions set forth in the applicable Oracle license agreement. Otherwise, Programs delivered subject to the Federal Acquisition Regulations are "restricted computer software" and use, duplication, and disclosure of the Programs shall be subject to the restrictions in FAR 52.227-19, Commercial Computer Software - Restricted Rights (June, 1987). Oracle Corporation, 500 Oracle Parkway, Redwood City, CA 94065. Oracle is a registered trademark, and JDeveloper, Oracle Designer, Oracle Developer, Oracle Discoverer, Oracle7, Oracle8, Oracle8i, Oracle Media Objects, Oracle Mobile Agents, Oracle Application Server, PL/SQL, Oracle Programmer, SQL*Forms, Net8, and SQL*Plus are trademarks or registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation. All other company or product names mentioned are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Contents
Preface............................................................................................................................................................ xi Send Us Your Comments ................................................................................................................ xvii Part I 1 Understanding SQL*Plus

Introduction
Overview of SQL*Plus....................................................................................................................... Basic Concepts............................................................................................................................... Who Can Use SQL*Plus............................................................................................................... Other Ways of Working with Oracle ......................................................................................... Using this Guide ................................................................................................................................. Conventions for Command Syntax............................................................................................ Sample Tables................................................................................................................................ What You Need to Run SQL*Plus ................................................................................................... Hardware and Software .............................................................................................................. Information Specific to Your Operating System ...................................................................... Username and Password ............................................................................................................. Access to Sample Tables .............................................................................................................. 1-2 1-2 1-3 1-3 1-4 1-4 1-5 1-7 1-7 1-7 1-7 1-8

Learning SQL*Plus Basics

Getting Started .................................................................................................................................... 2-2 Using the Keyboard...................................................................................................................... 2-2 Starting SQL*Plus ......................................................................................................................... 2-3

iii

Shortcuts to Starting SQL*Plus ............................................................................................ Leaving SQL*Plus ......................................................................................................................... Entering and Executing Commands ................................................................................................ Entering Commands ............................................................................................................. Getting Help ........................................................................................................................... Executing Commands ........................................................................................................... Running SQL Commands............................................................................................................ Understanding SQL Command Syntax.............................................................................. The SQL Buffer..................................................................................................................... Executing the Current SQL Command or PL/SQL Block from the Command Prompt ........................................................................................................ Running PL/SQL Blocks ........................................................................................................... Running SQL*Plus Commands ................................................................................................ Understanding SQL*Plus Command Syntax .................................................................. Variables that Affect Running Commands ............................................................................. Saving Changes to the Database Automatically .................................................................... Stopping a Command while it is Running.............................................................................. Collecting Timing Statistics on Commands You Run ........................................................... Running Host Operating System Commands ........................................................................ Getting Help ...................................................................................................................................... Listing a Table Definition .......................................................................................................... Listing PL/SQL Definitions ...................................................................................................... Controlling the Display.............................................................................................................. Interpreting Error Messages......................................................................................................

2-4 2-4 2-5 2-5 2-6 2-6 2-6 2-7 2-10 2-10 2-10 2-11 2-12 2-13 2-14 2-15 2-16 2-16 2-16 2-16 2-17 2-17 2-18

Manipulating Commands
Editing Commands ............................................................................................................................. Listing the Buffer Contents ......................................................................................................... Editing the Current Line.............................................................................................................. Adding a New Line ...................................................................................................................... Appending Text to a Line............................................................................................................ Deleting Lines................................................................................................................................ Editing Commands with a System Editor................................................................................. Saving Commands for Later Use ..................................................................................................... Storing Commands in Command Files ..................................................................................... 3-2 3-3 3-4 3-5 3-6 3-7 3-7 3-8 3-8

iv

Creating a Command File by Saving the Buffer Contents .............................................. Creating a Command File by Using INPUT and SAVE .................................................. Creating Command Files with a System Editor ............................................................. Placing Comments in Command Files .................................................................................... Using the REMARK Command ........................................................................................ Using /*...*/ ......................................................................................................................... Using -- ................................................................................................................................. Retrieving Command Files........................................................................................................ Running Command Files........................................................................................................... Running a Command File as You Start SQL*Plus .......................................................... Nesting Command Files ............................................................................................................ Modifying Command Files ....................................................................................................... Exiting from a Command File with a Return Code............................................................... Setting Up Your SQL*Plus Environment ................................................................................ Modifying Your LOGIN File ............................................................................................. Storing and Restoring SQL*Plus System Variables ............................................................... Restoring the System Variables......................................................................................... Writing Interactive Commands ...................................................................................................... Defining User Variables............................................................................................................. Using Substitution Variables .................................................................................................... Where and How to Use Substitution Variables .............................................................. Avoiding Unnecessary Prompts for Values .................................................................... Restrictions ........................................................................................................................... System Variables ................................................................................................................. Passing Parameters through the START Command ............................................................. Communicating with the User ................................................................................................. Prompting for and Accepting User Variable................................................................... Customizing Prompts for Substitution Variable ............................................................ Sending a Message and Accepting [Return] as Input .................................................... Clearing the Screen ............................................................................................................. Using Bind Variables ....................................................................................................................... Creating Bind Variables............................................................................................................. Referencing Bind Variables ....................................................................................................... Displaying Bind Variables......................................................................................................... Using REFCURSOR Bind Variables .............................................................................................

3-8 3-9 3-11 3-11 3-11 3-12 3-12 3-13 3-14 3-15 3-15 3-16 3-17 3-17 3-17 3-18 3-18 3-19 3-19 3-20 3-21 3-23 3-25 3-25 3-25 3-27 3-27 3-28 3-30 3-30 3-30 3-31 3-31 3-31 3-32

Tracing Statements............................................................................................................................ Controlling the Report ............................................................................................................... Execution Plan............................................................................................................................. Statistics........................................................................................................................................ Tracing Parallel and Distributed Queries ...............................................................................

3-35 3-35 3-36 3-37 3-40

Formatting Query Results

Formatting Columns........................................................................................................................... Changing Column Headings ...................................................................................................... Formatting NUMBER Columns.................................................................................................. Formatting Datatypes .................................................................................................................. Copying Column Display Attributes......................................................................................... Listing and Resetting Column Display Attributes .................................................................. Suppressing and Restoring Column Display Attributes ...................................................... Printing a Line of Characters after Wrapped Column Values ............................................. Clarifying Your Report with Spacing and Summary Lines...................................................... Suppressing Duplicate Values in Break Columns ................................................................. Inserting Space when a Break Columns Value Changes ..................................................... Inserting Space after Every Row .............................................................................................. Using Multiple Spacing Techniques ........................................................................................ Listing and Removing Break Definitions ................................................................................ Computing Summary Lines when a Break Columns Value Changes ............................... Computing Summary Lines at the End of the Report........................................................... Computing Multiple Summary Values and Lines................................................................. Listing and Removing COMPUTE Definitions ...................................................................... Defining Page and Report Titles and Dimensions..................................................................... Setting the Top and Bottom Titles and Headers and Footers .............................................. Displaying the Page Number and other System-Maintained Values in Titles.................. Listing, Suppressing, and Restoring Page Title Definitions ................................................. Displaying Column Values in Titles ........................................................................................ Displaying the Current Date in Titles...................................................................................... Setting Page Dimensions ........................................................................................................... Sending Results to a File ............................................................................................................ 4-2 4-2 4-4 4-6 4-8 4-9 4-10 4-10 4-11 4-12 4-13 4-14 4-14 4-16 4-16 4-20 4-21 4-22 4-23 4-23 4-28 4-30 4-30 4-32 4-32 4-35

vi

Storing and Printing Query Results.............................................................................................. 4-35 Creating a Flat File .............................................................................................................. 4-36 Sending Results to a Printer ...................................................................................................... 4-36

5 Database Administration
Overview .............................................................................................................................................. Introduction to Database Startup and Shutdown ........................................................................ Database Startup........................................................................................................................... Database Shutdown ..................................................................................................................... Redo Log Files ..................................................................................................................................... ARCHIVELOG Mode .................................................................................................................. Database Recovery.............................................................................................................................. 5-2 5-2 5-2 5-3 5-4 5-4 5-5

Accessing SQL Databases

Connecting to the Default Database ............................................................................................... Connecting to a Remote Database................................................................................................... Connecting to a Remote Database from within SQL*Plus ..................................................... Connecting to a Remote Database as You Start SQL*Plus ..................................................... Copying Data from One Database to Another.............................................................................. Understanding COPY Command Syntax ................................................................................. Controlling Treatment of the Destination Table ...................................................................... Interpreting the Messages that COPY Displays....................................................................... Specifying Another Users Table................................................................................................ Copying Data between Tables on One Database ......................................................................... 6-2 6-2 6-3 6-3 6-4 6-5 6-6 6-8 6-8 6-9

Part II 7

Reference

Starting SQL*Plus and Getting Help

Starting SQL*Plus Using the SQLPLUS Command .................................................................... Setting Up the Site Profile ........................................................................................................... Setting Up the User Profile.......................................................................................................... Receiving a Return Code...................................................................................................... Getting Help ........................................................................................................................................ 7-2 7-3 7-4 7-4 7-5

vii

Command Reference
SQL*Plus Command Summary........................................................................................................ @ ("at" sign)........................................................................................................................................... @@ (double "at" sign).......................................................................................................................... / (slash) ................................................................................................................................................ ACCEPT .............................................................................................................................................. APPEND ............................................................................................................................................. ARCHIVE LOG ............................................................................................................................... .. ATTRIBUTE ....................................................................................................................................... BREAK ................................................................................................................................................ BTITLE ................................................................................................................................................ CHANGE ............................................................................................................................................ CLEAR................................................................................................................................................. COLUMN ........................................................................................................................................... COMPUTE............................................................................................................................... ........... CONNECT.......................................................................................................................................... COPY ................................................................................................................................................... DEFINE ............................................................................................................................................... DEL ...................................................................................................................................................... DESCRIBE.......................................................................................................................................... DISCONNECT .................................................................................................................................. EDIT .................................................................................................................................................... EXECUTE............................................................................................................................................ EXIT ..................................................................................................................................................... GET ...................................................................................................................................................... HELP............................................................................................................................... ..................... HOST................................................................................................................................................... INPUT ................................................................................................................................................. LIST ..................................................................................................................................................... PASSWORD............................................................................................................................... ........ PAUSE ................................................................................................................................................. PRINT............................................................................................................................... ................... PROMPT ............................................................................................................................................. RECOVER ............................................................................................................................... ........... REMARK ............................................................................................................................... ............. 8-2 8-6 8-8 8-10 8-11 8-13 8-15 8-19 8-21 8-26 8-27 8-30 8-32 8-43 8-49 8-51 8-54 8-56 8-58 8-65 8-66 8-68 8-69 8-71 8-73 8-74 8-75 8-77 8-79 8-81 8-82 8-83 8-85 8-90

viii

REPFOOTER...................................................................................................................................... REPHEADER ............................................................................................................................... ...... RUN ..................................................................................................................................................... SAVE.................................................................................................................................................... SET..................................................................................................................................................... SHOW ............................................................................................................................................... SHUTDOWN............................................................................................................................... .... SPOOL .............................................................................................................................................. START ............................................................................................................................................... STARTUP.......................................................................................................................................... STORE............................................................................................................................................... TIMING............................................................................................................................................ TTITLE.............................................................................................................................................. UNDEFINE....................................................................................................................................... VARIABLE........................................................................................................................................ WHENEVER OSERROR ............................................................................................................... WHENEVER SQLERROR.............................................................................................................

8-91 8-93 8-97 8-98 8-100 8-123 8-127 8-129 8-130 8-132 8-136 8-137 8-139 8-143 8-144 8-150 8-152

A COPY Command Messages and Codes B C D E F Release 8.1.5 Enhancements SQL*Plus Limits SQL Command List Security SQL*Plus Commands from Earlier Releases

Glossary Index

ix

Preface
The SQL*Plus (pronounced "sequel plus") Users Guide and Reference introduces the SQL*Plus program and its uses. It also provides a detailed description of each SQL*Plus command.

xi

Audience
This Guide addresses business and technical professionals who have a basic understanding of the SQL database language. If you do not have any familiarity with this database tool, you should refer to the Oracle8i SQL Reference. If you plan to use the PL/SQL database language in conjunction with SQL*Plus, refer to the PL/SQL Users Guide and Reference for information on using PL/SQL.

How to Use this Guide

Refer to the following tables for a list of topics covered by this Guide, a description of each topic, and the number of the chapter that covers the topic.
PART I, Understanding SQL*Plus
Topic Description Chapter Number

Introduction

Gives an overview of SQL*Plus, instructions on using this Guide, and information on what you need to run SQL*Plus. Explains how to start SQL*Plus and enter and execute commands. You learn by following step-by-step examples using sample tables. Also through examples, helps you learn to edit commands, save them for later use, and write interactive commands. Explains how you can format columns, clarify your report with spacing and summary lines, define page dimensions and titles, and store and print query results. Also uses step-by-step examples. This chapter is intended for use by DBAs, and covers the basic database administration features in SQL*Plus. Tells you how to connect to default and remote databases, and how to copy data between databases and between tables on the same database.

Learning SQL*Plus Basics

Manipulating Commands Formatting Query Results

Database Administration Accessing Databases

xii

PART II, Reference

Topic Description Chapter Number

Starting SQL*Plus and Getting Help Command Reference COPY Command Messages and Codes Release 8.1.5 Enhancements SQL*Plus Limits

Explains how to access SQL*Plus from the operating system prompt, and how to access online help. Gives you a SQL*Plus command summary and detailed descriptions of each SQL*Plus command in alphabetical order. Lists copy command error messages, their causes, and appropriate actions for error recovery. Describes enhancements to SQL*Plus in release 8.1.5. Lists the maximum values for elements of SQL*Plus.

Appendix A

Appendix B Appendix C Appendix D Appendix E Appendix F

SQL Command List Provides a list of major SQL commands and clauses. Security SQL*Plus Commands from Earlier Releases Glossary Explains how to restrict access to certain SQL*Plus and SQL commands. Provides information on SQL*Plus commands from earlier releases. Defines technical terms associated with Oracle and SQL*Plus.

Glossary

xiii

Related Publications
Related documentation includes the following publications:
s

SQL*Plus Quick Reference PL/SQL Users Guide and Reference Oracle8i SQL Reference Oracle8i Concepts Oracle8i Administrators Guide Oracle8i Backup and Recovery Oracle8i Application Developers Guide Oracle8i Distributed Database Systems Oracle8i Replication Oracle8i Utilities Oracle8i Error Messages Oracle8i Migration Oracle8i Reference Oracle8i Tuning Oracle8i Parallel Server Concepts and Administration Net8 Administrators Guide Oracle Call Interface Programmers Guide Pro*COBOL Precompiler Programmers Guide Pro*C/C++ Precompiler Programmers Guide Oracle installation and users manual(s) provided for your operating system

xiv

Your Comments Are Welcome

Oracle Corporation values and appreciates your comments as an Oracle user and reader of the manuals. As we write, revise, and evaluate, your opinions are the most important input we receive. At the front of this manual is a form entitled "Send Us Your Comments" that we encourage you to use to tell us both what you like and what you dislike about this (or other) Oracle manuals. If the form is not at the front of this manual, or if you would like to contact us, please use the following addresses and phone numbers. For documentation questions/comments, contact: SQL*Plus Documentation Manager Australian Product Development Center Oracle Corporation Australia Pty Limited 324 St. Kilda Road Melbourne VIC 3004 Australia +61 3 9209 1600 (telephone) +61 3 9690 0043 (fax) sqlplus@us.oracle.com (email) For product questions/comments, contact: SQL*Plus Product Manager Australian Product Development Center Oracle Corporation Australia Pty Limited 324 St. Kilda Road Melbourne VIC 3004 Australia +61 3 9209 1600 (telephone) +61 3 9690 0043 (fax) sqlplus@us.oracle.com (email)

xv

xvi

Send Us Your Comments

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference, Release 8.1.5
Part No. A66736-01

Oracle Corporation welcomes your comments and suggestions on the quality and usefulness of this publication. Your input is an important part of the information used for revision.
s s s s s

Did you find any errors? Is the information clearly presented? Do you need more information? If so, where? Are the examples correct? Do you need more examples? What features did you like most about this manual?

If you find any errors or have any other suggestions for improvement, please indicate the chapter, section, and page number (if available). You can send comments to us in the following ways:
s s s

Electronic mail: sqlplus@us.oracle.com FAX: +61 3 9690 0043 Attention: SQL*Plus Documentation Manager Postal service: SQL*Plus Documentation Manager, Australian Product Development Center, Oracle Corporation Australia Pty Ltd, 324 St. Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia

If you would like a reply, please give your name, address, and telephone number below.

If you have problems with the software, please contact your local Oracle Support Services center.

xvii

xviii

Part I
Understanding SQL*Plus
This section provides an introduction to SQL*Plus. It provides an overview of how to run SQL*Plus and demonstrates this with various examples. The following chapters are covered in this section:
s

Introduction Learning SQL*Plus Basics Manipulating Commands Formatting Query Results Database Administration Accessing SQL Databases

1
Introduction
This chapter introduces you to SQL*Plus, covering the following topics:
s

Overview of SQL*Plus Using this Guide What You Need to Run SQL*Plus

Introduction

1-1

Overview of SQL*Plus

Overview of SQL*Plus
You can use the SQL*Plus program in conjunction with the SQL database language and its procedural language extension, PL/SQL. The SQL database language allows you to store and retrieve data in Oracle. PL/SQL allows you to link several SQL commands through procedural logic. SQL*Plus enables you to manipulate SQL commands and PL/SQL blocks, and to perform many additional tasks as well. Through SQL*Plus, you can
s

enter, edit, store, retrieve, and run SQL commands and PL/SQL blocks format, perform calculations on, store, and print query results in the form of reports list column definitions for any table access and copy data between SQL databases send messages to and accept responses from an end user perform database administration

Basic Concepts
The following definitions explain concepts central to SQL*Plus: command block table query query results report An instruction you give SQL*Plus or Oracle. A group of SQL and PL/SQL commands related to one another through procedural logic. The basic unit of storage in Oracle. A SQL command (specifically, a SQL SELECT command) that retrieves information from one or more tables. The data retrieved by a query. Query results formatted by you through SQL*Plus commands.

1-2

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Overview of SQL*Plus

Who Can Use SQL*Plus

The SQL*Plus, SQL, and PL/SQL command languages are powerful enough to serve the needs of users with some database experience, yet straightforward enough for new users who are just learning to work with Oracle. The design of the SQL*Plus command language makes it easy to use. For example, to give a column labelled ENAME in the database the clearer heading Employee, you might enter the following command:
COLUMN ENAME HEADING EMPLOYEE

Similarly, to list the column definitions for a table called EMP, you might enter this command:
DESCRIBE EMP

Other Ways of Working with Oracle

Oracle tools for Network Computing Architecture help developers to productively and economically build, manage and deploy high-performance and robust enterprise applications for Network Computing. JDeveloper Suite Oracle Enterprise Developer Suite a 3GL development tool for building component based, server-centric applications in Java an integrated and flexible set of tools for building enterprise-class database applications for client/server and the web

Oracle Application a tool which enables database access through web browsers Server and the Internet Oracle Designer Oracle Developer Oracle Discoverer Oracle Programmer Oracle Reports Oracle Workflow a set of client/server design tools for database applications a set of client/server and web development tools a set of end-user query tools a set of 3GL programming language interfaces a publishing and reporting solution to disseminate dynamic information across corporate intranets or on the Internet a complete workflow management system that supports business process definition and automation

Introduction

1-3

Using this Guide

Oracle Express

a powerful OnLine Analytical Processing (OLAP) server, tools, and pre-built applications for financial, and sales and marketing analysis a development tool for object-oriented multimedia applications a tool for applications using mobile and/or detached clients

Oracle Media Objects Oracle Mobile Agents

Using this Guide

This Guide gives you information about SQL*Plus that applies to all operating systems. Some aspects of SQL*Plus, however, differ on each operating system. Such operating system specific details are covered in the Oracle installation and users manual(s) provided for your system. Use these operating system specific manuals in conjunction with the SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference. Throughout this Guide, examples showing how to enter commands use a common command syntax and a common set of sample tables. Both are described below. You will find the conventions for command syntax particularly useful when referring to the Command Reference of this Guide.

Conventions for Command Syntax

The following two tables describe the notation and conventions for command syntax used in this Guide.
Table 11 Commands, Terms, and Clauses
Feature Example BTITLE Explanation

uppercase lowercase italics

Enter text exactly as spelled; it need not be in uppercase. A clause value; substitute an appropriate value. A single character. A CHAR valuea literal in single quotesor an expression with a CHAR value. A date or an expression with a DATE value. An unspecified expression.

column

c words with specific meanings char

d or e
expr

1-4

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Using this Guide

Table 11 Commands, Terms, and Clauses

Feature Example Explanation

m or n
text variable

A number or an expression with a NUMBER value. A CHAR constant with or without single quotes. A user variable (unless the text specifies another variable type).

Other words are explained where used if their meaning is not explained by context
Table 12 Punctuation
Feature Example | Explanation

vertical bar brackets

Separates alternative syntax elements that may be optional or mandatory. One or more optional items. If two items appear separated by |, enter one of the items separated by |. Do not enter the brackets or |. A choice of mandatory items; enter one of the items separated by |. Do not enter the braces or |. A default value; if you enter nothing, SQL*Plus assumes the underlined value. Preceding item(s) may be repeated any number of times.

[OFF|ON]

braces

{OFF|ON}

underlining {OFF|ON} ellipsis

n...

Enter other punctuation marks (such as parentheses) where shown in the command syntax.

Sample Tables
Many of the concepts and operations in this Guide are illustrated by a set of sample tables. These tables contain personnel records for a fictitious company. As you complete the exercises in this Guide, imagine that you are the personnel director for this company.

Introduction

1-5

Using this Guide

The exercises make use of the information in two sample tables: EMP DEPT Contains information about the employees of the sample company. Contains information about the departments in the company.

Figure 11 and Figure 12 show the information in these tables.

Figure 11
EMPNO ----7369 7499 7521 7566 7654 7698 7782 7788 7839 7844 7876 7900 7902 7934

EMP Table
JOB MGR -------- ---CLERK 7902 SALESMAN 7698 SALESMAN 7698 MANAGER 7839 SALESMAN 7698 MANAGER 7839 MANAGER 7839 ANALYST 7566 PRESIDENT SALESMAN 7698 CLERK 7788 CLERK 7698 ANALYST 7566 CLERK 7782 HIREDATE SAL COMM DEPTNO ----------- ------ ------ -----17-DEC-80 800 20 20-FEB-81 1600 300 30 22-FEB-81 1250 500 30 02-APR-81 2975 20 28-SEP-81 1250 1400 30 01-MAY-81 2850 30 09-JUN-81 2450 30 09-DEC-82 3000 20 17-NOV-81 5000 10 08-SEP-81 1500 0 30 12-JAN-83 1100 20 03-DEC-81 950 30 03-DEC-81 3000 20 23-JAN-82 1300 10

ENAME ----SMITH ALLEN WARD JONES MARTIN BLAKE CLARK SCOTT KING TURNER ADAMS JAMES FORD MILLER

Figure 12 DEPT Table

DEPTNO --------10 20 30 40 DNAME ------------ACCOUNTING RESEARCH SALES OPERATIONS LOC ----------NEW YORK DALLAS CHICAGO BOSTON

1-6

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

What You Need to Run SQL*Plus

What You Need to Run SQL*Plus

To run SQL*Plus, you need hardware, software, operating system specific information, a username and password, and access to one or more tables.

Hardware and Software

Oracle and SQL*Plus can run on many different kinds of computers. Your computers operating system manages the computers resources and mediates between the computer hardware and programs such as SQL*Plus. Different computers use different operating systems. For information about your computers operating system, see the documentation provided with the computer. Before you can begin using SQL*Plus, both Oracle and SQL*Plus must be installed on your computer. Note that in order to take full advantage of the enhancements in SQL*Plus release 8.1.5, you must have Oracle8i. For a list of SQL*Plus release 8.1.5 enhancements, see Appendix B. If you have multiple users on your computer, your organization should have a Database Administrator (called a DBA) who supervises the use of Oracle. The DBA is responsible for installing Oracle and SQL*Plus on your system. If you are acting as DBA, see the instructions for installing Oracle and SQL*Plus in the Oracle installation and users manual(s) provided for your operating system.

Information Specific to Your Operating System

A few aspects of Oracle and SQL*Plus differ from one type of host computer and operating system to another. These topics are discussed in the Oracle installation and users manual(s), published in a separate version for each host computer and operating system that SQL*Plus supports. Keep a copy of your Oracle installation and users manual(s) available for reference as you work through this Guide. When necessary, this Guide will refer you to your installation and users manual(s).

Username and Password

When you start SQL*Plus, you will need a username that identifies you as an authorized Oracle user and a password that proves you are the legitimate owner of your username. See the PASSWORD command in Chapter 8 for details on how to change your password. The demonstration username, SCOTT, and password, TIGER, may be set up on your system during the installation procedure. In this

Introduction

1-7

What You Need to Run SQL*Plus

case, you can use the Oracle username SCOTT and password TIGER with the EMP and DEPT tables (Figure 11 and Figure 12).

Multi-User Systems
If several people share your computers operating system, your DBA can set up your SQL*Plus username and password. You will also need a system username and password to gain admittance to the operating system. These may or may not be the same ones you use with SQL*Plus.

Single-User Systems
If only one person at a time uses your computer, you may be expected to perform the DBAs functions for yourself. In that case, you can use the Oracle username SCOTT and password TIGER. If you want to define your own username and password, see the Oracle8i SQL Reference.

Access to Sample Tables

Each table in the database is "owned" by a particular user. You may wish to have your own copies of the sample tables to use as you try the examples in this Guide. To get your own copies of the tables, see your DBA or run the Oracle-supplied command file named DEMOBLD (you run this file from your operating system, not from SQL*Plus). When you have no more use for the sample tables, remove them by running another Oracle-supplied command file named DEMODROP. For instructions on how to run DEMOBLD and DEMODROP, see the Oracle installation and users manual(s) provided for your operating system.

1-8

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

2
Learning SQL*Plus Basics
This chapter helps you learn the basics of using SQL*Plus, including the following topics:
s

Getting Started Entering and Executing Commands Getting Help

Read this chapter while sitting at your computer and try out the examples shown. Before beginning, make sure you have access to the sample tables described in Chapter 1.

Learning SQL*Plus Basics

2-1

Getting Started

Getting Started
To begin using SQL*Plus, you must first become familiar with the functions of several keys on your keyboard and understand how to start and leave SQL*Plus.

Using the Keyboard

Several keys on your keyboard have special meaning in SQL*Plus. Table 21, "SQL*Plus Special Keys and their Functions" lists these keys. See your Oracle installation and users manual(s) for your operating system to learn which physical key performs each function on the keyboard commonly used with your host computer.
Note: A SQL*Plus key may perform different functions when pressed in other products or the operating system.

Fill in each blank in Table 21 with the name of the corresponding keyboard key. Then locate each key on your keyboard.
Table 21 SQL*Plus Special Keys and their Functions
SQL*Plus Key Name Keyboard Key Name Function

[Return] [Backspace]

___________ ___________

End of a line of input. Move cursor left one character to correct an error. Suspend program operation and display of output. Resume program operation and output [Pause]. Halt program operation; return to the SQL*Plus command prompt.

[Pause]

___________

[Resume]

___________

[Cancel]

___________

2-2

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Getting Started

Table 21 SQL*Plus Special Keys and their Functions

SQL*Plus Key Name Keyboard Key Name Function

[Interrupt]

___________

Exit SQL*Plus and return to the host operating system.

Starting SQL*Plus
Now that you have identified important keys on your keyboard, you are ready to start SQL*Plus.
Example 21 Starting SQL*Plus

This example shows you how to start SQL*Plus. Follow the steps shown.
1. 2.

Make sure that Oracle has been installed on your computer. Turn on your computer (if it is off) and log on to the host operating system (if required). If you are already using your computer, you need not log off or reset it. Simply exit from the program you are using (if any). You should see one or more characters at the left side of the screen. This is the operating systems command prompt, which signals that the operating system is ready to accept a command. In this Guide the operating systems prompt will be represented by a dollar sign ($). Your computers operating system prompt may be different.

3.

Enter the command SQLPLUS and press [Return]. This is an operating system command that starts SQL*Plus.
Note: Some operating systems expect you to enter commands in lowercase letters. If your system expects lowercase, enter the SQLPLUS command in lowercase.

$ SQLPLUS

Learning SQL*Plus Basics

2-3

Getting Started

SQL*Plus displays its version number, the date, and copyright information, and prompts you for your username (the text displayed on your system may differ slightly):
SQL*Plus: Release 8.1 - on Mon Nov 23 09:39:26 1998 (c) Copyright 1998 Oracle Corporation. All rights reserved. Enter user-name: 4. 5.

Enter your username and press [Return]. SQL*Plus displays the prompt "Enter password:". Enter your password and press [Return] again. For your protection, your password does not appear on the screen. The process of entering your username and password is called logging in. SQL*Plus displays the version of Oracle to which you connected and the versions of available tools such as PL/SQL. Next, SQL*Plus displays the SQL*Plus command prompt:
SQL>

The command prompt indicates that SQL*Plus is ready to accept your commands. If SQL*Plus does not start, you should see a message to help you correct the problem.

Shortcuts to Starting SQL*Plus

When you start SQL*Plus, you can enter your username and password, separated by a slash (/), following the command SQLPLUS. For example, if your username is SCOTT and your password is TIGER, you can enter
$ SQLPLUS SCOTT/TIGER

and press [Return]. You can also arrange to log in to SQL*Plus automatically when you log on to your host operating system. See the Oracle installation and users manual(s) provided for your operating system for details.

Leaving SQL*Plus
When you are done working with SQL*Plus and wish to return to the operating system, enter the EXIT command at the SQL*Plus command prompt.

2-4

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Entering and Executing Commands

Example 22 Exiting SQL*Plus

To leave SQL*Plus, enter the EXIT command at the SQL*Plus command prompt:
SQL> EXIT

SQL*Plus displays the version of Oracle from which you disconnected and the versions of tools available through SQL*Plus. After a moment you will see the operating system prompt. Before continuing with this chapter, follow steps 3, 4, and 5 of Example 21 to start SQL*Plus again. Alternatively, log in using the shortcut shown under "Shortcuts to Starting SQL*Plus" above.

Entering and Executing Commands

Entering Commands
Your computers cursor, or pointer (typically an underline, a rectangular block, or a slash), appears after the command prompt. The cursor indicates the place where the next character you type will appear on your screen. To tell SQL*Plus what to do, simply type the command you wish to enter. Usually, you separate the words in a command from each other by a space or tab. You can use additional spaces or tabs between words, if you wish, to make your commands more readable.
Note: You will see examples of spacing and indentation throughout this Guide. When you enter the commands in the exercises, you do not have to space them as shown, but you may find them clearer to read if you do.

You can enter commands in capitals or lowercase. For the sake of clarity, all table names, column names, and commands in this Guide appear in capital letters. You can enter three kinds of commands at the command prompt:
s

SQL commands, for working with information in the database PL/SQL blocks, also for working with information in the database SQL*Plus commands, for formatting query results, setting options, and editing and storing SQL commands and PL/SQL blocks

Learning SQL*Plus Basics

2-5

Entering and Executing Commands

The manner in which you continue a command on additional lines, end a command, or execute a command differs depending on the type of command you wish to enter and run. Examples of how to run and execute these types of commands are found on the following pages.

Getting Help
To get online help for SQL*Plus commands, type HELP at the command prompt followed by the name of the command. For example:
SQL>HELP ACCEPT

If you get a response indicating that help is not available, consult your database administrator. For more details about the help system, see the HELP command in the "Command Reference" in Chapter 8.

Executing Commands
After you enter the command and direct SQL*Plus to execute it, SQL*Plus processes the command and re-displays the command prompt, indicating that you can enter another command.

Running SQL Commands

The SQL command language enables you to manipulate data in the database. See your Oracle8i SQL Reference for information on individual SQL commands.
Example 23 Entering a SQL Command

In this example, you will enter and execute a SQL command to display the employee number, name, job, and salary of each employee in the sample table EMP.
1.

At the command prompt, enter the first line of the command:

SQL> SELECT EMPNO, ENAME, JOB, SAL

If you make a mistake, use [Backspace] to erase it and re-enter. When you are done, press [Return] to move to the next line.
2.

SQL*Plus will display a "2", the prompt for the second line. Enter the second line of the command:
2 FROM EMP WHERE SAL < 2500;

2-6

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Entering and Executing Commands

The semicolon (;) means that this is the end of the command. Press [Return]. SQL*Plus processes the command and displays the results on the screen:
EMPNO ----7369 7499 7521 7654 7782 7844 7876 7900 7934 ENAME ---------SMITH ALLEN WARD MARTIN CLARK TURNER ADAMS JAMES MILLER JOB -----------CLERK SALESMAN SALESMAN SALESMAN MANAGER SALESMAN CLERK CLERK CLERK SAL -----800 1600 1250 1250 2450 1500 1100 800 1300

9 rows selected SQL>

After displaying the results and the number of rows retrieved, SQL*Plus displays the command prompt again. If you made a mistake and therefore did not get the results shown above, simply re-enter the command. The headings may be repeated in your output, depending on the setting of a system variable called PAGESIZE. Whether you see the message concerning the number of records retrieved depends on the setting of a system variable called FEEDBACK. You will learn more about system variables later in this chapter in the section "Variables that Affect Running Commands". To save space, the number of records selected will not be shown in the rest of the examples in this Guide.

Understanding SQL Command Syntax

Just as spoken language has syntax rules that govern the way we assemble words into sentences, SQL*Plus has syntax rules that govern how you assemble words into commands. You must follow these rules if you want SQL*Plus to accept and execute your commands. Dividing a SQL Command into Separate Lines You can divide your SQL command into separate lines at any points you wish, as long as individual words are not split between lines. Thus, you can enter the query you entered in Example 2-3 on one line:
SQL> SELECT EMPNO, ENAME, JOB, SAL FROM EMP WHERE SAL < 2500;

Learning SQL*Plus Basics

2-7

Entering and Executing Commands

You can also enter the query on several lines:

SQL> 2 3 4 SELECT EMPNO, ENAME, JOB, SAL FROM EMP WHERE SAL < 2500;

In this Guide, you will find most SQL commands divided into clauses, one clause on each line. In Example 23, for instance, the SELECT and FROM clauses were placed on separate lines. Many people find this most convenient, but you may choose whatever line division makes your command most readable to you. Ending a SQL Command You can end a SQL command in one of three ways:
s

with a semicolon (;) with a slash (/) on a line by itself with a blank line

A semicolon (;) tells SQL*Plus that you want to run the command. Type the semicolon at the end of the last line of the command, as shown in Example 23, and press [Return]. SQL*Plus will process the command and store it in the SQL buffer (see the section "The SQL Buffer" below for details). If you mistakenly press [Return] before typing the semicolon, SQL*Plus will prompt you with a line number for the next line of your command. Type the semicolon and press [Return] again to run the command.
Note: You cannot enter a comment (/* */) on the same line after a semicolon.

A slash (/) on a line by itself also tells SQL*Plus that you wish to run the command. Press [Return] at the end of the last line of the command. SQL*Plus prompts you with another line number. Type a slash and press [Return] again. SQL*Plus will execute the command and store it in the buffer (see the section "The SQL Buffer" below for details). A blank line tells SQL*Plus that you have finished entering the command, but do not want to run it yet. Press [Return] at the end of the last line of the command. SQL*Plus prompts you with another line number. Press [Return] again; SQL*Plus now prompts you with the SQL*Plus command prompt. SQL*Plus does not execute the command, but stores it in the SQL buffer

2-8

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Entering and Executing Commands

(see the section "The SQL Buffer" below for details). If you subsequently enter another SQL command, SQL*Plus overwrites the previous command in the buffer. Creating Stored Procedures Stored procedures are PL/SQL functions, packages, or procedures. To create stored procedures, you use SQL CREATE commands. The following SQL CREATE commands are used to create stored procedures:
s

CREATE FUNCTION CREATE LIBRARY CREATE PACKAGE CREATE PACKAGE BODY CREATE PROCEDURE CREATE TRIGGER CREATE TYPE

Entering any of these commands places you in PL/SQL mode, where you can enter your PL/SQL subprogram. For more information, see the section "Running PL/SQL Blocks" in this chapter). When you are done typing your PL/SQL subprogram, enter a period (.) on a line by itself to terminate PL/SQL mode. To run the SQL command and create the stored procedure, you must enter RUN or slash (/). A semicolon (;) will not execute these CREATE commands. When you use CREATE to create a stored procedure, a message appears if there are compilation errors. To view these errors, you use SHOW ERRORS. For example:
SQL> SHOW ERRORS PROCEDURE ASSIGNVL

For more information about the SHOW command, see the "Command Reference" in Chapter 8. To execute a PL/SQL statement that references a stored procedure, you can use the EXECUTE command. EXECUTE runs the PL/SQL statement that you enter immediately after the command. For example:
SQL> EXECUTE :ID := EMP_MANAGEMENT.GET_ID(BLAKE)

For more information about the EXECUTE command, see the "Command Reference" in Chapter 8.

Learning SQL*Plus Basics

2-9

Entering and Executing Commands

The SQL Buffer

The area where SQL*Plus stores your most recently entered SQL command or PL/SQL block is called the SQL buffer. The command or block remains there until you enter another. Thus, if you want to edit or re-run the current SQL command or PL/SQL block, you may do so without re-entering it. For more information about editing or re-running a command or block stored in the buffer see the section "Running Command Files" in Chapter 3. SQL*Plus does not store the semicolon or the slash you type to execute a command in the SQL buffer.
Note: SQL*Plus commands are not stored in the SQL buffer.

Executing the Current SQL Command or PL/SQL Block from the Command Prompt
You can run (or re-run) the current SQL command or PL/SQL block by entering the RUN command or the slash (/) command at the command prompt. The RUN command lists the SQL command or PL/SQL block in the buffer before executing the command or block; the slash (/) command simply runs the SQL command or PL/SQL block.

Running PL/SQL Blocks

You can also use PL/SQL subprograms (called blocks) to manipulate data in the database. See your PL/SQL Users Guide and Reference for information on individual PL/SQL statements. To enter a PL/SQL subprogram in SQL*Plus, you need to be in PL/SQL mode. You are placed in PL/SQL mode when
s

You type DECLARE or BEGIN at the SQL*Plus command prompt. After you enter PL/SQL mode in this way, type the remainder of your PL/SQL subprogram. You type a SQL command (such as CREATE FUNCTION) that creates a stored procedure. After you enter PL/SQL mode in this way, type the stored procedure you want to create.

SQL*Plus treats PL/SQL subprograms in the same manner as SQL commands, except that a semicolon (;) or a blank line does not terminate and execute a block. Terminate PL/SQL subprograms by entering a period (.) by itself on a new line.

2-10

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Entering and Executing Commands

SQL*Plus stores the subprograms you enter at the SQL*Plus command prompt in the SQL buffer. Execute the current subprogram by issuing a RUN or slash (/) command. Likewise, to execute a SQL CREATE command that creates a stored procedure, you must also enter RUN or slash (/). A semicolon (;) will not execute these SQL commands as it does other SQL commands. SQL*Plus sends the complete PL/SQL subprogram to Oracle for processing (as it does SQL commands). See your PL/SQL Users Guide and Reference for more information. You might enter and execute a PL/SQL subprogram as follows:
SQL> 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 SQL> DECLARE x NUMBER := 100; BEGIN FOR i IN 1..10 LOOP IF MOD (i, 2) = 0 THEN --i is even INSERT INTO temp VALUES (i, x, i is even); ELSE INSERT INTO temp VALUES (i, x, i is odd); END IF; x := x + 100; END LOOP; END; . /

When you run a subprogram, the SQL commands within the subprogram may behave somewhat differently than they would outside the subprogram. See your PL/SQL Users Guide and Reference for detailed information on the PL/SQL language.

Running SQL*Plus Commands

You can use SQL*Plus commands to manipulate SQL commands and PL/SQL blocks and to format and print query results. SQL*Plus treats SQL*Plus commands differently than SQL commands or PL/SQL blocks. For information on individual SQL*Plus commands, refer to the "Command Reference" in Chapter 8. To speed up command entry, you can abbreviate many SQL*Plus commands to one or a few letters. Abbreviations for some SQL*Plus commands are described along with the commands in Chapters 3, 4, and 6. For abbreviations of all SQL*Plus commands, refer to the "Command Reference" in Chapter 8.

Learning SQL*Plus Basics

2-11

Entering and Executing Commands

Example 24 Entering a SQL*Plus Command

This example shows how you might enter a SQL*Plus command to change the format used to display the column SAL of the sample table EMP.
1.

On the command line, enter this SQL*Plus command:

SQL> COLUMN SAL FORMAT $99,999 HEADING SALARY

If you make a mistake, use [Backspace] to erase it and re-enter. When you have entered the line, press [Return]. SQL*Plus notes the new format and displays the SQL*Plus command prompt again, ready for a new command.
2.

Enter the RUN command to re-run the most recent query (from Example 2-3). SQL*Plus reprocesses the query and displays the results:
SQL> RUN 1 SELECT EMPNO, ENAME, JOB, SAL 2* FROM EMP WHERE SAL < 2500 EMPNO ENAME JOB SALARY ----- ------------- ------------ -----7369 SMITH CLERK $800 7499 ALLEN SALESMAN $1,600 7521 WARD SALESMAN $1,250 7654 MARTIN SALESMAN $1,250 7782 CLARK MANAGER $2,450 7844 TURNER SALESMAN $1,500 7876 ADAMS CLERK $1,100 7900 JAMES CLERK $800 7934 MILLER CLERK $1,300

The COLUMN command formatted the column SAL with a dollar sign ($) and a comma (,) and gave it a new heading. The RUN command then re-ran the query of Example 2-3, which was stored in the buffer. SQL*Plus does not store SQL*Plus commands in the SQL buffer.

Understanding SQL*Plus Command Syntax

SQL*Plus commands have a different syntax from SQL commands or PL/SQL blocks. Continuing a Long SQL*Plus Command on Additional Lines You can continue a long SQL*Plus command by typing a hyphen at the end of the line and pressing [Return]. If you wish, you can type a space before typing the hyphen. SQL*Plus displays a right angle-bracket (>) as a prompt for each additional line.

2-12

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Entering and Executing Commands

For example:
SQL> COLUMN SAL FORMAT $99,999 > HEADING SALARY

Since SQL*Plus identifies the hyphen as a continuation character, entering a hyphen within a SQL statement will be ignored by SQL*Plus. SQL*Plus will not identify the statement as a SQL statement until after the input processing has joined the lines together and removed the hyphen. For example, entering the following will return an error:
SQL> select 200 > 100 from dual; select 200 100 from dual * ERROR at line 1: ORA-00923: FROM keyword not found where expected

To ensure that the statement is interpreted correctly, move the hyphen from the end of the line. Ending a SQL*Plus Command You do not need to end a SQL*Plus command with a semicolon. When you finish entering the command, you can just press [Return]. If you wish, however, you can enter a semicolon at the end of a SQL*Plus command.

Variables that Affect Running Commands

The SQL*Plus command SET controls many variablescalled system variablesthe settings of which affect the way SQL*Plus runs your commands. System variables control a variety of conditions within SQL*Plus, including default column widths for your output, whether SQL*Plus displays the number of records selected by a command, and your page size. System variables are also called SET command variables. The examples in this Guide are based on running SQL*Plus with the system variables at their default settings. Depending on the settings of your system variables, your output may appear slightly different than the output shown in the examples. (Your settings might differ from the default settings if you have a SQL*Plus LOGIN file on your computer.) For more information on system variables and their default settings, see the SET command in Chapter 8. For details on the SQL*Plus LOGIN file, refer to the section "Setting Up Your SQL*Plus Environment" under "Saving Commands for Later Use" in Chapter 3 and to the SQLPLUS command in Chapter 7.

Learning SQL*Plus Basics

2-13

Entering and Executing Commands

To list the current setting of a SET command variable, enter SHOW followed by the variable name at the command prompt. See the SHOW command in Chapter 8 for information on other items you can list with SHOW.

Saving Changes to the Database Automatically

Through the SQL DML commands UPDATE, INSERT, and DELETEwhich can be used independently or within a PL/SQL blockspecify changes you wish to make to the information stored in the database. These changes are not made permanent until you enter a SQL COMMIT command or a SQL DCL or DDL command (such as CREATE TABLE), or use the autocommit feature. The SQL*Plus autocommit feature causes pending changes to be committed after a specified number of successful SQL DML transactions. (A SQL DML transaction is either an UPDATE, INSERT, or DELETE command, or a PL/SQL block.) You control the autocommit feature with the SQL*Plus SET commands AUTOCOMMIT variable. It has these four forms:
SET AUTOCOMMIT ON SET AUTOCOMMIT OFF SET AUTOCOMMIT n SET AUTOCOMMIT IMMEDIATE

Turns autocommit on. Turns autocommit off (the default). Commits changes after n SQL commands or PL/SQL blocks. Turns autocommit on.

Example 25 Turning Autocommit On

To turn the autocommit feature on, enter

SQL> SET AUTOCOMMIT ON

Alternatively, you can enter the following to turn the autocommit feature on:
SQL> SET AUTOCOMMIT IMMEDIATE

Until you change the setting of AUTOCOMMIT, SQL*Plus will automatically commit changes from each SQL command or PL/SQL block that specifies changes to the database. After each autocommit, SQL*Plus displays the following message:
commit complete

When the autocommit feature is turned on, you cannot roll back changes to the database.

2-14

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Entering and Executing Commands

To commit changes to the database after a number of SQL DML commands or PL/SQL blocks, for example, ten, enter
SQL> SET AUTOCOMMIT 10

SQL*Plus counts SQL DML commands and PL/SQL blocks as they are executed and commits the changes after the tenth SQL DML command or PL/SQL block.
Note: For this feature, a PL/SQL block is regarded as one transaction, regardless of the actual number of SQL commands contained within it.

To turn the autocommit feature off again, enter the following command:
SQL> SET AUTOCOMMIT OFF

To confirm that AUTOCOMMIT is now set to OFF, enter the following SHOW command:
SQL> SHOW AUTOCOMMIT autocommit OFF

For more information, see the AUTOCOMMIT variable of the SET command in Chapter 8.

Stopping a Command while it is Running

Suppose you have displayed the first page of a 50 page report and decide you do not need to see the rest of it. Press [Cancel]. (Refer to Table 21 at the beginning of this chapter to see how [Cancel] is labelled on your keyboard.) SQL*Plus will stop the display and return to the command prompt.
Note: Pressing [Cancel] will not stop the printing of a file that you have sent to a printer with the OUT clause of the SQL*Plus SPOOL command. (You will learn about printing query results in Chapter 4.) You can stop the printing of a file through your operating system. For more information, see your operating systems installation and user(s) manual.

Learning SQL*Plus Basics

2-15

Getting Help

Collecting Timing Statistics on Commands You Run

Use the SQL*Plus command TIMING to collect and display data on the amount of computer resources used to run one or more commands or blocks. TIMING collects data for an elapsed period of time, saving the data on commands run during the period in a timer. See TIMING in Chapter 8 and the Oracle installation and users manuals provided for your operating system for more information. To delete all timers, enter CLEAR TIMING at the command prompt.

Running Host Operating System Commands

You can execute a host operating system command from the SQL*Plus command prompt. This is useful when you want to perform a task such as listing existing host operating system files. To run a host operating system command, enter the SQL*Plus command HOST followed by the host operating system command. For example, this SQL*Plus command runs a host command, DIRECTORY *.SQL:
SQL> HOST DIRECTORY *.SQL

When the host command finishes running, the SQL*Plus command prompt appears again.

Getting Help
While you use SQL*Plus, you may find that you need to list column definitions for a table, or start and stop the display that scrolls by. You may also need to interpret error messages you receive when you enter a command incorrectly or when there is a problem with Oracle or SQL*Plus. The following sections describe how to get help for those situations.

Listing a Table Definition

To see the definitions of each column in a given table, use the SQL*Plus DESCRIBE command.
Example 26 Using the DESCRIBE Command

To list the column definitions of the three columns in the sample table DEPT, enter
SQL> DESCRIBE DEPT

2-16

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Getting Help

The following output results:

Name Null? ------------------------------- ------DEPTNO NOT NULL DNAME LOC Type ------------NUMBER(2) VARCHAR2(14) VARCHAR2(13)

Note: DESCRIBE accesses information in the Oracle data dictionary. You can also use SQL SELECT commands to access this and other information in the database. See your Oracle8i SQL Reference for details.

Listing PL/SQL Definitions

To see the definition of a function or procedure, use the SQL*Plus DESCRIBE command.
Example 27 Using the DESCRIBE Command

To list the definition of a function called AFUNC, enter

SQL> DESCRIBE afunc

The following output results:

FUNCTION afunc RETURNS NUMBER Argument Name Type In/Out Default? --------------- -------- -------- --------F1 CHAR IN F2 NUMBER IN

Controlling the Display

Suppose that you wish to stop and examine the contents of the screen while displaying a long report or the definition of a table with many columns. Press [Pause]. (Refer to Table 21 to see how [Pause] is labelled on your keyboard.) The display will pause while you examine it. To continue, press [Resume]. If you wish, you can use the PAUSE variable of the SQL*Plus SET command to have SQL*Plus pause after displaying each screen of a query or report. For more information, refer to the SET command in Chapter 8.

Learning SQL*Plus Basics

2-17

Getting Help

Interpreting Error Messages

If SQL*Plus detects an error in a command, it will try to help you out by displaying an error message.
Example 28 Interpreting an Error Message

For example, if you misspell the name of a table while entering a command, an error message will tell you that the table or view does not exist:
SQL> DESCRIBE DPT ERROR: ORA-04043: object DPT does not exist

You will often be able to figure out how to correct the problem from the message alone. If you need further explanation, take one of the following steps to determine the cause of the problem and how to correct it:
s

If the error is a numbered error for the SQL*Plus COPY command, look up the message in Appendix A of this Guide. If the error is a numbered error beginning with the letters "ORA", look up the message in the Oracle8i Error Messages manual or in the Oracle installation and users manual(s) provided for your operating system to determine the cause of the problem and how to correct it. If the error is unnumbered, look up correct syntax for the command that generated the error in Chapter 8 of this Guide for a SQL*Plus command, in the Oracle8i SQL Reference for a SQL command, or in the PL/SQL Users Guide and Reference for a PL/SQL block. Otherwise, contact your DBA.

2-18

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

3
Manipulating Commands
This chapter helps you learn to manipulate SQL*Plus commands, SQL commands, and PL/SQL blocks. It covers the following topics:
s

Editing Commands Saving Commands for Later Use Writing Interactive Commands Using Bind Variables Using REFCURSOR Bind Variables Tracing Statements

Read this chapter while sitting at your computer and try out the examples shown. Before beginning, make sure you have access to the sample tables described in Chapter 1.

Manipulating Commands 3-1

Editing Commands

Editing Commands
Because SQL*Plus does not store SQL*Plus commands in the buffer, you edit a SQL*Plus command entered directly to the command prompt by using [Backspace] or by re-entering the command. You can use a number of SQL*Plus commands to edit the SQL command or PL/SQL block currently stored in the buffer. Alternatively, you can use a host operating system editor to edit the buffer contents. Table 31 lists the SQL*Plus commands that allow you to examine or change the command in the buffer without re-entering the command.
Table 31 SQL*Plus Editing Commands
Command APPEND text CHANGE /old/new CHANGE /text CLEAR BUFFER DEL DEL n DEL * DEL n * DEL LAST DEL m n DEL * n INPUT INPUT text LIST LIST n LIST * Abbreviation Purpose A text C /old/new C /text CL BUFF (none) (none) (none) (none) (none) (none) (none) I I text L L n or n L *

adds text at the end of a line changes old to new in a line deletes text from a line deletes all lines deletes the current line deletes line n deletes the current line deletes line n through the current line deletes the last line deletes a range of lines (m to n) deletes the current line through line n adds one or more lines adds a line consisting of text lists all lines in the SQL buffer lists line n lists the current line

3-2

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Editing Commands

Table 31 SQL*Plus Editing Commands

Command LIST n * LIST LAST LIST m n LIST * n Abbreviation Purpose L n * L LAST L m n L * n

lists line n through the current line lists the last line lists a range of lines (m to n) lists the current line through line n

You will find these commands useful if you mistype a command or wish to modify a command you have entered.

Listing the Buffer Contents

Any editing command other than LIST and DEL affects only a single line in the buffer. This line is called the current line. It is marked with an asterisk when you list the current command or block.
Example 31 Listing the Buffer Contents

Suppose you want to list the current command. Use the LIST command as shown below. (If you have EXITed SQL*Plus or entered another SQL command or PL/SQL block since following the steps in Example 23, perform the steps in that example again before continuing.)
SQL> LIST 1 SELECT EMPNO, ENAME, JOB, SAL 2* FROM EMP WHERE SAL < 2500

Notice that the semicolon you entered at the end of the SELECT command is not listed. This semicolon is necessary to mark the end of the command when you enter it, but SQL*Plus does not store it in the SQL buffer. This makes editing more convenient, since it means you can add a new line to the end of the buffer without removing a semicolon from the line that was previously the last.

Manipulating Commands 3-3

Editing Commands

Editing the Current Line

The SQL*Plus CHANGE command allows you to edit the current line. Various actions determine which line is the current line:
s

LIST a given line to make it the current line. When you LIST or RUN the command in the buffer, the last line of the command becomes the current line. (Note, that using the slash (/) command to run the command in the buffer does not affect the current line.) If you get an error message, the line containing the error automatically becomes the current line.

Example 32 Making an Error in Command Entry

Suppose you try to select the DEPTNO column but mistakenly enter it as DPTNO. Enter the following command, purposely misspelling DEPTNO in the first line:
SQL> SELECT DPTNO, ENAME, SAL 2 FROM EMP 3 WHERE DEPTNO = 10;

You see this message on your screen:

SELECT DPTNO, ENAME, SAL * ERROR at line 1: ORA-0904: invalid column name

Examine the error message; it indicates an invalid column name in line 1 of the query. The asterisk shows the point of errorthe mistyped column DPTNO. Instead of re-entering the entire command, you can correct the mistake by editing the command in the buffer. The line containing the error is now the current line. Use the CHANGE command to correct the mistake. This command has three parts, separated by slashes or any other non-alphanumeric character:
s

the word CHANGE or the letter C the sequence of characters you want to change the replacement sequence of characters

The CHANGE command finds the first occurrence in the current line of the character sequence to be changed and changes it to the new sequence. If you wish to re-enter an entire line, you do not need to use the CHANGE command: re-enter

3-4

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Editing Commands

the line by typing the line number followed by a space and the new text and pressing [Return].
Example 33 Correcting the Error

To change DPTNO to DEPTNO, change the line with the CHANGE command:
SQL> CHANGE /DPTNO/DEPTNO

The corrected line appears on your screen:

1* SELECT DEPTNO, ENAME, SAL

Now that you have corrected the error, you can use the RUN command to run the command again:
SQL> RUN

SQL*Plus lists the command, and then runs it:

1 SELECT DEPTNO, ENAME, SAL 2 FROM EMP 3* WHERE DEPTNO = 10 DEPTNO ENAME SALARY ------ -------- ---------10 CLARK $2,450 10 KING $5,000 10 MILLER $1,300

Note that the column SAL retains the format you gave it in Example 24. (If you have left SQL*Plus and started again since performing Example 24, the column has reverted to its original format.) For information about the significance of case in a CHANGE command and on using wildcards to specify blocks of text in a CHANGE command, refer to the CHANGE command in Chapter 8.

Adding a New Line

To insert a new line after the current line, use the INPUT command. To insert a line before line 1, enter a zero ("0") and follow the zero with text. SQL*Plus inserts the line at the beginning of the buffer and that line becomes line 1.
SQL> 0 SELECT EMPNO

Manipulating Commands 3-5

Editing Commands

Example 34 Adding a Line

Suppose you want to add a fourth line to the SQL command you modified in Example 33. Since line 3 is already the current line, enter INPUT (which may be abbreviated to I) and press [Return]. SQL*Plus prompts you for the new line:
SQL> INPUT 4

Enter the new line. Then press [Return]. SQL*Plus prompts you again for a new line:
4 ORDER BY SAL 5

Press [Return] again to indicate that you will not enter any more lines, and then use RUN to verify and re-run the query.

Appending Text to a Line

To add text to the end of a line in the buffer, use the APPEND command:
1. 2.

Use the LIST command (or just the line number) to list the line you want to change. Enter APPEND followed by the text you want to add. If the text you want to add begins with a blank, separate the word APPEND from the first character of the text by two blanks: one to separate APPEND from the text, and one to go into the buffer with the text.

Example 35 Appending Text to a Line

To append a space and the clause DESC to line 4 of the current query, first list line 4:
SQL> LIST 4 4* ORDER BY SAL

Next, enter the following command (be sure to type two spaces between APPEND and DESC):
SQL> APPEND DESC 4* ORDER BY SAL DESC

Use RUN to verify and re-run the query.

3-6

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Editing Commands

Deleting Lines
To delete lines in the buffer, use the DEL command:
1. 2.

Use the LIST command (or just the line numbers) to list the lines you want to delete. Enter DEL with an optional clause.

Suppose you want to delete the current line to the last line inclusive. Use the DEL command as shown below.
SQL> DEL * LAST

DEL makes the following line of the buffer (if any) the current line. For more information, see the DELETE command in Chapter 8.

Editing Commands with a System Editor

Your computers host operating system has one or more text editors that you can use to create and edit host system files. Text editors perform the same general functions as the SQL*Plus editing commands, but you may find them more familiar. You can run your host operating systems default text editor without leaving SQL*Plus by entering the EDIT command:
SQL> EDIT

EDIT loads the contents of the buffer into your systems default text editor. You can then edit the text with the text editors commands. When you tell the text editor to save edited text and then exit, the text is loaded back into the buffer. To load the buffer contents into a text editor other than the default, use the SQL*Plus DEFINE command to define a variable, _EDITOR, to hold the name of the editor. For example, to define the editor to be used by EDIT as EDT, enter the following command:
SQL> DEFINE _EDITOR = EDT

You can also define the editor to be used by EDIT in your user or site profile. See "Setting Up Your SQL*Plus Environment" later in this chapter and the DEFINE and EDIT commands in Chapter 8 for more information.

Manipulating Commands 3-7

Saving Commands for Later Use

Saving Commands for Later Use

Through SQL*Plus, you can store one or more commands in a file called a command file. After you create a command file, you can retrieve, edit, and run it. Use command files to save commands for use over time, especially complex commands or PL/SQL blocks.

Storing Commands in Command Files

You can store one or more SQL commands, PL/SQL blocks, and SQL*Plus commands in command files. You create a command file within SQL*Plus in one of three ways:
s

enter a command and save the contents of the buffer use INPUT to enter commands and then save the buffer contents use EDIT to create the file from scratch using a host system text editor

Because SQL*Plus commands are not stored in the buffer, you must use one of the latter two methods to save SQL*Plus commands.

Creating a Command File by Saving the Buffer Contents

To save the current SQL command or PL/SQL block for later use, enter the SAVE command. Follow the command with a file name:
SQL> SAVE file_name

SQL*Plus adds the extension SQL to the filename to identify it as a SQL query file. If you wish to save the command or block under a name with a different file extension, type a period at the end of the filename, followed by the extension you wish to use. Note that within SQL*Plus, you separate the extension from the filename with a period. Your operating system may use a different character or a space to separate the filename and the extension.

3-8

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Saving Commands for Later Use

Example 36 Saving the Current Command

First, LIST the buffer contents to see your current command:

SQL> 1 2 3 4* LIST SELECT DEPTNO, ENAME, SAL FROM EMP WHERE DEPTNO = 10 ORDER BY SAL DESC

If the query shown is not in your buffer, re-enter the query now. Next, enter the SAVE command followed by the filename DEPTINFO:
SQL> SAVE DEPTINFO Created file DEPTINFO

You can verify that the command file DEPTINFO exists by entering the SQL*Plus HOST command followed by your host operating systems file listing command:
SQL> HOST your_hosts_file_listing_command

You can use the same method to save a PL/SQL block currently stored in the buffer.

Creating a Command File by Using INPUT and SAVE

If you use INPUT to enter your commands, you can enter SQL*Plus commands (as well as one or more SQL commands or PL/SQL blocks) into the buffer. You must enter the SQL*Plus commands first, and the SQL command(s) or PL/SQL block(s) lastjust as you would if you were entering the commands directly to the command prompt. You can also store a set of SQL*Plus commands you plan to use with many different queries by themselves in a command file.
Example 37 Saving Commands Using INPUT and SAVE

Suppose you have composed a query to display a list of salespeople and their commissions. You plan to run it once a month to keep track of how well each employee is doing. To compose and save the query using INPUT, you must first clear the buffer:
SQL> CLEAR BUFFER

Manipulating Commands 3-9

Saving Commands for Later Use

Next, use INPUT to enter the command (be sure not to type a semicolon at the end of the command):
SQL> 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 INPUT COLUMN ENAME HEADING SALESMAN COLUMN SAL HEADING SALARY FORMAT $99,999 COLUMN COMM HEADING COMMISSION FORMAT $99,990 SELECT EMPNO, ENAME, SAL, COMM FROM EMP WHERE JOB = SALESMAN

The zero at the end of the format model for the column COMM tells SQL*Plus to display a zero instead of a blank when the value of COMM is zero for a given row. Format models and the COLUMN command are described in more detail in Chapter 4. Now use the SAVE command to store your query in a file called SALES with the extension SQL:
SQL> SAVE SALES Created file SALES

Note that you do not type a semicolon at the end of the query; if you did include a semicolon, SQL*Plus would attempt to run the buffer contents. The SQL*Plus commands in the buffer would produce an error because SQL*Plus expects to find only SQL commands in the buffer. You will learn how to run a command file later in this chapter. To input more than one SQL command, leave out the semicolons on all the SQL commands. Then, use APPEND to add a semicolon to all but the last command. (SAVE appends a slash to the end of the file automatically; this slash tells SQL*Plus to run the last command when you run the command file.) To input more than one PL/SQL block, enter the blocks one after another without including a period or a slash on a line between blocks. Then, for each block except the last, list the last line of the block to make it current and use INPUT in the following form to insert a slash on a line by itself:
INPUT /

3-10

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Saving Commands for Later Use

Creating Command Files with a System Editor

You can also create a command file with a host operating system text editor by entering EDIT followed by the name of the file, for example:
SQL> EDIT SALES

Like the SAVE command, EDIT adds the filename extension SQL to the name unless you type a period and a different extension at the end of the filename. When you save the command file with the text editor, it is saved back into the same file. You must include a semicolon at the end of each SQL command and a period on a line by itself after each PL/SQL block in the file. (You can include multiple SQL commands and PL/SQL blocks.) When you create a command file using EDIT, you can also include SQL*Plus commands at the end of the file. You cannot do this when you create a command file using the SAVE command because SAVE appends a slash to the end of the file. This slash would cause SQL*Plus to run the command file twice, once upon reaching the semicolon at the end of the last SQL command (or the slash after the last PL/SQL block) and once upon reaching the slash at the end of the file.

Placing Comments in Command Files

You can enter comments in a command file in one of three ways:
s

using the SQL*Plus REMARK command using the SQL comment delimiters, /* ... */ using ANSI/ISO (American National Standards Institute/International Standards Organization) comments, --

Anything that is identified in one of these ways as a comment is not parsed or executed by SQL*Plus.
Note: You cannot enter a comment on the same line after a semicolon.

Using the REMARK Command

Use the REMARK command on a line by itself in the command file, followed by comments on the same line. To continue the comments on additional lines, enter additional REMARK commands. Do not place a REMARK command between different lines of a single SQL command.

Manipulating Commands 3-11

Saving Commands for Later Use

REMARK REMARK COLUMN COLUMN COLUMN REMARK

Commissions report to be run monthly. ENAME HEADING SALESMAN SAL HEADING SALARY FORMAT $99,999 COMM HEADING COMMISSION FORMAT $99,990 Includes only salesmen.

SELECT EMPNO, ENAME, SAL, COMM FROM EMP WHERE JOB = SALESMAN

Using /*...*/
Enter the SQL comment delimiters, /*...*/, on separate lines in your command file, on the same line as a SQL command, or on a line in a PL/SQL block. The comments can span multiple lines, but cannot be nested within one another:
/* Commissions report to be run monthly. */ COLUMN ENAME HEADING SALESMAN COLUMN SAL HEADING SALARY FORMAT $99,999 COLUMN COMM HEADING COMMISSION FORMAT $99,990 SELECT EMPNO, ENAME, SAL, COMM FROM EMP WHERE JOB = SALESMAN /* Includes only salesmen. */

If you enter a SQL comment directly at the command prompt, SQL*Plus does not store the comment in the buffer.

Using - You can use ANSI/ISO "--" style comments within SQL statements, PL/SQL blocks, or SQL*Plus commands. Since there is no ending delimiter, the comment cannot span multiple lines. For PL/SQL and SQL, enter the comment after a command on a line, or on a line by itself:
-- Commissions report to be run monthly DECLARE --block for reporting monthly sales

3-12

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Saving Commands for Later Use

For SQL*Plus commands, you can only include "--" style comments if they are on a line by themselves. For example, these comments are legal:
--set maximum width for LONG to 777 SET LONG 777 -- set the heading for ENAME to be SALESMAN COLUMN ENAME HEADING SALESMAN

These comments are illegal:

SET LONG 777 -- set maximum width for LONG to 777 SET -- set maximum width for LONG to 777 LONG 777

If you enter the following SQL*Plus command, SQL*Plus interprets it as a comment and does not execute the command:
-- SET LONG 777

Retrieving Command Files

If you want to place the contents of a command file in the buffer, you must retrieve the command from the file in which it is stored. You can retrieve a command file using the SQL*Plus command GET. Just as you can save a query from the buffer to a file with the SAVE command, you can retrieve a query from a file to the buffer with the GET command:
SQL> GET file_name

When appropriate to the operating system, SQL*Plus adds a period and the extension SQL to the filename unless you type a period at the end of the filename followed by a different extension.
Example 38 Retrieving a Command File

Suppose you need to retrieve the SALES file in a later session. You can retrieve the file by entering the GET command. To retrieve the file SALES, enter
SQL> GET SALES 1 COLUMN ENAME HEADING SALESMAN 2 COLUMN SAL HEADING SALARY FORMAT $99,999 3 COLUMN COMM HEADING COMMISSION FORMAT $99,990 4 SELECT EMPNO, ENAME, SAL, COMM 5 FROM EMP 6* WHERE JOB = SALESMAN

Manipulating Commands 3-13

Saving Commands for Later Use

SQL*Plus retrieves the contents of the file SALES with the extension SQL into the SQL buffer and lists it on the screen. Then you can edit the command further. If the file did not contain SQL*Plus commands, you could also execute it with the RUN command.

Running Command Files

The START command retrieves a command file and runs the command(s) it contains. Use START to run a command file containing SQL commands, PL/SQL blocks, and/or SQL*Plus commands. Follow the START command with the name of the file:
START file_name

If the file has the extension SQL, you need not add the period and the extension SQL to the filename.
Example 39 Running a Command File

To retrieve and run the command stored in SALES.SQL, enter

SQL> START SALES

SQL*Plus runs the commands in the file SALES and displays the results of the commands on your screen, formatting the query results according to the SQL*Plus commands in the file:
EMPNO ----7499 7521 7654 7844 SALESMAN SALARY COMMISSION --------- -------- ----------ALLEN $1,600 $300 WARD $1,250 $500 MARTIN $1,250 $1,400 TURNER $1,500 $0

To see the commands as SQL*Plus "enters" them, you can set the ECHO variable of the SET command to ON. The ECHO variable controls the listing of the commands in command files run with the START, @ and @@ commands. Setting the ECHO variable to OFF suppresses the listing. You can also use the @ ("at" sign) command to run a command file:
SQL> @SALES

3-14

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Saving Commands for Later Use

The @ command lists and runs the commands in the specified command file in the same manner as START. SET ECHO affects the @ command as it affects the START command. START, @ and @@ leave the last SQL command or PL/SQL block in the command file in the buffer.

Running a Command File as You Start SQL*Plus

To run a command file as you start SQL*Plus, use one of the following four options:
s

Follow the SQLPLUS command with your username, a slash, your password, a space, @, and the name of the file:
SQLPLUS SCOTT/TIGER @SALES

SQL*Plus starts and runs the command file.

s

Follow the SQLPLUS command and your username with a space, @, and the name of the file:
SQLPLUS SCOTT @SALES

SQL*Plus prompts you for your password, starts, and runs the command file.
s

Include your username as the first line of the file. Follow the SQLPLUS command with @ and the filename. SQL*Plus prompts for your password, starts, and runs the file. Include your username, a slash (/), and your password as the first line of the file. Follow the SQLPLUS command with @ and the filename. SQL*Plus starts and runs the file.

Nesting Command Files

To run a series of command files in sequence, first create a command file containing several START commands, each followed by the name of a command file in the sequence. Then run the command file containing the START commands. For example, you could include the following START commands in a command file named SALESRPT:
START START START START START Q1SALES Q2SALES Q3SALES Q4SALES YRENDSLS

Manipulating Commands 3-15

Saving Commands for Later Use

Note: The @@ command may be useful in this example. See the @@ command in Chapter 8 for more information.

Modifying Command Files

You can modify an existing command file in two ways:
s

using the EDIT command using GET, the SQL*Plus editing commands, and SAVE

To edit an existing command file with the EDIT command, follow the word EDIT with the name of the file. For example, to edit an existing file named PROFIT that has the extension SQL, enter the following command:
SQL> EDIT PROFIT

Remember that EDIT assumes the file extension SQL if you do not specify one. To edit an existing file using GET, the SQL*Plus editing commands, and SAVE, first retrieve the file with GET, then edit the file with the SQL*Plus editing commands, and finally save the file with the SAVE command. Note that if you want to replace the contents of an existing command file with the command or block in the buffer, you must use the SAVE command and follow the filename with the word REPLACE. For example:
SQL> GET MYREPORT 1* SELECT * FROM EMP SQL> C/*/ENAME, JOB 1* SELECT ENAME, JOB FROM EMP SQL> SAVE MYREPORT REPLACE Wrote file MYREPORT

If you want to append the contents of the buffer to the end of an existing command file, use the SAVE command and follow the filename with the word APPEND:
SQL> SAVE file_name APPEND

3-16

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Saving Commands for Later Use

Exiting from a Command File with a Return Code

If your command file generates a SQL error while running from a batch file on the host operating system, you may want to abort the command file and exit with a return code. Use the SQL*Plus command WHENEVER SQLERROR to do this; see the WHENEVER SQLERROR command in Chapter 8 for more information. Similarly, the WHENEVER OSERROR command may be used to exit if an operating system error occurs. See the WHENEVER OSERROR command in Chapter 8 for more information.

Setting Up Your SQL*Plus Environment

You may wish to set up your SQL*Plus environment in a particular way (such as showing the current time as part of the SQL*Plus command prompt) and then reuse those settings with each session. You can do this through a host operating system file called LOGIN with the file extension SQL (also called your User Profile). The exact name of this file is system dependent; see the Oracle installation and user s manual(s) provided for your operating system for the precise name. You can add any SQL commands, PL/SQL blocks, or SQL*Plus commands to this file; when you start SQL*Plus, it automatically searches for your LOGIN file (first in your local directory and then on a system-dependent path) and runs the commands it finds there. (You may also have a Site Profile, for example, GLOGIN.SQL. See the SQLPLUS command in Chapter 7 for more information on the relationship of Site and User Profiles.)

Modifying Your LOGIN File

You can modify your LOGIN file just as you would any other command file. You may wish to add some of the following commands to the LOGIN file:
SET COMPATIBILITY

Followed by V7or V8, sets compatibility to the version of Oracle you specify. Setting COMPATIBILITY to V7 allows you to run command files created with Oracle7. Followed by a number format (such as $99,999), sets the default format for displaying numbers in query results. Followed by a number, sets the number of lines per page. Followed by ON, causes SQL*Plus to pause at the beginning of each page of output (SQL*Plus continues scrolling after you enter [Return]). Followed by text, sets the text to be displayed each time SQL*Plus pauses (you must also set PAUSE to ON).

SET NUMFORMAT SET PAGESIZE SET PAUSE

Manipulating Commands 3-17

Saving Commands for Later Use

SET SHIFTINOUT

Followed by VISIBLE, will display shift characters as a visible character. Setting SHIFTINOUT to INVISIBLE, will not display any shift characters. Note, this command can only be used with shift sensitive character sets. Followed by ON, displays the current time before each command prompt.

SET TIME

See the SET command in Chapter 8 for more information on these and other SET command variables you may wish to set in your SQL*Plus LOGIN file.

Storing and Restoring SQL*Plus System Variables

You can store the current SQL*Plus system ("SET") variables in a host operating system file (a command file) with the STORE command. If you alter any variables, this command file can be run to restore the original values. This is useful if you run a report that alters system variables and you want to reset their values after the report has finished. To store the current setting of all system variables, enter
SQL> STORE SET file_name

By default, SQL*Plus adds the extension "SQL" to the file name. If you want to use a different file extension, type a period at the end of the file name, followed by the extension. Alternatively, you can use the SET SUFFIX command to change the default file extension.

Restoring the System Variables

To restore the stored system variables, enter
SQL> START file_name

If the file has the default extension (as specified by the SET SUFFIX command), you do not need to add the period and extension to the file name. You can also use the @ ("at" sign) or the @@ (double "at" sign) commands to run the command file.

3-18

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Writing Interactive Commands

Example 310 Storing and Restoring SQL*Plus System Variables

To store the current values of the SQL*Plus system variables in a new command file "plusenv.sql":
SQL> STORE SET plusenv Created file plusenv

Now the value of any system variable can be changed:

SQL> SHOW PAGESIZE pagesize 24 SQL> SET PAGESIZE 60 SQL> SHOW PAGESIZE pagesize 60

The original values of the system variables can then be restored from the command file:
SQL> START plusenv SQL> SHOW PAGESIZE pagesize 24

Writing Interactive Commands

The following features of SQL*Plus make it possible for you to set up command files that allow end-user input:
s

defining user variables substituting values in commands using the START command to provide values prompting for values

Defining User Variables

You can define variables, called user variables, for repeated use in a single command file by using the SQL*Plus DEFINE command. Note that you can also define user variables to use in titles and to save you keystrokes (by defining a long string as the value for a variable with a short name).

Manipulating Commands 3-19

Writing Interactive Commands

Example 311 Defining a User Variable

To define a user variable EMPLOYEE and give it the value "SMITH", enter the following command:
SQL> DEFINE EMPLOYEE = SMITH

To confirm the definition of the variable, enter DEFINE followed by the variable name:
SQL> DEFINE EMPLOYEE

SQL*Plus lists the definition:

DEFINE EMPLOYEE = "SMITH" (CHAR)

To list all user variable definitions, enter DEFINE by itself at the command prompt. Note that any user variable you define explicitly through DEFINE takes only CHAR values (that is, the value you assign to the variable is always treated as a CHAR datatype). You can define a user variable of datatype NUMBER implicitly through the ACCEPT command. You will learn more about the ACCEPT command later in this chapter. To delete a user variable, use the SQL*Plus command UNDEFINE followed by the variable name.

Using Substitution Variables

Suppose you want to write a query like the one in SALES (see Example 37) to list the employees with various jobs, not just those whose job is SALESMAN. You could do that by editing a different CHAR value into the WHERE clause each time you run the command, but there is an easier way. By using a substitution variable in place of the value SALESMAN in the WHERE clause, you can get the same results you would get if you had written the values into the command itself. A substitution variable is a user variable name preceded by one or two ampersands (&). When SQL*Plus encounters a substitution variable in a command, SQL*Plus executes the command as though it contained the value of the substitution variable, rather than the variable itself.

3-20

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Writing Interactive Commands

For example, if the variable SORTCOL has the value JOB and the variable MYTABLE has the value EMP, SQL*Plus executes the commands
SQL> SQL> 2 3 BREAK ON &SORTCOL SELECT &SORTCOL, SAL FROM &MYTABLE ORDER BY &SORTCOL;

as if they were
SQL> SQL> 2 3 BREAK ON JOB SELECT JOB, SAL FROM EMP ORDER BY JOB;

(The BREAK command suppresses duplicate values of the column named in SORTCOL. For more information about the BREAK command, see the section "Clarifying Your Report with Spacing and Summary Lines" in Chapter 4.)

Where and How to Use Substitution Variables

You can use substitution variables anywhere in SQL and SQL*Plus commands, except as the first word entered at the command prompt. When SQL*Plus encounters an undefined substitution variable in a command, SQL*Plus prompts you for the value. You can enter any string at the prompt, even one containing blanks and punctuation. If the SQL command containing the reference should have quote marks around the variable and you do not include them there, the user must include the quotes when prompted. SQL*Plus reads your response from the keyboard, even if you have redirected terminal input or output to a file. If a terminal is not available (if, for example, you run the command file in batch mode), SQL*Plus uses the redirected file. After you enter a value at the prompt, SQL*Plus lists the line containing the substitution variable twice: once before substituting the value you enter and once after substitution. You can suppress this listing by setting the SET command variable VERIFY to OFF.

Manipulating Commands 3-21

Writing Interactive Commands

Example 312 Using Substitution Variables

Create a command file named STATS, to be used to calculate a subgroup statistic (the maximum value) on a numeric column:
SQL> CLEAR BUFFER SQL> INPUT 1 SELECT &GROUP_COL, 2 MAX(&NUMBER_COL) MAXIMUM 3 FROM &TABLE 4 GROUP BY &GROUP_COL 5 SQL> SAVE STATS Created file STATS

Now run the command file STATS and respond as shown below to the prompts for values:
SQL> Enter old new Enter old new Enter old new Enter old new @STATS value for group_col: JOB 1: SELECT &GROUP_COL, 1: SELECT JOB, value for number_col: SAL 2: MAX(&NUMBER_COL) MAXIMUM 2: MAX(SAL) MAXIMUM value for table: EMP 3: FROM &TABLE 3: FROM EMP value for group_col: JOB 4: GROUP BY &GROUP_COL 4: GROUP BY JOB

SQL*Plus displays the following output:

JOB MAXIMUM ---------- ---------ANALYST 3000 CLERK 1300 MANAGER 2975 PRESIDENT 5000 SALESMAN 1600

3-22

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Writing Interactive Commands

If you wish to append characters immediately after a substitution variable, use a period to separate the variable from the character. For example:
SQL> SELECT * FROM EMP WHERE EMPNO=&X.01; Enter value for X: 123

is interpreted as
SQL> SELECT * FROM EMP WHERE EMPNO=12301;

Avoiding Unnecessary Prompts for Values

Suppose you wanted to expand the file STATS to include the minimum, sum, and average of the "number" column. You may have noticed that SQL*Plus prompted you twice for the value of GROUP_COL and once for the value of NUMBER_COL in Example 312, and that each GROUP_COL or NUMBER_COL had a single ampersand in front of it. If you were to add three more functionsusing a single ampersand before eachto the command file, SQL*Plus would prompt you a total of four times for the value of the number column. You can avoid being re-prompted for the group and number columns by adding a second ampersand in front of each GROUP_COL and NUMBER_COL in STATS. SQL*Plus automatically DEFINEs any substitution variable preceded by two ampersands, but does not DEFINE those preceded by only one ampersand. When you have DEFINEd a variable, SQL*Plus substitutes the value of variable for each substitution variable referencing variable (in the form &variable or &&variable). SQL*Plus will not prompt you for the value of variable in this session until you UNDEFINE variable.
Example 313 Using Double Ampersands

To expand the command file STATS using double ampersands and then run the file, first suppress the display of each line before and after substitution:
SQL> SET VERIFY OFF

Now retrieve and edit STATS by entering the following commands:

SQL> 1 2 3 4 SQL> 2* GET STATS SELECT &GROUP_COL, MAX(&NUMBER_COL) MAXIMUM FROM &TABLE GROUP BY &GROUP_COL 2 MAX(&NUMBER_COL) MAXIMUM

Manipulating Commands 3-23

Writing Interactive Commands

SQL> APPEND , 2* MAX(&NUMBER_COL) MAXIMUM, SQL> C /&/&& 2* MAX(&&NUMBER_COL) MAXIMUM, SQL> I 3i MIN(&&NUMBER_COL) MINIMUM, 4i SUM(&&NUMBER_COL) TOTAL, 5i AVG(&&NUMBER_COL) AVERAGE 6i SQL> 1 1* SELECT &GROUP_COL, SQL> C /&/&& 1* SELECT &&GROUP_COL, SQL> 7 7* GROUP BY &GROUP_COL SQL> C /&/&& 7* GROUP BY &&GROUP_COL SQL> SAVE STATS2 created file STATS2

Finally, run the command file STATS2 and respond to the prompts for values as follows:
SQL> START STATS2 Enter value for group_col: JOB Enter value for number_col: SAL Enter value for table: EMP

SQL*Plus displays the following output:

JOB MAXIMUM MINIMUM TOTAL AVERAGE ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- --------ANALYST 3000 3000 6000 3000 CLERK 1300 800 4150 1037.5 MANAGER 2975 2450 8275 2758.33333 PRESIDENT 5000 5000 5000 5000 SALESMAN 1600 1250 5600 1400

Note that you were prompted for the values of NUMBER_COL and GROUP_COL only once. If you were to run STATS2 again during the current session, you would be prompted for TABLE (because its name has a single ampersand and the variable is therefore not DEFINEd) but not for GROUP_COL or NUMBER_COL (because their names have double ampersands and the variables are therefore DEFINEd).

3-24

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Writing Interactive Commands

Before continuing, set the system variable VERIFY back to ON:

SQL> SET VERIFY ON

Restrictions
You cannot use substitution variables in the buffer editing commands, APPEND, CHANGE, DEL, and INPUT, nor in other commands where substitution would be meaningless, such as REMARK. The buffer editing commands, APPEND, CHANGE, and INPUT, treat text beginning with "&" or "&&" literally, as any other text string.

System Variables
The following system variables, specified with the SQL*Plus SET command, affect substitution variables:
SET DEFINE SET ESCAPE

Defines the substitution character (by default the ampersand "&") and turns substitution on and off. Defines an escape character you can use before the substitution character. The escape character instructs SQL*Plus to treat the substitution character as an ordinary character rather than as a request for variable substitution. The default escape character is a backslash (\). Lists each line of the command file before and after substitution. Defines the character that separates the name of a substitution variable or parameter from characters that immediately follow the variable or parameterby default the period (.).

SET VERIFY ON SET CONCAT

For more information about system variables, see the SET command in the "Command Reference" in Chapter 8.

Passing Parameters through the START Command

You can bypass the prompts for values associated with substitution variables by passing values to parameters in a command file through the START command. You do this by placing an ampersand (&) followed by a numeral in the command file in place of a substitution variable. Each time you run this command file, START replaces each &1 in the file with the first value (called an argument) after START filename, then replaces each &2 with the second value, and so forth.

Manipulating Commands 3-25

Writing Interactive Commands

For example, you could include the following commands in a command file called MYFILE:
SELECT * FROM EMP WHERE JOB=&1 AND SAL=&2

In the following START command, SQL*Plus would substitute CLERK for &1 and 7900 for &2 in the command file MYFILE:
SQL> START MYFILE CLERK 7900

When you use arguments with the START command, SQL*Plus DEFINEs each parameter in the command file with the value of the appropriate argument.
Example 314 Passing Parameters through START

To create a new command file based on SALES that takes a parameter specifying the job to be displayed, enter
SQL> GET SALES 1 COLUMN ENAME HEADING SALESMAN 2 COLUMN SAL HEADING SALARY FORMAT $99,999 3 COLUMN COMM HEADING COMMISSION FORMAT $99,990 4 SELECT EMPNO, ENAME, SAL, COMM 5 FROM EMP 6* WHERE JOB = SALESMAN SQL> CHANGE /SALESMAN/&1 6* WHERE JOB = &1 SQL> 1 1* COLUMN ENAME HEADING SALESMAN SQL> CHANGE /SALESMAN/&1 1* COLUMN ENAME HEADING &1 SQL> SAVE ONEJOB Created file ONEJOB

Now run the command with the parameter CLERK:

SQL> START ONEJOB CLERK

SQL*Plus lists the line of the SQL command that contains the parameter, before and after replacing the parameter with its value, and then displays the output:
old new 3: WHERE JOB = &1 3: WHERE JOB = CLERK

3-26

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Writing Interactive Commands

EMPNO ----7369 7876 7900 7934

CLERK -----SMITH ADAMS JAMES MILLER

SALARY COMMISSION -------- ----------$800 $1,100 $950 $1,300

You can use any number of parameters in a command file. Within a command file, you can refer to each parameter any number of times, and can include the parameters in any order.
Note: You cannot use parameters when you run a command with RUN or slash (/). You must store the command in a command file and run it with START or @.

Before continuing, return the column ENAME to its original heading by entering the following command:
SQL> COLUMN ENAME CLEAR

Communicating with the User

Three SQL*Plus commandsPROMPT, ACCEPT, and PAUSEhelp you communicate with the end user. These commands enable you to send messages to the screen and receive input from the user, including a simple [Return]. You can also use PROMPT and ACCEPT to customize the prompts for values SQL*Plus automatically generates for substitution variables.

Prompting for and Accepting User Variable

Through PROMPT and ACCEPT, you can send messages to the end user and accept values as end-user input. PROMPT simply displays a message you specify on-screen; use it to give directions or information to the user. ACCEPT prompts the user for a value and stores it in the user variable you specify. Use PROMPT in conjunction with ACCEPT when your prompt for the value spans more than one line.
Example 315 Prompting for and Accepting Input

To direct the user to supply a report title and to store the input in the variable MYTITLE for use in a subsequent query, first clear the buffer:
SQL> CLEAR BUFFER

Manipulating Commands 3-27

Writing Interactive Commands

Next, set up a command file as shown below:

SQL> INPUT 1 PROMPT Enter a title up to 30 characters long. 2 ACCEPT MYTITLE PROMPT Title: 3 TTITLE LEFT MYTITLE SKIP 2 4 SELECT * FROM DEPT 5 SQL> SAVE PROMPT1 Created file PROMPT1

The TTITLE command sets the top title for your report. This command is covered in detail in Chapter 4. Finally, run the command file, responding to the prompt for the title as shown:
SQL> START PROMPT1 Enter a title up to 30 characters long. Title: Department Report as of 1/1/95

SQL*Plus displays the following output:

Department DEPTNO ---------10 20 30 40 Report as of 1/1/95 DNAME LOC -------------- ------------ACCOUNTING NEW YORK RESEARCH DALLAS SALES CHICAGO OPERATIONS BOSTON

Before continuing, turn the TTITLE command you entered in the command file off as shown below:
SQL> TTITLE OFF

Customizing Prompts for Substitution Variable

If you want to customize the prompt for a substitution variable value, use PROMPT and ACCEPT in conjunction with the substitution variable, as shown in the following example.

3-28

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Writing Interactive Commands

Example 316 Using PROMPT and ACCEPT in Conjunction with Substitution Variables

As you have seen in Example 315, SQL*Plus automatically generates a prompt for a value when you use a substitution variable. You can replace this prompt by including PROMPT and ACCEPT in the command file with the query that references the substitution variable. To create such a file, enter the commands shown:
SQL> CLEAR BUFFER buffer cleared SQL> INPUT 1 PROMPT Enter a valid employee number 2 PROMPT For example: 7123, 7456, 7890 3 ACCEPT ENUMBER NUMBER PROMPT Emp. no.: 4 SELECT ENAME, MGR, JOB, SAL 5 FROM EMP 6 WHERE EMPNO = &ENUMBER 7 SQL> SAVE PROMPT2 Created file PROMPT2

Next, run the command file. SQL*Plus prompts for the value of ENUMBER using the text you specified with PROMPT and ACCEPT:
SQL> START PROMPT2 Enter a valid employee number For example: 7123, 7456, 7890 Emp. No.:

Try entering characters instead of numbers to the prompt for "Emp. No.":
Emp. No.: ONE ONE is not a valid number Emp. No.:

Since you specified NUMBER after the variable name in the ACCEPT command, SQL*Plus will not accept a non-numeric value. Now enter a number:
Emp. No.: 7521 old 3: WHERE EMPNO = &ENUMBER new 3: WHERE EMPNO = 7521

Manipulating Commands 3-29

Using Bind Variables

SQL*Plus displays the following output:

ENAME -----WARD MGR ----7698 JOB --------SALESMAN SALARY -----$1,250

Sending a Message and Accepting [Return] as Input

If you want to display a message on the users screen and then have the user enter [Return] after reading the message, use the SQL*Plus command PAUSE. For example, you might include the following lines in a command file:
PROMPT Before continuing, make sure you have your account card. PAUSE Press RETURN to continue.

Clearing the Screen

If you want to clear the screen before displaying a report (or at any other time), include the SQL*Plus CLEAR command with its SCREEN clause at the appropriate point in your command file, using the following format:
CLEAR SCREEN

Before continuing to the next section, reset all columns to their original formats and headings by entering the following command:
SQL> CLEAR COLUMNS

Using Bind Variables

Suppose that you want to be able to display the variables you use in your PL/SQL subprograms in SQL*Plus or use the same variables in multiple subprograms. If you declare a variable in a PL/SQL subprogram, you cannot display that variable in SQL*Plus. Use a bind variable in PL/SQL to access the variable from SQL*Plus. Bind variables are variables you create in SQL*Plus and then reference in PL/SQL. If you create a bind variable in SQL*Plus, you can use the variable as you would a declared variable in your PL/SQL subprogram and then access the variable from SQL*Plus. You can use bind variables for such things as storing return codes or debugging your PL/SQL subprograms. Because bind variables are recognized by SQL*Plus, you can display their values in SQL*Plus or reference them in other PL/SQL subprograms that you run in SQL*Plus.

3-30

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Using Bind Variables

Creating Bind Variables

You create bind variables in SQL*Plus with the VARIABLE command. For example
VARIABLE ret_val NUMBER

This command creates a bind variable named ret_val with a datatype of NUMBER. For more information, see the VARIABLE command in Chapter 8. (To list all of the bind variables created in a session, type VARIABLE without any arguments.)

Referencing Bind Variables

You reference bind variables in PL/SQL by typing a colon (:) followed immediately by the name of the variable. For example
:ret_val := 1;

This command assigns a value to the bind variable named ret_val.

Displaying Bind Variables

To display the value of a bind variable in SQL*Plus, you use the SQL*Plus PRINT command. For example
PRINT ret_val

This command displays a bind variable named ret_val. For more information about displaying bind variables, see the PRINT command in the "Command Reference" in Chapter 8.
Example 317 Creating, Referencing, and Displaying Bind Variables

To declare a local bind variable named id with a datatype of NUMBER, enter

SQL> VARIABLE id NUMBER

Next, put a value of "1" into the bind variable you have just created:
SQL> BEGIN 2 :id := 1; 3 END;

If you want to display a list of values for the bind variable named id, enter
SQL> PRINT id

Manipulating Commands 3-31

Using REFCURSOR Bind Variables

Try creating some new departments using the variable:

SQL> SQL> SQL> SQL> SQL> SQL> EXECUTE :id EXECUTE :id EXECUTE :id EXECUTE :id PRINT id COMMIT := := := := dept_management.new('ACCOUNTING','NEW YORK') dept_management.new('RESEARCH','DALLAS') dept_management.new('SALES','CHICAGO') dept_management.new('OPERATIONS','BOSTON')

Note: dept_management.new refers to a PL/SQL function, "new", in a package (dept_management). The function "new" adds the department data to a table.

Using REFCURSOR Bind Variables

SQL*Plus REFCURSOR bind variables allow SQL*Plus to fetch and format the results of a SELECT statement contained in a PL/SQL block. REFCURSOR bind variables can also be used to reference PL/SQL cursor variables in stored procedures. This allows you to store SELECT statements in the database and reference them from SQL*Plus. A REFCURSOR bind variable can also be returned from a stored function.
Note: You must have Oracle7, Release 7.3 or above to assign the

return value of a stored function to a REFCURSOR variable.

Example 318 Creating, Referencing, and Displaying REFCURSOR Bind Variables

To create, reference and display a REFCURSOR bind variable, first declare a local bind variable of the REFCURSOR datatype
SQL> VARIABLE dept_sel REFCURSOR

Next, enter a PL/SQL block that uses the bind variable in an OPEN ... FOR SELECT statement. This statement opens a cursor variable and executes a query. See the PL/SQL Users Guide and Reference for information on the OPEN command and cursor variables.

3-32

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Using REFCURSOR Bind Variables

In this example we are binding the SQL*Plus dept_sel bind variable to the cursor variable.
SQL> BEGIN 2 OPEN :dept_sel FOR SELECT * FROM DEPT; 3 END; 4 / PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.

The results from the SELECT statement can now be displayed in SQL*Plus with the PRINT command.
SQL> PRINT dept_sel DEPTNO DNAME ------ ----------10 ACCOUNTING 20 RESEARCH 30 SALES 40 OPERATIONS LOC --------NEW YORK DALLAS CHICAGO BOSTON

The PRINT statement also closes the cursor. To reprint the results, the PL/SQL block must be executed again before using PRINT.
Example 319 Using REFCURSOR Variables in Stored Procedures

A REFCURSOR bind variable is passed as a parameter to a procedure. The parameter has a REF CURSOR type. First, define the type.
SQL> CREATE OR REPLACE PACKAGE cv_types AS 2 TYPE DeptCurTyp is REF CURSOR RETURN dept%ROWTYPE; 3 END cv_types; 4 / Package created.

Next, create the stored procedure containing an OPEN ... FOR SELECT statement.
SQL> CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE dept_rpt 2 (dept_cv IN OUT cv_types.DeptCurTyp) AS 3 BEGIN 4 OPEN dept_cv FOR SELECT * FROM DEPT; 5 END; 6 / Procedure successfully completed.

Manipulating Commands 3-33

Using REFCURSOR Bind Variables

Execute the procedure with a SQL*Plus bind variable as the parameter.

SQL> VARIABLE odcv REFCURSOR SQL> EXECUTE dept_rpt(:odcv) PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.

Now print the bind variable.

SQL> PRINT odcv DEPTNO DNAME ------ ----------10 ACCOUNTING 20 RESEARCH 30 SALES 40 OPERATIONS LOC --------NEW YORK DALLAS CHICAGO BOSTON

The procedure can be executed multiple times using the same or a different REFCURSOR bind variable.
SQL> VARIABLE pcv REFCURSOR SQL> EXECUTE dept_rpt(:pcv) PL/SQL procedure successfully completed. SQL> PRINT pcv DEPTNO DNAME LOC ------ ------------------10 ACCOUNTING NEW YORK 20 RESEARCH DALLAS 30 SALES CHICAGO 40 OPERATIONS BOSTON

Example 320 Using REFCURSOR Variables in Stored Functions

Create a stored function containing an OPEN ... FOR SELECT statement:

SQL> CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION dept_fn RETURN > cv_types.DeptCurTyp IS 2 resultset cv_types.DeptCurTyp; 3 BEGIN 4 OPEN resultset FOR SELECT * FROM DEPT; 5 RETURN(resultset); 6 END; 7 / Function created.

3-34

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Tracing Statements

Execute the function.

SQL> VARIABLE rc REFCURSOR SQL> EXECUTE :rc := dept_fn PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.

Now print the bind variable.

SQL> PRINT rc DEPTNO DNAME ------ ----------10 ACCOUNTING 20 RESEARCH 30 SALES 40 OPERATIONS 4 rows selected LOC --------NEW YORK DALLAS CHICAGO BOSTON

The function can be executed multiple times using the same or a different REFCURSOR bind variable.
SQL> EXECUTE :rc := dept_fn PL/SQL procedure successfully completed. SQL> PRINT rc DEPTNO DNAME LOC ------ ------------------10 ACCOUNTING NEW YORK 20 RESEARCH DALLAS 30 SALES CHICAGO 40 OPERATIONS BOSTON

Tracing Statements
You can automatically get a report on the execution path used by the SQL optimizer and the statement execution statistics. The report is generated after successful SQL DML (that is, SELECT, DELETE, UPDATE and INSERT) statements. It is useful for monitoring and tuning the performance of these statements.

Controlling the Report

You can control the report by setting the AUTOTRACE system variable.
SET AUTOTRACE OFF

No AUTOTRACE report is generated. This is the default.

Manipulating Commands 3-35

Tracing Statements

SET AUTOTRACE ON EXPLAIN SET AUTOTRACE ON STATISTICS SET AUTOTRACE ON

The AUTOTRACE report shows only the optimizer execution path. The AUTOTRACE report shows only the SQL statement execution statistics. The AUTOTRACE report includes both the optimizer execution path and the SQL statement execution statistics. Like SET AUTOTRACE ON, but suppresses the printing of the users query output, if any.

SET AUTOTRACE TRACEONLY

To use this feature, you must have the PLUSTRACE role granted to you and a PLAN_TABLE table created in your schema. For more information on the PLUSTRACE role and PLAN_TABLE table, see the AUTOTRACE variable of the SET command in Chapter 8.

Execution Plan
The Execution Plan shows the SQL optimizers query execution path. Both tables are accessed by a full table scan, sorted, and then merged. Each line of the Execution Plan has a sequential line number. SQL*Plus also displays the line number of the parent operation. The Execution Plan consists of four columns displayed in the following order:
Column Name Description

ID_PLUS_EXP PARENT_ID_PLUS_EXP PLAN_PLUS_EXP

Shows the line number of each execution step. Shows the relationship between each step and its parent. This column is useful for large reports. Shows each step of the report.

OBJECT_NODE_PLUS_EXP Shows the database links or parallel query servers used. The format of the columns may be altered with the COLUMN command. For example, to stop the PARENT_ID_PLUS_EXP column being displayed, enter
SQL> COLUMN PARENT_ID_PLUS_EXP NOPRINT

The default formats can be found in the site profile (for example, glogin.sql).

3-36

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Tracing Statements

The Execution Plan output is generated using the EXPLAIN PLAN command. For information about interpreting the output of EXPLAIN PLAN, see the Oracle8i Tuning guide.

Statistics
The statistics are recorded by the server when your statement executes and indicate the system resources required to execute your statement. The client referred to in the statistics is SQL*Plus. SQL*Net refers to the generic process communication between SQL*Plus and the server, regardless of whether Net8 is installed. You cannot change the default format of the statistics report. For more information about the statistics and how to interpret them, see the Oracle8i Tuning guide.
Example 321 Tracing Statements for Performance Statistics and Query Execution Path

If the SQL buffer contains the following statement:

SQL> SELECT D.DNAME, E.ENAME, E.SAL, E.JOB 2 FROM EMP E, DEPT D 3 WHERE E.DEPTNO = D.DEPTNO

The statement can be automatically traced when it is run:

SQL> SET AUTOTRACE ON SQL> /

Manipulating Commands 3-37

Tracing Statements

DNAME -------------ACCOUNTING ACCOUNTING ACCOUNTING RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH SALES SALES SALES SALES SALES SALES

ENAME SAL JOB ---------- ---------- --------CLARK 2450 MANAGER KING 5000 PRESIDENT MILLER 1300 CLERK SMITH 800 CLERK ADAMS 1100 CLERK FORD 3000 ANALYST SCOTT 3000 ANALYST JONES 2975 MANAGER ALLEN 1600 SALESMAN BLAKE 2850 MANAGER MARTIN 1250 SALESMAN JAMES 950 CLERK TURNER 1500 SALESMAN WARD 1250 SALESMAN

14 rows selected. Execution Plan ----------------------------------------------------------0 SELECT STATEMENT Optimizer=CHOOSE 1 0 MERGE JOIN 2 1 SORT (JOIN) 3 2 TABLE ACCESS (FULL) OF DEPT 4 1 SORT (JOIN) 5 4 TABLE ACCESS (FULL) OF EMP

Statistics ---------------------------------------------------------148 recursive calls 4 db block gets 24 consistent gets 6 physical reads 43 redo size 591 bytes sent via SQL*Net to client 256 bytes received via SQL*Net from client 3 SQL*Net roundtrips to/from client 2 sort (memory) 0 sort (disk) 14 rows processed

3-38

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Tracing Statements

Note: Your output may vary depending on the version of the server to which you are connected and the configuration of the server.

Example 322 Tracing Statements Without Displaying Query Data

To trace the same statement without displaying the query data:

SQL> SET AUTOTRACE TRACEONLY SQL> / Execution Plan ----------------------------------------------------------0 SELECT STATEMENT Optimizer=CHOOSE 1 0 MERGE JOIN 2 1 SORT (JOIN) 3 2 TABLE ACCESS (FULL) OF DEPT 4 1 SORT (JOIN) 5 4 TABLE ACCESS (FULL) OF EMP Statistics ----------------------------------------------------------0 recursive calls 4 db block gets 2 consistent gets 0 physical reads 0 redo size 599 bytes sent via SQL*Net to client 256 bytes received via SQL*Net from client 3 SQL*Net roundtrips to/from client 2 sort (memory) 0 sort (disk) 14 rows processed

This option is useful when you are tuning a large query, but do not want to see the query report.

Manipulating Commands 3-39

Tracing Statements

Example 323 Tracing Statements Using a Database Link

To trace a statement using a database link:

SQL> SET AUTOTRACE TRACEONLY EXPLAIN SQL> SELECT * FROM EMP@MY_LINK; Execution Plan ----------------------------------------------------------0 SELECT STATEMENT (REMOTE) Optimizer=CHOOSE 1 0 TABLE ACCESS (FULL) OF EMP MY_LINK.DB_DOMAIN

The Execution Plan shows the table being accessed on line 1 is via the database link MY_LINK.DB_DOMAIN.

Tracing Parallel and Distributed Queries

When you trace a statement in a parallel or distributed query, the Execution Plan shows the cost based optimizer estimates of the number of rows (the cardinality). In general, the cost, cardinality and bytes at each node represent cumulative results. For example, the cost of a join node accounts for not only the cost of completing the join operations, but also the entire costs of accessing the relations in that join. Lines marked with an asterisk (*) denote a parallel or remote operation. Each operation is explained in the second part of the report. See the Oracle8i Tuning guide for more information on parallel and distributed operations. The second section of this report consists of three columns displayed in the following order
Column Name Description

ID_PLUS_EXP OTHER_TAG_PLUS_ EXP OTHER_PLUS_EXP

Shows the line number of each execution step. Describes the function of the SQL statement in the OTHER_PLUS_EXP column. Shows the text of the query for the parallel server or remote database.

The format of the columns may be altered with the COLUMN command. The default formats can be found in the site profile (for example, glogin.sql).
Note: You must have Oracle7, Release 7.3 or greater to view the second section of this report.

3-40

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Tracing Statements

Example 324 Tracing Statements With Parallel Query Option

To trace a parallel query running the parallel query option:

SQL> CREATE TABLE D2_T1 (UNIQUE1 NUMBER) PARALLEL > (DEGREE 6); Table created. SQL> CREATE TABLE D2_T2 (UNIQUE1 NUMBER) PARALLEL > (DEGREE 6); Table created. SQL> CREATE UNIQUE INDEX D2_I_UNIQUE1 ON D2_T1(UNIQUE1); Index created. SQL> SQL> SQL> > 2 3 SET LONG 500 LONGCHUNKSIZE 500 SET AUTOTRACE ON EXPLAIN select /*+ index(b,d2_i_unique1) use_nl(b) ordered */ count (a.unique1) from d2_t2 a, d2_t1 b where a.unique1 = b.unique1;

SQL*Plus displays the following output:

Execution Plan ----------------------------------------------------------0 SELECT STATEMENT Optimizer=CHOOSE (Cost=1 Card=263 Bytes=5786) 1 0 SORT (AGGREGATE) 2 1 NESTED LOOPS* (Cost=1 Card=263 Bytes=5785) :Q8200 3 2 TABLE ACCESS* (FULL) OF 'D2_T2' :Q8200 4 2 INDEX* (UNIQUE SCAN) OF 'D2_I_UNIQUE1' (UNIQUE) :Q8200 2 PARALLEL_TO_SERIAL SELECT /*+ ORDERED NO_EXPAND USE_NL(A2) INDEX(A2) PIV_SSF */ COUNT(A1.C0) FROM (SELECT/*+ ROWID(A3) */ A3."UNIQUE1" FROM "D2_T2" A3 WHERE ROWID BETWEEN :1 AND :2) A1, "D2_T1" A2 WHERE A1.C0=A2."UNIQUE1" 3 PARALLEL_COMBINED_WITH_PARENT 4 PARALLEL_COMBINED_WITH_PARENT

Manipulating Commands 3-41

Tracing Statements

Line 0 of the Execution Plan shows the cost based optimizer estimates the number of rows at 263, taking 5786 bytes. The total cost of the statement is 1. Lines 2, 3 and 4 are marked with asterisks, denoting parallel operations. For example, the NESTED LOOPS step on line 2 is a PARALLEL_TO_SERIAL operation. PARALLEL_TO_SERIAL operations execute a SQL statement to produce output serially. Line 2 also shows that the parallel query server had the identifier Q8200.

3-42

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

4
Formatting Query Results
This chapter explains how to format your query results to produce a finished report. This chapter covers the following topics:
s

Formatting Columns Clarifying Your Report with Spacing and Summary Lines Defining Page and Report Titles and Dimensions Storing and Printing Query Results

Read this chapter while sitting at your computer and try out the examples shown. Before beginning, make sure you have access to the sample tables described in Chapter 1.

Formatting Query Results 4-1

Formatting Columns

Formatting Columns
Through the SQL*Plus COLUMN command, you can change the column headings and reformat the column data in your query results.

Changing Column Headings

When displaying column headings, you can either use the default heading or you can change it using the COLUMN command. The sections below describe how the default headings are derived and how you can alter them with the COLUMN command.

Default Headings
SQL*Plus uses column or expression names as default column headings when displaying query results. Column names are often short and cryptic, however, and expressions can be hard to understand.

Changing Default Headings

You can define a more useful column heading with the HEADING clause of the COLUMN command, in the format shown below:
COLUMN column_name HEADING column_heading

See the COLUMN command in Chapter 8 for more details.

Example 41 Changing a Column Heading

To produce a report from EMP with new headings specified for DEPTNO, ENAME, and SAL, enter the following commands:
SQL> SQL> SQL> SQL> SQL> 2 3 COLUMN DEPTNO HEADING Department COLUMN ENAME HEADING Employee COLUMN SAL HEADING Salary COLUMN COMM HEADING Commission SELECT DEPTNO, ENAME, SAL, COMM FROM EMP WHERE JOB = SALESMAN;

4-2

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Formatting Columns

SQL*Plus displays the following output:

Department ---------30 30 30 30 Employee Salary Commission ---------- ---------- ---------ALLEN 1600 300 WARD 1250 500 MARTIN 1250 1400 TURNER 1500 0

Note: The new headings will remain in effect until you enter different headings, reset each columns format, or exit from SQL*Plus.

To change a column heading to two or more words, enclose the new heading in single or double quotation marks when you enter the COLUMN command. To display a column heading on more than one line, use a vertical bar (|) where you want to begin a new line. (You can use a character other than a vertical bar by changing the setting of the HEADSEP variable of the SET command. See the SET command in Chapter 8 for more information.)
Example 42 Splitting a Column Heading

To give the column ENAME the heading EMPLOYEE NAME and to split the new heading onto two lines, enter
SQL> COLUMN ENAME HEADING Employee|Name

Now rerun the query with the slash (/) command:

SQL> /

SQL*Plus displays the following output:

Department ---------30 30 30 30 Employee Name Salary Commission ---------- ---------- ---------ALLEN 1600 300 WARD 1250 500 MARTIN 1250 1400 TURNER 1500 0

To change the character used to underline each column heading, set the UNDERLINE variable of the SET command to the desired character.

Formatting Query Results 4-3

Formatting Columns

Example 43 Setting the Underline Character

To change the character used to underline headings to an equal sign and rerun the query, enter the following commands:
SQL> SET UNDERLINE = SQL> /

SQL*Plus displays the following results:

Department ========== 30 30 30 30 Employee Name Salary Commission ========== ========== ========== ALLEN 1600 300 WARD 1250 500 MARTIN 1250 1400 TURNER 1500 0

Now change the underline character back to a dash:

SQL> SET UNDERLINE -

Note: You must enclose the dash in quotation marks; otherwise, SQL*Plus interprets the dash as a hyphen indicating that you wish to continue the command on another line.

Formatting NUMBER Columns

When displaying NUMBER columns, you can either accept the SQL*Plus default display width or you can change it using the COLUMN command. The sections below describe the default display and how you can alter the default with the COLUMN command.

Default Display
A NUMBER columns width equals the width of the heading or the width of the FORMAT plus one space for the sign, whichever is greater. If you do not explicitly use FORMAT, then the columns width will always be at least the value of SET NUMWIDTH. SQL*Plus normally displays numbers with as many digits as are required for accuracy, up to a standard display width determined by the value of the NUMWIDTH variable of the SET command (normally 10). If a number is larger

4-4

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Formatting Columns

than the value of SET NUMWIDTH, SQL*Plus rounds the number up or down to the maximum number of characters allowed. You can choose a different format for any NUMBER column by using a format model in a COLUMN command. A format model is a representation of the way you want the numbers in the column to appear, using 9s to represent digits.

Changing the Default Display

The COLUMN command identifies the column you want to format and the model you want to use, as shown below:
COLUMN column_name FORMAT model

Use format models to add commas, dollar signs, angle brackets (around negative values), and/or leading zeros to numbers in a given column. You can also round the values to a given number of decimal places, display minus signs to the right of negative values (instead of to the left), and display values in exponential notation. To use more than one format model for a single column, combine the desired models in one COLUMN command (see Example 44). For a complete list of format models and further details, see the COLUMN command in Chapter 8.
Example 44 Formatting a NUMBER Column

To display SAL with a dollar sign, a comma, and the numeral zero instead of a blank for any zero values, enter the following command:
SQL> COLUMN SAL FORMAT $99,990

Now rerun the current query:

SQL> /

SQL*Plus displays the following output:

Department ---------30 30 30 30 Employee Name Salary Commission ---------- --------- ---------ALLEN $1,600 300 WARD $1,250 500 MARTIN $1,250 1400 TURNER $1,500 0

Formatting Query Results 4-5

Formatting Columns

Use a zero in your format model, as shown above, when you use other formats such as a dollar sign and wish to display a zero in place of a blank for zero values.
Note: The format model will stay in effect until you enter a new one, reset the columns format, or exit from SQL*Plus.

Formatting Datatypes
When displaying datatypes, you can either accept the SQL*Plus default display width or you can change it using the COLUMN command. Datatypes, in this manual, include the following variables:
s

CHAR NCHAR VARCHAR2 (VARCHAR) NVARCHAR2 (NCHAR VARYING) DATE LONG CLOB NCLOB

Note: The NCHAR, NVARCHAR2 (NCHAR VARYING), CLOB and NCLOB datatypes require Oracle8 or higher.

Default Display
The default width of datatype columns is the width of the column in the database. The default width and format of unformatted DATE columns in SQL*Plus is derived from the NLS parameters in effect. Otherwise, the default format width is A9. For more information on formatting DATE columns, see the FORMAT clause of the COLUMN command in Chapter 8.
Note: The default justification for datatypes is left justification.

4-6

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Formatting Columns

Changing the Default Display

You can change the displayed width of a datatype or DATE, by using the COLUMN command with a format model consisting of the letter A (for alphanumeric) followed by a number representing the width of the column in characters. Within the COLUMN command, identify the column you want to format and the model you want to use:
COLUMN column_name FORMAT model

If you specify a width shorter than the column heading, SQL*Plus truncates the heading. If you specify a width for a LONG, CLOB, or NCLOB column, SQL*Plus uses the LONGCHUNKSIZE or the specified width, whichever is smaller, as the column width. See the COLUMN command in Chapter 8 for more details.
Example 45 Formatting a Character Column

To set the width of the column ENAME to four characters and rerun the current query, enter
SQL> COLUMN ENAME FORMAT A4 SQL> /

SQL*Plus displays the results:

Empl Department Name Salary Commission ---------- ---- ---------- ---------30 ALLE $1,600 300 N 30 WARD 30 MART IN 30 TURN ER $1,250 $1,250 500 1400

$1,500

Note: The format model will stay in effect until you enter a new one, reset the columns format, or exit from SQL*Plus. ENAME could be a CHAR, NCHAR, VARCHAR2 (VARCHAR), or NVARCHAR2 (NCHAR VARYING) column.

Formatting Query Results 4-7

Formatting Columns

If the WRAP variable of the SET command is set to ON (its default value), the employee names wrap to the next line after the fourth character, as shown in Example 45. If WRAP is set to OFF, the names are truncated (cut off) after the fourth character. The system variable WRAP controls all columns; you can override the setting of WRAP for a given column through the WRAPPED, WORD_WRAPPED, and TRUNCATED clauses of the COLUMN command. See the COLUMN command in Chapter 8 for more information on these clauses. You will use the WORD_ WRAPPED clause of COLUMN later in this chapter.
Note: The column heading is truncated regardless of the setting of WRAP or any COLUMN command clauses.

Now return the column to its previous format:

SQL> COLUMN ENAME FORMAT A10

Copying Column Display Attributes

When you want to give more than one column the same display attributes, you can reduce the length of the commands you must enter by using the LIKE clause of the COLUMN command. The LIKE clause tells SQL*Plus to copy the display attributes of a previously defined column to the new column, except for changes made by other clauses in the same command.
Example 46 Copying a Columns Display Attributes

To give the column COMM the same display attributes you gave to SAL, but to specify a different heading, enter the following command:
SQL> COLUMN COMM LIKE SAL HEADING Bonus

Rerun the query:

SQL> /

4-8

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Formatting Columns

SQL*Plus displays the following output:

Department ---------30 30 30 30 Employee Name Salary Bonus ---------- ---------- ---------ALLEN $1,600 $300 WARD $1,250 $500 MARTIN $1,250 $1,400 TURNER $1,500 $0

Listing and Resetting Column Display Attributes

To list the current display attributes for a given column, use the COLUMN command followed by the column name only, as shown below:
COLUMN column_name

To list the current display attributes for all columns, enter the COLUMN command with no column names or clauses after it:
COLUMN

To reset the display attributes for a column to their default values, use the CLEAR clause of the COLUMN command as shown below:
COLUMN column_name CLEAR

To reset the attributes for all columns, use the COLUMNS clause of the CLEAR command.
Example 47 Resetting Column Display Attributes to their Defaults

To reset all columns display attributes to their default values, enter the following command:
SQL> CLEAR COLUMNS columns cleared

You may wish to place the command CLEAR COLUMNS at the beginning of every command file to ensure that previously entered COLUMN commands will not affect queries you run in a given file.

Formatting Query Results 4-9

Formatting Columns

Suppressing and Restoring Column Display Attributes

You can suppress and restore the display attributes you have given a specific column. To suppress a columns display attributes, enter a COLUMN command in the following form:
COLUMN column_name OFF

The OFF clause tells SQL*Plus to use the default display attributes for the column, but does not remove the attributes you have defined through the COLUMN command. To restore the attributes you defined through COLUMN, use the ON clause:
COLUMN column_name ON

Printing a Line of Characters after Wrapped Column Values

As you have seen, by default SQL*Plus wraps column values to additional lines when the value does not fit within the column width. If you want to insert a record separator (a line of characters or a blank line) after each wrapped line of output (or after every row), use the RECSEP and RECSEPCHAR variables of the SET command. RECSEP determines when the line of characters is printed; you set RECSEP to EACH to print after every line, to WRAPPED to print after wrapped lines, and to OFF to suppress printing. The default setting of RECSEP is WRAPPED. RECSEPCHAR sets the character printed in each line. You can set RECSEPCHAR to any character. You may wish to wrap whole words to additional lines when a column value wraps to additional lines. To do so, use the WORD_WRAPPED clause of the COLUMN command as shown below:
COLUMN column_name WORD_WRAPPED

Example 48 Printing a Line of Characters after Wrapped Column Values

To print a line of dashes after each wrapped column value, enter the following commands:
SQL> SET RECSEP WRAPPED SQL> SET RECSEPCHAR -

4-10

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Clarifying Your Report with Spacing and Summary Lines

Now restrict the width of the column LOC and tell SQL*Plus to wrap whole words to additional lines when necessary:
SQL> COLUMN LOC FORMAT A7 WORD_WRAPPED

Finally, enter and run the following query:

SQL> SELECT * FROM DEPT;

SQL*Plus displays the results:

DEPTNO DNAME LOC ---------- --------------- ---------10 ACCOUNTING NEW YORK ------------------------------------------------20 RESEARCH DALLAS 30 SALES CHICAGO 40 OPERATIONS BOSTON

If you set RECSEP to EACH, SQL*Plus prints a line of characters after every row (after every department, for the above example). Before continuing, set RECSEP to OFF to suppress the printing of record separators:
SQL> SET RECSEP OFF

Clarifying Your Report with Spacing and Summary Lines

When you use an ORDER BY clause in your SQL SELECT command, rows with the same value in the ordered column (or expression) are displayed together in your output. You can make this output more useful to the user by using the SQL*Plus BREAK and COMPUTE commands to create subsets of records and add space and/or summary lines after each subset. The column you specify in a BREAK command is called a break column. By including the break column in your ORDER BY clause, you create meaningful subsets of records in your output. You can then add formatting to the subsets within the same BREAK command, and add a summary line (containing totals, averages, and so on) by specifying the break column in a COMPUTE command.

Formatting Query Results 4-11

Clarifying Your Report with Spacing and Summary Lines

For example, the following query, without BREAK or COMPUTE commands,

SQL> 2 3 4 SELECT DEPTNO, ENAME, SAL FROM EMP WHERE SAL < 2500 ORDER BY DEPTNO;

produces the following unformatted results:

DEPTNO -------10 10 20 20 30 30 30 30 30 ENAME SAL ---------- --------CLARK 2450 MILLER 1300 SMITH 800 ADAMS 1100 ALLEN 1600 JAMES 950 TURNER 1500 WARD 1250 MARTIN 1250

To make this report more useful, you would use BREAK to establish DEPTNO as the break column. Through BREAK you could suppress duplicate values in DEPTNO and place blank lines or begin a new page between departments. You could use BREAK in conjunction with COMPUTE to calculate and print summary lines containing the total (and/or average, maximum, minimum, standard deviation, variance, or count of rows of) salary for each department and for all departments.

Suppressing Duplicate Values in Break Columns

The BREAK command suppresses duplicate values by default in the column or expression you name. Thus, to suppress the duplicate values in a column specified in an ORDER BY clause, use the BREAK command in its simplest form:
BREAK ON break_column

Note: Whenever you specify a column or expression in a BREAK command, use an ORDER BY clause specifying the same column or expression. If you do not do this, the breaks may appear to occur randomly.

4-12

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Clarifying Your Report with Spacing and Summary Lines

Example 49 Suppressing Duplicate Values in a Break Column

To suppress the display of duplicate department numbers in the query results shown above, enter the following commands:
SQL> SQL> 2 3 4 BREAK ON DEPTNO SELECT DEPTNO, ENAME, SAL FROM EMP WHERE SAL < 2500 ORDER BY DEPTNO;

SQL*Plus displays the following output:

DEPTNO ENAME SAL ---------- ----------- --------10 CLARK 2450 MILLER 1300 20 SMITH 800 ADAMS 1100 30 ALLEN 1600 JAMES 950 TURNER 1500 WARD 1250 MARTIN 1250

Inserting Space when a Break Columns Value Changes

You can insert blank lines or begin a new page each time the value changes in the break column. To insert n blank lines, use the BREAK command in the following form:
BREAK ON break_column SKIP n

To skip a page, use the command in this form:

BREAK ON break_column SKIP PAGE

Example 410 Inserting Space when a Break Columns Value Changes

To place one blank line between departments, enter the following command:
SQL> BREAK ON DEPTNO SKIP 1

Now rerun the query:

SQL> /

Formatting Query Results 4-13

Clarifying Your Report with Spacing and Summary Lines

SQL*Plus displays the results:

DEPTNO ENAME SAL ---------- ----------- --------10 CLARK 2450 MILLER 1300 20 SMITH ADAMS 30 ALLEN JAMES TURNER WARD MARTIN 800 1100 1600 950 1500 1250 1250

Inserting Space after Every Row

You may wish to insert blank lines or a blank page after every row. To skip n lines after every row, use BREAK in the following form:
BREAK ON ROW SKIP n

To skip a page after every row, use

BREAK ON ROW SKIP PAGE

Note: SKIP PAGE does not cause a physical page break unless you have also specified NEWPAGE 0.

Using Multiple Spacing Techniques

Suppose you have more than one column in your ORDER BY clause and wish to insert space when each columns value changes. Each BREAK command you enter replaces the previous one. Thus, if you want to use different spacing techniques in one report or insert space after the value changes in more than one ordered column, you must specify multiple columns and actions in a single BREAK command.

4-14

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Clarifying Your Report with Spacing and Summary Lines

Example 411 Combining Spacing Techniques

First, add another column to the current query:

SQL> 1 2 3 4* SQL> SQL> L SELECT DEPTNO, ENAME, SAL FROM EMP WHERE SAL < 2500 ORDER BY DEPTNO 1 SELECT DEPTNO, JOB, ENAME, SAL 4 ORDER BY DEPTNO, JOB

Now, to skip a page when the value of DEPTNO changes and one line when the value of JOB changes, enter the following command:
SQL> BREAK ON DEPTNO SKIP PAGE ON JOB SKIP 1

To show that SKIP PAGE has taken effect, create a TTITLE with a page number, enter
SQL> TTITLE COL 35 FORMAT 9 Page: SQL.PNO

Run the new query to see the results:

SQL> / Page: 1 DEPTNO JOB ENAME SAL ---------- --------- ---------- ---------10 CLERK MILLER 300 MANAGER CLARK 2450

Page: 2 DEPTNO JOB ENAME SAL ---------- --------- ---------- ---------20 CLERK SMITH 800 ADAMS 1100 Page: 3 DEPTNO JOB ENAME SAL ---------- --------- ---------- ---------30 CLERK JAMES 950 SALESMAN ALLEN TURNER WARD MARTIN 1600 1500 1250 1250

Formatting Query Results 4-15

Clarifying Your Report with Spacing and Summary Lines

Listing and Removing Break Definitions

You can list your current break definition by entering the BREAK command with no clauses:
BREAK

You can remove the current break definition by entering the CLEAR command with the BREAKS clause:
CLEAR BREAKS

You may wish to place the command CLEAR BREAKS at the beginning of every command file to ensure that previously entered BREAK commands will not affect queries you run in a given file.

Computing Summary Lines when a Break Columns Value Changes

If you organize the rows of a report into subsets with the BREAK command, you can perform various computations on the rows in each subset. You do this with the functions of the SQL*Plus COMPUTE command. Use the BREAK and COMPUTE commands together in the following forms:
BREAK ON break_column COMPUTE function LABEL label_name OF column column column ... ON break_column

You can include multiple break columns and actions, such as skipping lines in the BREAK command, as long as the column you name after ON in the COMPUTE command also appears after ON in the BREAK command. To include multiple break columns and actions in BREAK when using it in conjunction with COMPUTE, use these commands in the following forms:
BREAK ON break_column_1 SKIP PAGE ON break_column_2 SKIP 1 COMPUTE function LABEL label_name OF column column column ... ON break_column_2

The COMPUTE command has no effect without a corresponding BREAK command. You can COMPUTE on NUMBER columns and, in certain cases, on all types of columns. For more information about the COMPUTE command, see the "Command Reference" in Chapter 8.

4-16

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Clarifying Your Report with Spacing and Summary Lines

The following table lists compute functions and their effects

Table 41 Compute Functions
Function SUM MINIMUM MAXIMUM AVG STD VARIANCE COUNT NUMBER Effect

Computes the sum of the values in the column. Computes the minimum value in the column. Computes the maximum value in the column. Computes the average of the values in the column. Computes the standard deviation of the values in the column. Computes the variance of the values in the column. Computes the number of non-null values in the column. Computes the number of rows in the column.

The function you specify in the COMPUTE command applies to all columns you enter after OFF and before ON. The computed values print on a separate line when the value of the ordered column changes. Labels for ON REPORT and ON ROW computations appear in the first column; otherwise, they appear in the column specified in the ON clause. You can change the compute label by using COMPUTE LABEL. If you do not define a label for the computed value, SQL*Plus prints the unabbreviated function keyword. The compute label can be suppressed by using the NOPRINT option of the COLUMN command on the break column. See the COMPUTE command in Chapter 8 for more details.
Example 412 Computing and Printing Subtotals

To compute the total of SAL by department, first list the current BREAK definition:
SQL> BREAK break on DEPTNO skip 0 page nodup on JOB skip 1 nodup

Formatting Query Results 4-17

Clarifying Your Report with Spacing and Summary Lines

Now enter the following COMPUTE command and run the current query:
SQL> COMPUTE SUM OF SAL ON DEPTNO SQL> /

SQL*Plus displays the following output:

DEPTNO JOB ENAME SAL ---------- --------- ---------- ---------10 CLERK MILLER 1300 MANAGER CLARK ********** ********* sum 2450 ---------3750

DEPTNO JOB ENAME SAL ---------- --------- ---------- ---------20 CLERK SMITH 800 ADAMS 1100 ********** ********* ---------sum 1900 DEPTNO JOB ENAME SAL ---------- --------- ---------- ---------30 CLERK JAMES 950 SALESMAN ALLEN TURNER WARD MARTIN ********** ********* sum 1600 1500 1250 1250 ---------6550

To compute the sum of salaries for departments 10 and 20 without printing the compute label:
SQL> SQL> SQL> SQL> 2 3 4 COLUMN DUMMY NOPRINT COMPUTE SUM OF SAL ON DUMMY BREAK ON DUMMY SKIP 1 SELECT DEPTNO DUMMY, DEPTNO, ENAME, SAL FROM EMP WHERE DEPTNO <= 20 ORDER BY DEPTNO;

4-18

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Clarifying Your Report with Spacing and Summary Lines

SQL*Plus displays the following output:

DEPTNO ---------10 10 10 ENAME SAL ---------- ---------KING 5000 CLARK 2450 MILLER 1300 ---------8750 JONES FORD SMITH SCOTT ADAMS 2975 3000 800 3000 1100 ---------10875

20 20 20 20 20

To compute the salaries at the end of the report:

SQL> SQL> SQL> SQL> 2 3 4 COLUMN DUMMY NOPRINT COMPUTE SUM OF SAL ON DUMMY BREAK ON DUMMY SELECT NULL DUMMY, DEPTNO, ENAME, SAL FROM EMP WHERE DEPTNO <= 20 ORDER BY DEPTNO;

SQL*Plus displays the following output:

DEPTNO ---------10 10 10 20 20 20 20 20 ENAME SAL ---------- ---------KING 5000 CLARK 2450 MILLER 1300 JONES 2975 FORD 3000 SMITH 800 SCOTT 3000 ADAMS 1100 ---------19625

Formatting Query Results 4-19

Clarifying Your Report with Spacing and Summary Lines

Note: The format of the column SAL controls the appearance of the sum of SAL, as well as the individual values of SAL. When you establish the format of a NUMBER column, you must allow for the size of sums you will include in your report.

Computing Summary Lines at the End of the Report

You can calculate and print summary lines based on all values in a column by using BREAK and COMPUTE in the following forms:
BREAK ON REPORT COMPUTE function LABEL label_name OF column column column ... ON REPORT

Example 413 Computing and Printing a Grand Total

To calculate and print the grand total of salaries for all salesmen and change the compute label, first enter the following BREAK and COMPUTE commands:
SQL> BREAK ON REPORT SQL> COMPUTE SUM LABEL TOTAL OF SAL ON REPORT

Next, enter and run a new query:

SQL> SELECT ENAME, SAL 2 FROM EMP 3 WHERE JOB = SALESMAN;

SQL*Plus displays the results:

ENAME SAL ---------- -------ALLEN 1600 WARD 1250 MARTIN 1250 TURNER 1500 ********** -------TOTAL 5600

4-20

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Clarifying Your Report with Spacing and Summary Lines

To print a grand total (or grand average, grand maximum, and so on) in addition to subtotals (or sub-averages, and so on), include a break column and an ON REPORT clause in your BREAK command. Then, enter one COMPUTE command for the break column and another to compute ON REPORT:
BREAK ON break_column ON REPORT COMPUTE function LABEL label_name OF column ON break_column COMPUTE function LABEL label_name OF column ON REPORT

Computing Multiple Summary Values and Lines

You can compute and print the same type of summary value on different columns. To do so, enter a separate COMPUTE command for each column.
Example 414 Computing the Same Type of Summary Value on Different Columns

To print the total of salaries and commissions for all salesmen, first enter the following COMPUTE command:
SQL> COMPUTE SUM OF SAL COMM ON REPORT

You do not have to enter a BREAK command; the BREAK you entered in Example 413 is still in effect. Now, add COMM to the current query:
SQL> 1 SELECT ENAME, SAL, COMM

Finally, run the revised query to see the results:

SQL> / ENAME SAL COMM ---------- -------- ---------ALLEN 1600 300 WARD 1250 500 MARTIN 1250 1400 TURNER 1500 0 ********** -------- ---------sum 5600 2200

You can also print multiple summary lines on the same break column. To do so, include the function for each summary line in the COMPUTE command as follows:
COMPUTE function LABEL label_name function LABEL label_name function LABEL label_name ... OF column ON break_column

Formatting Query Results 4-21

Clarifying Your Report with Spacing and Summary Lines

If you include multiple columns after OFF and before ON, COMPUTE calculates and prints values for each column you specify.
Example 415 Computing Multiple Summary Lines on the Same Break Column

To compute the average and sum of salaries for the sales department, first enter the following BREAK and COMPUTE commands:
SQL> BREAK ON DEPTNO SQL> COMPUTE AVG SUM OF SAL ON DEPTNO

Now, enter and run the following query:

SQL> 2 3 4 SELECT DEPTNO, ENAME, SAL FROM EMP WHERE DEPTNO = 30 ORDER BY DEPTNO, SAL;

SQL*Plus displays the results:

DEPTNO ENAME SAL ---------- ---------- ---------30 JAMES 950 WARD 1250 MARTIN 1250 TURNER 1500 ALLEN 1600 BLAKE 2850 ********** ---------avg 1566.66667 sum 9400

Listing and Removing COMPUTE Definitions

You can list your current COMPUTE definitions by entering the COMPUTE command with no clauses:
COMPUTE

You can remove all the COMPUTE definitions by entering the CLEAR command with the COMPUTES clause.

4-22

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Defining Page and Report Titles and Dimensions

Example 416 Removing COMPUTE Definitions

To remove all COMPUTE definitions and the accompanying BREAK definition, enter the following commands:
SQL> CLEAR BREAKS breaks cleared SQL> CLEAR COMPUTES computes cleared

You may wish to place the commands CLEAR BREAKS and CLEAR COMPUTES at the beginning of every command file to ensure that previously entered BREAK and COMPUTE commands will not affect queries you run in a given file.

Defining Page and Report Titles and Dimensions

The word page refers to a screenful of information on your display or a page of a spooled (printed) report. You can place top and bottom titles on each page, set the number of lines per page, and determine the width of each line. The word report refers to the complete results of a query. You can also place headers and footers on each report and format them in the same way as top and bottom titles on pages.

Setting the Top and Bottom Titles and Headers and Footers
As you have already seen, you can set a title to display at the top of each page of a report. You can also set a title to display at the bottom of each page. The TTITLE command defines the top title; the BTITLE command defines the bottom title. You can also set a header and footer for each report. The REPHEADER command defines the report header; the REPFOOTER command defines the report footer. A TTITLE, BTITLE, REPHEADER or REPFOOTER command consists of the command name followed by one or more clauses specifying a position or format and a CHAR value you wish to place in that position or give that format. You can include multiple sets of clauses and CHAR values:
TTITLE position_clause(s) char_value position_clause(s) char_value ... BTITLE position_clause(s) char_value position_clause(s) char_value ... REPHEADER position_clause(s) char_value position_clause(s) char_value ... REPFOOTER position_clause(s) char_value position_clause(s) char_value ...

The most often used clauses of TTITLE, BTITLE, REPHEADER and REPFOOTER are summarized in the following table. For descriptions of all TTITLE, BTITLE,

Formatting Query Results 4-23

Defining Page and Report Titles and Dimensions

REPHEADER and REPFOOTER clauses, see the TTITLE and REPHEADER commands in Chapter 8.
Table 42 Often-Used Clauses of TTITLE, BTITLE, REPHEADER, and REPFOOTER
Clause COL n Example Description COL 72

Makes the next CHAR value appear in the specified column of the line. Skips to a new line n times. If n is greater than 1, n-1 blank lines appear before the next CHAR value. Left-aligns the following CHAR value. Centers the following CHAR value. Right-aligns the following CHAR value.

SKIP n

SKIP 2

LEFT CENTER RIGHT

LEFT CENTER RIGHT

Example 417 Placing a Top and Bottom Title on a Page

To put titles at the top and bottom of each page of a report, enter
SQL> TTITLE CENTER > ACME WIDGET SALES DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL REPORT SQL> BTITLE CENTER COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

Now run the current query:

SQL> /

SQL*Plus displays the following output:

DEPTNO ---------30 30 30 30 30 30 ACME WIDGET SALES DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL REPORT ENAME SAL ---------- ---------JAMES 950 WARD 1250 MARTIN 1250 TURNER 1500 ALLEN 1600 BLAKE 2850

COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

4-24

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Defining Page and Report Titles and Dimensions

Example 418 Placing a Header on a Report

To put a report header on a separate page, and to center it, enter

SQL> REPHEADER PAGE CENTER ACME WIDGET

Now run the current query:

SQL> /

SQL*Plus displays the following output on page one

ACME WIDGET SALES DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL REPORT ACME WIDGET

COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

and the following output on page two

DEPTNO ---------30 30 30 30 30 30 ACME WIDGET SALES DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL REPORT ENAME SAL ---------- ---------JAMES 950 WARD 1250 MARTIN 1250 TURNER 1500 ALLEN 1600 BLAKE 2850

COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

To suppress the report header without changing its definition, enter

SQL> REPHEADER OFF

Formatting Query Results 4-25

Defining Page and Report Titles and Dimensions

Positioning Title Elements

The report in the preceding exercises might look more attractive if you give the company name more emphasis and place the type of report and the department name on either end of a separate line. It may also help to reduce the linesize and thus center the titles more closely around the data. You can accomplish these changes by adding some clauses to the TTITLE command and by resetting the system variable LINESIZE, as the following example shows. You can format report headers and footers in the same way as BTITLE and TTITLE using the REPHEADER and REPFOOTER commands.
Example 419 Positioning Title Elements

To redisplay the personnel report with a repositioned top title, enter the following commands:
SQL> TTITLE CENTER A C M E W I D G E T SKIP 1 > CENTER ================ SKIP 1 LEFT PERSONNEL REPORT > RIGHT SALES DEPARTMENT SKIP 2 SQL> SET LINESIZE 60 SQL> /

SQL*Plus displays the results:

A C M E W I D G E T ==================== PERSONNEL REPORT DEPTNO ---------30 30 30 30 30 30 SALES DEPARTMENT

ENAME SAL ---------- ---------JAMES 950 WARD 1250 MARTIN 1250 TURNER 1500 ALLEN 1600 BLAKE 2850 COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

The LEFT, RIGHT, and CENTER clauses place the following values at the beginning, end, and center of the line. The SKIP clause tells SQL*Plus to move down one or more lines. Note that there is no longer any space between the last row of the results and the bottom title. The last line of the bottom title prints on the last line of the page. The amount of space between the last row of the report and the bottom title depends on

4-26

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Defining Page and Report Titles and Dimensions

the overall page size, the number of lines occupied by the top title, and the number of rows in a given page. In the above example, the top title occupies three more lines than the top title in the previous example. You will learn to set the number of lines per page later in this chapter. To always print n blank lines before the bottom title, use the SKIP n clause at the beginning of the BTITLE command. For example, to skip one line before the bottom title in the example above, you could enter the following command:
BTITLE SKIP 1 CENTER COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

Indenting a Title Element

You can use the COL clause in TTITLE or BTITLE to indent the title element a specific number of spaces. For example, COL 1 places the following values in the first character position, and so is equivalent to LEFT, or an indent of zero. COL 15 places the title element in the 15th character position, indenting it 14 spaces.
Example 420 Indenting a Title Element

To print the company name left-aligned with the report name indented five spaces on the next line, enter
SQL> TTITLE LEFT ACME WIDGET SKIP 1 > COL 6 SALES DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL REPORT SKIP 2

Now rerun the current query to see the results:

SQL> / ACME WIDGET SALES DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL REPORT DEPTNO ---------30 30 30 30 30 30 ENAME SAL ---------- ---------JAMES 950 WARD 1250 MARTIN 1250 TURNER 1500 ALLEN 1600 BLAKE 2850 COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

Formatting Query Results 4-27

Defining Page and Report Titles and Dimensions

Entering Long Titles

If you need to enter a title greater than 500 characters in length, you can use the SQL*Plus command DEFINE to place the text of each line of the title in a separate user variable:
SQL> DEFINE LINE1 = This is the first line... SQL> DEFINE LINE2 = This is the second line... SQL> DEFINE LINE3 = This is the third line...

Then, reference the variables in your TTITLE or BTITLE command as follows:

SQL> TTITLE CENTER LINE1 SKIP 1 CENTER LINE2 SKIP 1 > CENTER LINE3

Displaying the Page Number and other System-Maintained Values in Titles

You can display the current page number and other system-maintained values in your title by entering a system value name as a title element, for example:
TTITLE LEFT system-maintained_value_name

There are five system-maintained values you can display in titles, the most commonly used of which is SQL.PNO (the current page number). For a list of system-maintained values you can display in titles, see the TTITLE command in the "Command Reference" in Chapter 8.
Example 421 Displaying the Current Page Number in a Title

To display the current page number at the top of each page, along with the company name, enter the following command:
SQL> TTITLE LEFT ACME WIDGET RIGHT PAGE: SQL.PNO SKIP 2

Now rerun the current query:

SQL> /

4-28

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Defining Page and Report Titles and Dimensions

SQL*Plus displays the following results:

ACME WIDGET DEPTNO ---------30 30 30 30 30 30 ENAME SAL ---------- ---------JAMES 950 WARD 1250 MARTIN 1250 TURNER 1500 ALLEN 1600 BLAKE 2850 PAGE: 1

COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

Note that SQL.PNO has a format ten spaces wide. You can change this format with the FORMAT clause of TTITLE (or BTITLE).
Example 422 Formatting a System-Maintained Value in a Title

To close up the space between the word PAGE: and the page number, reenter the TTITLE command as shown:
SQL> TTITLE LEFT ACME WIDGET RIGHT PAGE: FORMAT 999 > SQL.PNO SKIP 2

Now rerun the query:

SQL> /

SQL*Plus displays the following results:

ACME WIDGET DEPTNO ---------30 30 30 30 30 30 ENAME SAL ---------- ---------JAMES 950 WARD 1250 MARTIN 1250 TURNER 1500 ALLEN 1600 BLAKE 2850 PAGE: 1

COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

Formatting Query Results 4-29

Defining Page and Report Titles and Dimensions

Listing, Suppressing, and Restoring Page Title Definitions

To list a page title definition, enter the appropriate title command with no clauses:
TTITLE BTITLE

To suppress a title definition, enter:

TTITLE OFF BTITLE OFF

These commands cause SQL*Plus to cease displaying titles on reports, but do not clear the current definitions of the titles. You may restore the current definitions by entering:
TTITLE ON BTITLE ON

Displaying Column Values in Titles

You may wish to create a master/detail report that displays a changing master column value at the top of each page with the detail query results for that value below. You can reference a column value in a top title by storing the desired value in a variable and referencing the variable in a TTITLE command. Use the following form of the COLUMN command to define the variable:
COLUMN column_name NEW_VALUE variable_name

You must include the master column in an ORDER BY clause and in a BREAK command using the SKIP PAGE clause.
Example 423 Creating a Master/Detail Report

Suppose you want to create a report that displays two different managers employee numbers, each at the top of a separate page, and the people reporting to the manager on the same page as the manager s employee number. First create a variable, MGRVAR, to hold the value of the current managers employee number:
SQL> COLUMN MGR NEW_VALUE MGRVAR NOPRINT

Because you will display the managers employee numbers in the title, you do not want them to print as part of the detail. The NOPRINT clause you entered above tells SQL*Plus not to print the column MGR.

4-30

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Defining Page and Report Titles and Dimensions

Next, include a label and the value in your page title, enter the proper BREAK command, and suppress the bottom title from the last example:
SQL> TTITLE LEFT Manager: MGRVAR SKIP 2 SQL> BREAK ON MGR SKIP PAGE SQL> BTITLE OFF

Finally, enter and run the following query:

SQL> 2 3 4 SELECT MGR, ENAME, SAL, DEPTNO FROM EMP WHERE MGR IN (7698, 7839) ORDER BY MGR;

SQL*Plus displays the following output:

Manager: 7698

ENAME SAL DEPTNO ---------- -------- ---------ALLEN 1600 30 WARD 1250 30 TURNER 1500 30 MARTIN 1250 30 JAMES 950 30 Manager: 7839

ENAME SAL DEPTNO ---------- -------- ---------JONES 2975 20 BLAKE 2850 30 CLARK 2450 10

If you want to print the value of a column at the bottom of the page, you can use the COLUMN command in the following form:
COLUMN column_name OLD_VALUE variable_name

SQL*Plus prints the bottom title as part of the process of breaking to a new pageafter finding the new value for the master column. Therefore, if you simply referenced the NEW_VALUE of the master column, you would get the value for the next set of details. OLD_VALUE remembers the value of the master column that was in effect before the page break began.

Formatting Query Results 4-31

Defining Page and Report Titles and Dimensions

Displaying the Current Date in Titles

You can, of course, date your reports by simply typing a value in the title. This is satisfactory for ad hoc reports, but if you want to run the same report repeatedly, you would probably prefer to have the date automatically appear when the report is run. You can do this by creating a variable to hold the current date. To create the variable (in this example named _DATE), you can add the following commands to your SQL*Plus LOGIN file:
SET TERMOUT OFF BREAK ON TODAY COLUMN TODAY NEW_VALUE _DATE SELECT TO_CHAR(SYSDATE, fmMonth DD, YYYY) TODAY FROM DUAL; CLEAR BREAKS SET TERMOUT ON

When you start SQL*Plus, these commands place the value of SYSDATE (the current date) into a variable named _DATE. To display the current date, you can reference _DATE in a title as you would any other variable. The date format model you include in the SELECT command in your LOGIN file determines the format in which SQL*Plus displays the date. See your Oracle8i SQL Reference for more information on date format models. For more information about the LOGIN file, see the section "Modifying Your LOGIN File" in Chapter 3. You can also enter these commands interactively at the command prompt. For more information, see the COLUMN command in Chapter 8.

Setting Page Dimensions

Typically, a page of a report contains the number of blank line(s) set in the NEWPAGE variable of the SET command, a top title, column headings, your query results, and a bottom title. SQL*Plus displays a report that is too long to fit on one page on several consecutive pages, each with its own titles and column headings. The amount of data SQL*Plus displays on each page depends on the current page dimensions. The default page dimensions used by SQL*Plus are shown below:
s

number of lines before the top title: 1 number of lines per page, from the top title to the bottom of the page: 24 number of characters per line: 80

4-32

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Defining Page and Report Titles and Dimensions

You can change these settings to match the size of your computer screen or, for printing, the size of a sheet of paper. You can change the page length with the system variable PAGESIZE. For example, you may wish to do so when you print a report, since printed pages are customarily 66 lines long. To set the number of lines between the beginning of each page and the top title, use the NEWPAGE variable of the SET command:
SET NEWPAGE number_of_lines

If you set NEWPAGE to zero, SQL*Plus skips zero lines and displays and prints a formfeed character to begin a new page. On most types of computer screens, the formfeed character clears the screen and moves the cursor to the beginning of the first line. When you print a report, the formfeed character makes the printer move to the top of a new sheet of paper, even if the overall page length is less than that of the paper. If you set NEWPAGE to NONE, SQL*Plus does not print a blank line or formfeed between report pages. To set the number of lines on a page, use the PAGESIZE variable of the SET command:
SET PAGESIZE number_of_lines

You may wish to reduce the linesize to center a title properly over your output, or you may want to increase linesize for printing on wide paper. You can change the line width using the LINESIZE variable of the SET command:
SET LINESIZE number_of_characters

Example 424 Setting Page Dimensions

To set the page size to 66 lines, clear the screen (or advance the printer to a new sheet of paper) at the start of each page, and set the linesize to 32, enter the following commands:
SQL> SET PAGESIZE 66 SQL> SET NEWPAGE 0 SQL> SET LINESIZE 32

Formatting Query Results 4-33

Defining Page and Report Titles and Dimensions

Now enter and run the following commands to see the results:
SQL> TTITLE CENTER ACME WIDGET PERSONNEL REPORT SKIP 1 > CENTER 10-JAN-89 SKIP 2 SQL> COLUMN DEPTNO HEADING DEPARTMENT SQL> COLUMN ENAME HEADING EMPLOYEE SQL> COLUMN SAL FORMAT $99,999 HEADING SALARY SQL> SELECT DEPTNO, ENAME, SAL 2 FROM EMP 3 ORDER BY DEPTNO;

SQL*Plus displays a formfeed followed by the query results:

ACME WIDGET PERSONNEL REPORT 10-JAN-89 DEPARTMENT ---------10 10 10 20 20 20 20 20 30 30 30 30 30 30 EMPLOYEE SALARY ---------- ---------CLARK $2,450 KING $5,000 MILLER $1,300 SMITH $800 ADAMS $1,100 FORD $3,000 SCOTT $3,000 JONES $2,975 ALLEN $1,600 BLAKE $2,850 MARTIN $1,250 JAMES $950 TURNER $1,500 WARD $1,250

Now reset PAGESIZE, NEWPAGE, and LINESIZE to their default values:

SQL> SET PAGESIZE 24 SQL> SET NEWPAGE 1 SQL> SET LINESIZE 80

4-34

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Storing and Printing Query Results

To list the current values of these variables, use the SHOW command:
SQL> SHOW PAGESIZE pagesize 24 SQL> SHOW NEWPAGE newpage 1 SQL> SHOW LINESIZE linesize 80

Through the SQL*Plus command SPOOL, you can store your query results in a file or print them on your computers default printer.

Sending Results to a File

To store the results of a query in a fileand still display them on the screenenter the SPOOL command in the following form:
SPOOL file_name

SQL*Plus stores all information displayed on the screen after you enter the SPOOL command in the file you specify.

Storing and Printing Query Results

Send your query results to a file when you want to edit them with a word processor before printing or include them in a letter, memo, or other document. To store the results of a query in a fileand still display them on the screenenter the SPOOL command in the following form:
SPOOL file_name

If you do not follow the filename with a period and an extension, SPOOL adds a default file extension to the filename to identify it as an output file. The default varies with the host operating system; on most hosts it is LST or LIS. See the Oracle installation and users manual(s) provided for your operating system for more information. SQL*Plus continues to spool information to the file until you turn spooling off, using the following form of SPOOL:
SPOOL OFF

Formatting Query Results 4-35

Storing and Printing Query Results

Creating a Flat File

When moving data between different software products, it is sometimes necessary to use a "flat" file (an operating system file with no escape characters, headings, or extra characters embedded). For example, if you do not have Net8, you need to create a flat file for use with SQL*Loader when moving data from Oracle7 to Oracle8. To create a flat file with SQL*Plus, you first must enter the following SET commands:
SET SET SET SET SET SET SET NEWPAGE 0 SPACE 0 LINESIZE 80 PAGESIZE 0 ECHO OFF FEEDBACK OFF HEADING OFF

After entering these commands, you use the SPOOL command as shown in the previous section to create the flat file. The SET COLSEP command may be useful to delineate the columns. For more information, see the SET command in Chapter 8.

Sending Results to a Printer

To print query results, spool them to a file as described in the previous section. Then, instead of using SPOOL OFF, enter the command in the following form:
SPOOL OUT

SQL*Plus stops spooling and copies the contents of the spooled file to your host computers standard (default) printer. SPOOL OUT does not delete the spool file after printing.
Example 425 Sending Query Results to a Printer

To generate a final report and spool and print the results, create a command file named EMPRPT containing the following commands. First, use EDIT to create the command file with your host operating system text editor. (Do not use INPUT and SAVE, or SQL*Plus will add a slash to the end of the file and will run the command file twiceonce as a result of the semicolon and once due to the slash.)

4-36

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Storing and Printing Query Results

SQL> EDIT EMPRPT

Next, enter the following commands into the file, using your text editor:
SPOOL CLEAR CLEAR CLEAR TEMP COLUMNS BREAKS COMPUTES

COLUMN DEPTNO HEADING DEPARTMENT COLUMN ENAME HEADING EMPLOYEE COLUMN SAL HEADING SALARY FORMAT $99,999 BREAK ON DEPTNO SKIP 1 ON REPORT COMPUTE SUM OF SAL ON DEPTNO COMPUTE SUM OF SAL ON REPORT SET PAGESIZE 21 SET NEWPAGE 0 SET LINESIZE 30 TTITLE CENTER A C M E W I D G E T SKIP 2 LEFT EMPLOYEE REPORT RIGHT PAGE: FORMAT 999 SQL.PNO SKIP 2 BTITLE CENTER COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL SELECT DEPTNO, ENAME, SAL FROM EMP ORDER BY DEPTNO; SPOOL OUT

If you do not want to see the output on your screen, you can also add SET TERMOUT OFF to the beginning of the file and SET TERMOUT ON to the end of the file. Save the file (you automatically return to SQL*Plus). Now, run the command file EMPRPT:
SQL> @EMPRPT

Formatting Query Results 4-37

Storing and Printing Query Results

SQL*Plus displays the output on your screen (unless you set TERMOUT to OFF), spools it to the file TEMP, and sends the contents of TEMP to your default printer:
A C M E W I D G E T EMPLOYEE REPORT PAGE: 1

DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEE SALARY ---------- ---------- -------10 CLARK $2,450 KING $5,000 MILLER $1,300 ********** -------sum $8,750 20 SMITH ADAMS FORD SCOTT JONES ********** sum $800 $1,100 $3,000 $3,000 $2,975 -------$10,875

COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL A C M E W I D G E T

EMPLOYEE REPORT

PAGE:

DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEE ---------- ---------30 ALLEN BLAKE MARTIN JAMES TURNER WARD ********** sum ********** sum

SALARY -------$1,600 $2,850 $1,250 $900 $1,500 $1,250 -------$9,400 -------$29,025

COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

4-38

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

5
Database Administration
This chapter provides a brief overview of the database administration tools available in SQL*Plus, and discusses the following topics:
s

Overview Introduction to Database Startup and Shutdown Redo Log Files Database Recovery

This chapter is intended for use by database administrators. In order to access the functionality of the commands mentioned in this chapter, database administrator privileges are necessary. For more information on database administration, see the Oracle8i Concepts manual.

Database Administration 5-1

Overview

Overview
Special operations such as starting up or shutting down a database are performed by a database administrator (DBA). The DBA has certain privileges that are not assigned to normal users. The commands outlined in this chapter would normally be used by a DBA. For more information about security and roles in SQL*Plus, see Appendix E.

Introduction to Database Startup and Shutdown

An Oracle database may not always be available to all users. To open or close a database, or to start up or shut down an instance, you must be connected as SYSOPER or SYSDBA. Normal users do not have control over the current status of an Oracle database.

Database Startup
Starting a database involves three steps:
1.

Starting an instance An instance controls the background processes and the allocation of memory area to access an Oracle database.

2.

Mounting the database Mounting the database associates it with a previously started instance.

3.

Opening the database Opening the database makes it available for normal database operations.

For more information about database STARTUP, see the Oracle8i Concepts manual. For information about the STARTUP command, see the "Command Reference" in Chapter 8.
Example 51 Starting an Instance

To start an Oracle instance, without mounting the database, enter

SQL> STARTUP NOMOUNT

5-2

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Introduction to Database Startup and Shutdown

Example 52 Mounting the Database

To start an instance, mount the database, but leave the database closed, enter
SQL> STARTUP MOUNT

Example 53 Opening the Database

To start an instance using the parameter file INITSALE.ORA, mount and open the database named SALES in exclusive mode, and restrict access to administrative personnel, enter
SQL> STARTUP OPEN sales PFILE=INITSALE.ORA EXCLUSIVE RESTRICT

Database Shutdown
Shutting down a database involves three steps:
1.

Closing the database When a database is closed, all database and recovery data in the SGA are written to the datafiles and redo log files, and closes all online datafiles.

2.

Dismounting the database Dismounting the database disassociates the database from an instance and closes the control files of the database.

3.

Shutting down the instance Shutting down an instance reclaims the SGA from memory and terminates the background Oracle processes that constitute an Oracle instance.

For more information about database SHUTDOWN, see the Oracle8i Concepts manual. For information about the SHUTDOWN command, see the "Command Reference" in Chapter 8.
Example 54 Shutting Down the Database

To shut down the database in normal mode once it has been opened and mounted, enter
SQL> SHUTDOWN Database closed. Database dismounted. ORACLE instance shut down.

Database Administration 5-3

Redo Log Files

Redo Log Files

Every Oracle database has a set of two or more redo log files. The set of redo log files for a database is collectively referred to as the databases redo log. The redo log is used to record changes made to data. If, for example, there is a database failure, the redo log is used to recover the database. To protect against a failure involving the redo log itself, Oracle allows a mirrored redo log so that two or more copies of the redo log can be maintained on different disks.

ARCHIVELOG Mode
Operating a database in ARCHIVELOG mode enables the archiving of the online redo log. The ARCHIVELOG command permits a complete recovery from disk failure as well as instance failure, because all changes made to the database are permanently saved in an archived redo log. For more information about redo log files and database archiving modes, see the Oracle8i Concepts manual. For information about using the ARCHIVE LOG command, see the "Command Reference" in Chapter 8. To automatically begin archiving, enter
SQL> ARCHIVE LOG START

To list the details of the current log file being archived, enter
SQL> ARCHIVE LOG LIST

SQL*Plus displays results similar to the following:

Database log mode Automatic archival Archive destination Oldest online log sequence Next log sequence to archive Current log sequence Archive Mode Enabled /vobs/oracle/dbs/arch 221 222 222

5-4

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Database Recovery

Database Recovery
If a damaged database is in ARCHIVELOG mode, it is a candidate for either complete media recovery or incomplete media recovery operations. To begin media recovery operations use the RECOVER command. For more information about using the RECOVER command, see the "Command Reference" in Chapter 8. In order to begin recovery operations, you must have DBA privileges. To recover the database up to a specified time using a control backup file, enter
SQL> RECOVER DATABASE UNTIL TIME 1998-11-23:12:47:30> USING BACKUP CONTROLFILE

To recover two offline tablespaces, enter

SQL> RECOVER TABLESPACE ts1, ts2

Make sure that the tablespaces you are interested in recovering have been taken offline, before proceeding with recovery for those tablespaces.

Database Administration 5-5

Database Recovery

5-6

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

6
Accessing SQL Databases
This chapter explains how to access databases through SQL*Plus, and discusses the following topics:
s

Connecting to the Default Database Connecting to a Remote Database Copying Data from One Database to Another Copying Data between Tables on One Database

Read this chapter while sitting at your computer and try out the example shown. Before beginning, make sure you have access to the sample tables described in Chapter 1.

Accessing SQL Databases

6-1

Connecting to the Default Database

Connecting to the Default Database

In order to access data in a given database, you must first connect to the database. When you start SQL*Plus, you normally connect to your default Oracle database under the username and password you enter while starting. Once you have logged in, you can connect under a different username with the SQL*Plus CONNECT command. The username and password must be valid for the database. For example, to connect the username TODD to the default database using the password FOX, you could enter
SQL> CONNECT TODD/FOX

If you omit the username and password, SQL*Plus prompts you for them. You also have the option of typing only the username following CONNECT and omitting the password (SQL*Plus then prompts for the password). Because CONNECT first disconnects you from your current database, you will be left unconnected to any database if you use an invalid username and password in your CONNECT command. If you log on or connect as a user whose account has expired, SQL*Plus prompts you to change your password before you can connect. If an account is locked, a message is displayed and connection as this user is not permitted until the account is unlocked by your DBA. You can disconnect the username currently connected to Oracle without leaving SQL*Plus by entering the SQL*Plus command DISCONNECT at the SQL*Plus command prompt. The default database is configured at an operating system level by setting operating system environment variables, symbols or, possibly, by editing an Oracle specific configuration file. Refer to your Oracle documentation for your operating system for more information.

Connecting to a Remote Database

Many large installations run Oracle on more than one computer. Such computers are often connected in a network, which permits programs on different computers to exchange data rapidly and efficiently. Networked computers can be physically near each other, or can be separated by large distances and connected by telecommunication links.

6-2

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Connecting to a Remote Database

Databases on other computers or databases on your host computer other than your default database are called remote databases. You can access remote databases if the desired database has Net8 and both databases have compatible network drivers. You can connect to a remote database in one of two ways:
s

from within SQL*Plus, using the CONNECT command as you start SQL*Plus, using the SQLPLUS command

Connecting to a Remote Database from within SQL*Plus

To connect to a remote database using CONNECT, include a Net8 database specification in the CONNECT command in one of the following forms (the username and password you enter must be valid for the database to which you wish to connect):
s

CONNECT SCOTT@net_service_name CONNECT SCOTT/TIGER@net_service_name

SQL*Plus prompts you for a password as needed, and connects you to the specified database. This database becomes the default database until you CONNECT again to another database, DISCONNECT, or leave SQL*Plus. If you log on or connect as a user whose account has expired, SQL*Plus prompts you to change your password before you can connect. If an account is locked, a message is displayed and connection as this user is not permitted until the account is unlocked by your DBA. When you connect to a remote database in this manner, you can use the complete range of SQL and SQL*Plus commands and PL/SQL blocks on the database. The exact string you enter for the service name depends upon the Net8 protocol your computer uses. For more information, see CONNECT in Chapter 8 and the Net8 manual appropriate for your protocol, or contact your DBA.

Connecting to a Remote Database as You Start SQL*Plus

To connect to a remote database when you start SQL*Plus, include the Net8 service name in your SQLPLUS command in one of the following forms:
s

SQLPLUS SCOTT@net_service_name SQLPLUS SCOTT/TIGER@net_service_name

Accessing SQL Databases

6-3

Copying Data from One Database to Another

You must use a username and password valid for the remote database and substitute the appropriate service name for the remote database. SQL*Plus prompts you for username and password as needed, starts SQL*Plus, and connects you to the specified database. This database becomes the default database until you CONNECT to another database, DISCONNECT, or leave SQL*Plus. If you log on or connect as a user whose account has expired, SQL*Plus prompts you to change your password before you can connect. If an account is locked, a message is displayed and connection as this user is not permitted until the account is unlocked by your DBA. Once again, you can manipulate tables in the remote database directly after you connect in this manner.
Note: Do not confuse the @ symbol of the connect string with the @ command used to run a command file.

Copying Data from One Database to Another

Use the SQL*Plus COPY command to copy data between databases and between tables on the same database. With the COPY command, you can copy data between databases in the following ways:
s

copy data from a remote database to your local database copy data from your local (default) database to a remote database (on most systems) copy data from one remote database to another remote database (on most systems)
Note: In general, the COPY command was designed to be used for copying data between Oracle and non-Oracle databases. You should use SQL commands (CREATE TABLE AS and INSERT) to copy data between Oracle databases.

6-4

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Copying Data from One Database to Another

Understanding COPY Command Syntax

You enter the COPY command in the following form:
SQL> COPY FROM database TO database action > destination_table (column_name, column_name, > column_name ...) USING query

Here is a sample COPY command:

SQL> COPY FROM SCOTT/TIGER@BOSTONDB > TO TODD/FOX@CHICAGODB > CREATE NEWDEPT (DNUMBER, DNAME, CITY)> USING SELECT * FROM DEPT

To specify a database in the FROM or TO clause, you must have a valid username and password for the local and remote database(s) and know the appropriate service name(s). COPY obeys Oracle security, so the username you specify must have been granted access to tables for you to have access to tables. For information on what databases are available to you, contact your DBA. When you copy to your local database from a remote database, you can omit the TO clause. When you copy to a remote database from your local database, you can omit the FROM clause. When you copy between remote databases, you must include both clauses. The COPY command behaves differently based on whether the destination table already exists and on the action clause you enter (CREATE in the example above). For more information, see the section "Controlling Treatment of the Destination Table" later in this chapter. By default, the copied columns have the same names in the destination table that they have in the source table. If you want to give new names to the columns in the destination table, enter the new names in parentheses after the destination table name. If you enter any column names, you must enter a name for every column you are copying.

Accessing SQL Databases

6-5

Copying Data from One Database to Another

Note: To enable the copying of data between Oracle and non-Oracle databases, NUMBER columns are changed to DECIMAL columns in the destination table. Hence, if you are copying between Oracle databases, a NUMBER column with no precision will be changed to a DECIMAL(38) column. When copying between Oracle databases, you should use SQL commands (CREATE TABLE AS and INSERT) or you should ensure that your columns have a precision specified.

The USING clause specifies a query that names the source table and specifies the data that COPY copies to the destination table. You can use any form of the SQL SELECT command to select the data that the COPY command copies. Here is an example of a COPY command that copies only two columns from the source table, and copies only those rows in which the value of DEPTNO is 30:
SQL> COPY FROM SCOTT/TIGER@BOSTONDB > REPLACE EMPCOPY2 > USING SELECT ENAME, SAL > FROM EMPCOPY > WHERE DEPTNO = 30

You may find it easier to enter and edit long COPY commands in command files rather than trying to enter them directly at the command prompt.

Controlling Treatment of the Destination Table

You control the treatment of the destination table by entering one of four control clausesREPLACE, CREATE, INSERT, or APPEND. The REPLACE clause names the table to be created in the destination database and specifies the following actions:
s

If the destination table already exists, COPY drops the existing table and replaces it with a table containing the copied data. If the destination table does not already exist, COPY creates it using the copied data.

6-6

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Copying Data from One Database to Another

You can use the CREATE clause to avoid accidentally writing over an existing table. CREATE specifies the following actions:
s

If the destination table already exists, COPY reports an error and stops. If the destination table does not already exist, COPY creates the table using the copied data.

Use INSERT to insert data into an existing table. INSERT specifies the following actions:
s

If the destination table already exists, COPY inserts the copied data in the destination table. If the destination table does not already exist, COPY reports an error and stops.

Use APPEND when you want to insert data in an existing table, or create a new table if the destination table does not exist. APPEND specifies the following actions:
s

If the destination table already exists, COPY inserts the copied data in the destination table. If the table does not already exist, COPY creates the table and then inserts the copied data in it.

Example 61 Copying from a Remote Database to Your Local Database Using CREATE

To copy EMP from a remote database into a table called EMPCOPY on your own database, enter the following command:
Note: See your DBA for an appropriate username, password, and service name for a remote computer that contains a copy of EMP.

SQL> COPY FROM SCOTT/TIGER@BOSTONDB > CREATE EMPCOPY > USING SELECT * FROM EMP

SQL*Plus displays the following messages:

Array fetch/bind size is 20. (arraysize is 20) Will commit when done. (copycommit is 0) Maximum long size is 80. (long is 80)

Accessing SQL Databases

6-7

Copying Data from One Database to Another

SQL*Plus then creates the table EMPCOPY, copies the rows, and displays the following additional messages:
Table EMPCOPY created. 14 rows selected from SCOTT@BOSTONDB. 14 rows inserted into EMPCOPY. 14 rows committed into EMPCOPY at DEFAULT HOST connection.

In this COPY command, the FROM clause directs COPY to connect you to the database with the specification D:BOSTON-MFG as SCOTT, with the password TIGER. Notice that you do not need a semicolon at the end of the command; COPY is a SQL*Plus command, not a SQL command, even though it contains a query. Since most COPY commands are longer than one line, you must use a hyphen (-), optionally preceded by a space, at the end of each line except the last.

Interpreting the Messages that COPY Displays

The first three messages displayed by COPY show the values of SET command variables that affect the COPY operation. The most important one is LONG, which limits the length of a LONG columns value. (LONG is a datatype, similar to CHAR.) If the source table contains a LONG column, COPY truncates values in that column to the length specified by the system variable LONG. The variable ARRAYSIZE limits the number of rows that SQL*Plus fetches from the database at one time. This number of rows makes up a batch. The variable COPYCOMMIT sets the number of batches after which COPY commits changes to the database. (If you set COPYCOMMIT to zero, COPY commits changes only after all batches are copied.) For more information on the variables of the SET command, including how to change their settings, see the SET command in Chapter 8. After listing the three system variables and their values, COPY tells you if a table was dropped, created, or updated during the copy. Then COPY lists the number of rows selected, inserted, and committed.

Specifying Another Users Table

You can refer to another users table in a COPY command by qualifying the table name with the username, just as you would in your local database, or in a query with a database link.

6-8

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Copying Data between Tables on One Database

For example, to make a local copy of a table named DEPT, owned by the username ADAMS on the database associated with the Net8 connect string BOSTONDB, you would enter
SQL> COPY FROM SCOTT/TIGER@BOSTONDB > CREATE EMPCOPY2 > USING SELECT * FROM ADAMS.DEPT

Of course, you could get the same result by instructing COPY to log in to the remote database as ADAMS. You cannot do that, however, unless you know the password associated with the username ADAMS.

Copying Data between Tables on One Database

You can copy data from one table to another in a single database (local or remote). To copy between tables in your local database, specify your own username and password and the service name for your local database in either a FROM or a TO clause (omit the other clause):
SQL> COPY FROM SCOTT/TIGER@MYDATABASE > INSERT EMPCOPY2 > USING SELECT * FROM EMP

To copy between tables on a remote database, include the same username, password, and service name in the FROM and TO clauses:
SQL> COPY FROM SCOTT/TIGER@BOSTONDB > TO SCOTT/TIGER@BOSTONDB > INSERT EMPCOPY2 > USING SELECT * FROM EMP

Accessing SQL Databases

6-9

Copying Data between Tables on One Database

6-10

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Part II
Reference
This section provides an overview of how to start SQL*Plus. It also provides a Command Reference that contains a description of each SQL*Plus command. The following chapters and appendices are covered in this section:
s

Starting SQL*Plus and Getting Help Command Reference Appendix A: "COPY Command Messages and Codes" Appendix B: "Release 8.1.5 Enhancements" Appendix C: "SQL*Plus Limits" Appendix D: "SQL Command List" Appendix E: "Security" Appendix F: "SQL*Plus Commands from Earlier Releases"

7
Starting SQL*Plus and Getting Help
This chapter explains how to access SQL*Plus from the operating system prompt, and discusses the following topics:
s

Starting SQL*Plus Using the SQLPLUS Command Getting Help

Starting SQL*Plus and Getting Help

7-1

Starting SQL*Plus Using the SQLPLUS Command

Starting SQL*Plus Using the SQLPLUS Command

You can start SQL*Plus from the operating system prompt by entering the SQLPLUS command in the following form:
SQLPLUS [[-S[ILENT]] [logon] [start]]|-|-?

where:
logon

Requires the following syntax:

username[/password][@net_service_name]|/|/NOLOG

start

Allows you to enter the name of a command file and arguments. SQL*Plus passes the arguments to the command file as though you executed the file using the SQL*Plus START command. The start clause requires the following syntax:
@file_name[.ext][arg ...]

See the START command in Chapter 8 for more information. You have the option of entering logon. If you do not specify logon and do specify start, SQL*Plus assumes that the first line of the command file contains a valid logon. If neither start nor logon are specified, SQL*Plus prompts for logon information. Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:
-S[ILENT]

Suppresses all SQL*Plus information and prompt messages, including the command prompt, the echoing of commands, and the banner normally displayed when you start SQL*Plus. Use SILENT to invoke SQL*Plus within another program so that the use of SQL*Plus is invisible to the user.
username[/password] Represent the username and password with which you wish to start SQL*Plus and connect to Oracle. If you omit username and password, SQL*Plus prompts you for them. If you enter a slash (/) or simply enter [Return] to the prompt for username, SQL*Plus logs you in using a default logon (see "/" below).

If you omit only password, SQL*Plus prompts you for password. When prompting, SQL*Plus does not display password on your terminal screen.

7-2

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Starting SQL*Plus Using the SQLPLUS Command

net_service_name Consists of a Net8 connection string. The exact syntax depends upon the Net8 communications protocol your Oracle installation uses. For more information, refer to the Net8 manual appropriate for your protocol or contact your DBA.
/

Represents a default logon using operating system authentication. You cannot enter a database_specification if you use a default logon. In a default logon, SQL*Plus typically attempts to log you in using the username OPS$name, where name is your operating system username. Note that the prefix "OPS$" can be set to any other string of text. For example, you may wish to change the settings in your INIT.ORA parameters file to LOGONname or USERIDname. See the Oracle8i Administrators Guide for information about operating system authentication.
/NOLOG

Establishes no initial connection to Oracle. Before issuing any SQL commands, you must issue a CONNECT command to establish a valid logon. Use /NOLOG when you want to have a SQL*Plus command file prompt for the username, password, or database specification. The first line of this command file is not assumed to contain a logon.
-

Displays the usage and syntax for the SQLPLUS command, and then returns control to the operating system.
-?

Displays the current version and level number for SQL*Plus, and then returns control to the operating system. Do not enter a space between the hyphen (-) and the question mark (?). The SQL*Plus command may be known by a different name under some operating systems, for example, plus81. See your SQL*Plus installation documentation for further information on your operating system.

Setting Up the Site Profile

SQL*Plus supports a Site Profile, a SQL*Plus command file created by the database administrator. This file is generally named GLOGIN with an extension of SQL. SQL*Plus executes this command file whenever any user starts SQL*Plus and

Starting SQL*Plus and Getting Help

7-3

Starting SQL*Plus Using the SQLPLUS Command

SQL*Plus establishes the Oracle connection. The Site Profile allows the DBA to set up SQL*Plus environment defaults for all users at a particular site; users cannot directly access the Site Profile. The default name and location of the Site Profile depend on your system. Site Profiles are described in more detail in the Oracle installation and users manual(s) provided for your operating system.

Setting Up the User Profile

SQL*Plus also supports a User Profile, executed after the Site Profile. SQL*Plus searches for a file named LOGIN with the extension SQL in your current directory. If SQL*Plus does not find the file there, SQL*Plus will search a system-dependent path to find the file. Some operating systems may not support this path search.

Receiving a Return Code

If you fail to log in successfully to SQL*Plus because your username or password is invalid or some other error, SQL*Plus will return an error status equivalent to an EXIT FAILURE command. See the EXIT command in this chapter for further information.
Example 71 Starting SQL*Plus

To start SQL*Plus with username SCOTT and password TIGER, enter

SQL> SQLPLUS SCOTT/TIGER

To start SQL*Plus, as above, and to make POLICY the default database (where POLICY is a valid Net8 database connection string), enter
SQL> SQLPLUS SCOTT/TIGER@POLICY

To start SQL*Plus with username SCOTT and password TIGER and run a command file named STARTUP with the extension SQL, enter
SQL> SQLPLUS SCOTT/TIGER @STARTUP

Note the space between TIGER and @STARTUP.

Example 72 Displaying the SQLPLUS syntax

To display the syntax of the SQLPLUS command, enter

SQL> SQLPLUS -

7-4

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Getting Help

SQL*Plus displays the following

Usage: SQLPLUS [<option>] [<user>[/password>] [@<host>]] [@<startfile> [<parm1>] [<parm2>] ...] where <option> ::= {-s|-?} -s for silent mode and -? to obtain version number

Getting Help
To access online help for SQL*Plus commands, you can type HELP followed by the command name at the SQL command prompt. For example:
SQL> HELP ACCEPT

If you get a response that help is unavailable, consult your database administrator. See the HELP command in Chapter 8 for more information.

Starting SQL*Plus and Getting Help

7-5

Getting Help

7-6

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

8
Command Reference
This chapter contains descriptions of SQL*Plus commands, listed alphabetically. Use this chapter for reference only. Each description contains the following parts: Purpose Syntax Terms and Clauses Usage Notes Examples Discusses the basic use(s) of the command. Shows how to enter the command. Refer to Chapter 1 for an explanation of the syntax notation. Describes the function of each term or clause appearing in the syntax. Provides additional information on how the command works and on uses of the command. Gives one or more examples of the command.

A summary table that lists and briefly describes SQL*Plus commands precedes the individual command descriptions. You can continue a long SQL*Plus command by typing a hyphen at the end of the line and pressing [Return]. If you wish, you can type a space before typing the hyphen. SQL*Plus displays a right angle-bracket (>) as a prompt for each additional line. You do not need to end a SQL*Plus command with a semicolon. When you finish entering the command, you can just press [Return]. If you wish, however, you can enter a semicolon at the end of a SQL*Plus command.

Command Reference

8-1

SQL*Plus Command Summary

SQL*Plus Command Summary

Command @ @@ / ACCEPT APPEND Description

Runs the specified command file. Runs a command file. Executes the SQL command or PL/SQL block. Reads a line of input and stores it in a given user variable. Adds specified text to the end of the current line in the buffer. Starts or stops the automatic archiving of online redo log files, manually (explicitly) archives specified redo log files, or displays information about redo log files. Specifies display characteristics for a given attribute of an Object Type column, and lists the current display characteristics for a single attribute or all attributes. Specifies where and how formatting will change in a report, or lists the current break definition. Places and formats a specified title at the bottom of each report page, or lists the current BTITLE definition. Changes text on the current line in the buffer. Resets or erases the current clause or setting for the specified option, such as BREAKS or COLUMNS. Specifies display characteristics for a given column, or lists the current display characteristics for a single column or for all columns. Calculates and prints summary lines, using various standard computations, on subsets of selected rows, or lists all COMPUTE definitions. Connects a given username to Oracle. Copies data from a query to a table in a local or remote database.

ARCHIVE LOG

ATTRIBUTE

BREAK

BTITLE

CHANGE CLEAR

COLUMN

COMPUTE

CONNECT COPY

8-2

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

SQL*Plus Command Summary

Command DEFINE

Description

Specifies a user variable and assigns it a CHAR value, or lists the value and variable type of a single variable or all variables. Deletes one or more lines of the buffer. Lists the column definitions for the specified table, view, or synonym or the specifications for the specified function or procedure. Commits pending changes to the database and logs the current username off Oracle, but does not exit SQL*Plus. Invokes a host operating system text editor on the contents of the specified file or on the contents of the buffer. Executes a single PL/SQL statement. Terminates SQL*Plus and returns control to the operating system. Loads a host operating system file into the SQL buffer. Accesses the SQL*Plus help system. Executes a host operating system command without leaving SQL*Plus. Adds one or more new lines after the current line in the buffer. Lists one or more lines of the SQL buffer. Allows a password to be changed without echoing the password on an input device. Displays an empty line followed by a line containing text, then waits for the user to press [Return], or displays two empty lines and waits for the users response. Displays the current value of a bind variable. Sends the specified message or a blank line to the users screen.

DEL DESCRIBE

DISCONNECT

EDIT

EXECUTE EXIT

GET HELP HOST

INPUT

LIST PASSWORD

PAUSE

PRINT PROMPT

Command Reference

8-3

SQL*Plus Command Summary

Command RECOVER

Description

Performs media recovery on one or more tablespaces, one or more datafiles, or the entire database. Begins a comment in a command file. Places and formats a specified report footer at the bottom of each report, or lists the current REPFOOTER definition. Places and formats a specified report header at the top of each report, or lists the current REPHEADER definition. Lists and executes the SQL command or PL/SQL block currently stored in the SQL buffer. Saves the contents of the SQL buffer in a host operating system file (a command file). Sets a system variable to alter the SQL*Plus environment for your current session. Shows the value of a SQL*Plus system variable or the current SQL*Plus environment. Shuts down a currently running Oracle instance, optionally closing and dismounting the database. Stores query results in an operating system file and, optionally, sends the file to a printer. Executes the contents of the specified command file. Starts an Oracle instance with several options, including mounting and opening a database. Saves attributes of the current SQL*Plus environment in a host operating system file (a command file). Records timing data for an elapsed period of time, lists the current timers title and timing data, or lists the number of active timers. Places and formats a specified title at the top of each report page, or lists the current TTITLE definition. Deletes one or more user variables that you defined either explicitly (with the DEFINE command) or implicitly (with an argument to the START command).

REMARK REPFOOTER

REPHEADER

RUN

SAVE

SET

SHOW

SHUTDOWN

SPOOL

START STARTUP

STORE

TIMING

TTITLE

UNDEFINE

8-4

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

SQL*Plus Command Summary

Command VARIABLE

Description

Declares a bind variable that can be referenced in PL/SQL. Exits SQL*Plus if an operating system command generates an error. Exits SQL*Plus if a SQL command or PL/SQL block generates an error.

WHENEVER OSERROR

WHENEVER SQLERROR

Command Reference

8-5

@ ("at" sign)

@ ("at" sign)
Purpose
Runs the specified command file.

Syntax
@ file_name[.ext] [arg...]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:
file_name[.ext] Represents the command file you wish to run. If you omit ext, SQL*Plus assumes the default command-file extension (normally SQL). For information on changing the default extension, see the SUFFIX variable of the SET command in this chapter.

When you enter @ file_name.ext, SQL*Plus searches for a file with the filename and extension you specify in the current default directory. If SQL*Plus does not find such a file, SQL*Plus will search a system-dependent path to find the file. Some operating systems may not support the path search. Consult the Oracle installation and users manual(s) provided for your operating system for specific information related to your operating system environment.
arg...

Represent data items you wish to pass to parameters in the command file. If you enter one or more arguments, SQL*Plus substitutes the values into the parameters (&1, &2, and so forth) in the command file. The first argument replaces each occurrence of &1, the second replaces each occurrence of &2, and so forth. The @ command DEFINEs the parameters with the values of the arguments; if you run the command file again in this session, you can enter new arguments or omit the arguments to use the current values. For more information on using parameters, refer to the subsection "Passing Parameters through the START Command" under "Writing Interactive Commands" in Chapter 3.

8-6

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

@ ("at" sign)

Usage Notes
You can include in a command file any command you would normally enter interactively (typically, SQL, SQL*Plus commands, or PL/SQL blocks). An EXIT or QUIT command used in a command file terminates SQL*Plus. The @ command functions similarly to START. If the START command is disabled (see Disabling SQL*Plus, SQL, and PL/SQL Commands in Appendix E), this will also disable the @ command. See START in this chapter for information on the START command. SQL*Plus removes the SQLTERMINATOR (a semicolon by default) before the @ command is issued. A workaround for this is to add another SQLTERMINATOR. See the SQLTERMINATOR variable of the SET command in this chapter for more information.

Examples
To run a command file named PRINTRPT with the extension SQL, enter
SQL> @PRINTRPT

To run a command file named WKRPT with the extension QRY, enter
SQL> @WKRPT.QRY

Command Reference

8-7

@@ (double "at" sign)

@@ (double "at" sign)

Purpose
Runs a command file. This command is identical to the @ ("at" sign) command except that it looks for the specified command file in the same path as the command file from which it was called.

Syntax
@@ file_name[.ext]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following for a description of the term or clause:
file_name[.ext] Represents the nested command file you wish to run. If you omit ext, SQL*Plus assumes the default command-file extension (normally SQL). For information on changing the default extension, see the SUFFIX variable of the SET command in this chapter.

When you enter @@file_name.ext from within a command file, SQL*Plus runs file_name.ext from the same directory as the command file. When you enter @@file_name.ext interactively, SQL*Plus runs file_name.ext from the current working directory. If SQL*Plus does not find such a file, SQL*Plus searches a system-dependent path to find the file. Some operating systems may not support the path search. Consult the Oracle installation and users manual(s) provided for your operating system for specific information related to your operating system environment.

Usage Notes
You can include in a command file any command you would normally enter interactively (typically, SQL or SQL*Plus commands). An EXIT or QUIT command used in a command file terminates SQL*Plus. The @@ command functions similarly to START. If the START command is disabled, this will also disable the @@ command. For more information, see the START command later in this chapter. SQL*Plus removes the SQLTERMINATOR (a semicolon by default) before the @@ command is issued. A workaround for this is to add another SQLTERMINATOR.

8-8

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

@@ (double "at" sign)

See the SQLTERMINATOR variable of the SET command in this chapter for more information.

Example
Suppose that you have the following command file named PRINTRPT:
SELECT * FROM EMP @EMPRPT @@ WKRPT

When you START PRINTRPT and it reaches the @ command, it looks for the command file named EMPRPT in the current working directory and runs it. When PRINTRPT reaches the @@ command, it looks for the command file named WKRPT in the same path as PRINTRPT and runs it.

Command Reference

8-9

/ (slash)

/ (slash)
Purpose
Executes the SQL command or PL/SQL block currently stored in the SQL buffer.

Syntax
/

Usage Notes
You can enter a slash (/) at the command prompt or at a line number prompt of a multi-line command. The slash command functions similarly to RUN, but does not list the command in the buffer on your screen. Executing a SQL command or PL/SQL block using the slash command will not cause the current line number in the SQL buffer to change unless the command in the buffer contains an error. In that case, SQL*Plus changes the current line number to the number of the line containing the error.

Example
To see the SQL command(s) you will execute, you can list the contents of the buffer:
SQL> LIST 1* SELECT ENAME, JOB FROM EMP WHERE ENAME = JAMES

Enter a slash (/) at the command prompt to execute the command in the buffer:
SQL> /

For the above query, SQL*Plus displays the following output:

ENAME JOB ---------- --------JAMES CLERK

8-10

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

ACCEPT

ACCEPT
Purpose
Reads a line of input and stores it in a given user variable.

Syntax
ACC[EPT] variable [NUM[BER]|CHAR|DATE] [FOR[MAT] format] [DEF[AULT] default] [PROMPT text|NOPR[OMPT]] [HIDE]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:
variable

Represents the name of the variable in which you wish to store a value. If variable does not exist, SQL*Plus creates it.
NUM[BER]

Makes the datatype of variable the datatype NUMBER. If the reply does not match the datatype, ACCEPT gives an error message and prompts again.
CHAR

Makes the datatype of variable the datatype CHAR. The maximum CHAR length limit is 240 bytes. If a multi-byte character set is used, one CHAR may be more than one byte in size.
DATE

Makes reply a valid DATE format. If the reply is not a valid DATE format, ACCEPT gives an error message and prompts again. The datatype is CHAR.
FOR[MAT]

Specifies the input format for the reply. If the reply does not match the specified format, ACCEPT gives an error message and prompts again for a reply. The format element must be a text constant such as A10 or 9.999. See the COLUMN command in this chapter for a complete list of format elements. Oracle date formats such as "dd/mm/yy" are valid when the datatype is DATE. DATE without a specified format defaults to the Oracle NLS_ DATE_FORMAT of the current session. See the Oracle8i Administrators

Command Reference 8-11

ACCEPT

Guide and the Oracle8i SQL Reference for information on Oracle date formats.
DEF[AULT]

Sets the default value if a reply is not given. The reply must be in the specified format if defined.
PROMPT text

Displays text on-screen before accepting the value of variable from the user.
NOPR[OMPT]

Skips a line and waits for input without displaying a prompt.

HIDE

Suppresses the display as you type the reply. To display or reference variables, use the DEFINE command. See the DEFINE command in this chapter for more information.

Examples
To display the prompt "Password: ", place the reply in a CHAR variable named PSWD, and suppress the display, enter
SQL> ACCEPT pswd CHAR PROMPT Password: HIDE

To display the prompt "Enter weekly salary: " and place the reply in a NUMBER variable named SALARY with a default of 000.0, enter
SQL> ACCEPT salary NUMBER FORMAT 999.99 DEFAULT 000.0 > PROMPT Enter weekly salary:

To display the prompt "Enter date hired: " and place the reply in a DATE variable named HIRED with the format "dd/mm/yy" and a default of "01/01/94", enter
SQL> ACCEPT hired DATE FORMAT dd/mm/yy DEFAULT 01/01/94> PROMPT Enter date hired:

To display the prompt "Enter employee lastname: " and place the reply in a CHAR variable named LASTNAME, enter
SQL> ACCEPT lastname CHAR FORMAT A20 > PROMPT Enter employee lastname:

8-12

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

APPEND

APPEND
Purpose
Adds specified text to the end of the current line in the SQL buffer.

Syntax
A[PPEND] text

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following for a description of the term or clause:
text

Represents the text you wish to append. If you wish to separate text from the preceding characters with a space, enter two spaces between APPEND and text. To APPEND text that ends with a semicolon, end the command with two semicolons (SQL*Plus interprets a single semicolon as an optional command terminator).

Examples
To append a space and the column name DEPT to the second line of the buffer, make that line the current line by listing the line as follows:
SQL> 2 2* FROM EMP,

Now enter APPEND:

SQL> APPEND DEPT SQL> 2 2* FROM EMP, DEPT

Notice the double space between APPEND and DEPT. The first space separates APPEND from the characters to be appended; the second space becomes the first appended character.

Command Reference 8-13

APPEND

To append a semicolon to the line, enter

SQL> APPEND ;;

SQL*Plus appends the first semicolon to the line and interprets the second as the terminator for the APPEND command.

8-14

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

ARCHIVE LOG

ARCHIVE LOG
Purpose
Starts or stops automatic archiving of online redo log files, manually (explicitly) archives specified redo log files, or displays information about redo log files.

Syntax
ARCHIVE LOG {LIST|STOP}|{START|NEXT|ALL|integer} [TO destination]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:
LIST

Requests a display that shows the range of redo log files to be archived, the current log file group's sequence number, and the current archive destination (specified by either the optional command text or by the initialization parameter LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST). If you are using both ARCHIVELOG mode and automatic archiving, the display might appear like:
SQL> ARCHIVE LOG LIST Database log mode Automatic archival Archive destination Oldest online log sequence Next log sequence to archive Current log sequence Archive Mode Enabled /vobs/oracle/dbs/arch 221 222 222

Since the log sequence number of the current log group and the next log group to archive are the same, automatic archival has archived all log groups up to the current one. If you are using ARCHIVELOG but have disabled automatic archiving, the last three lines might look like:
Oldest online log sequence Next log sequence to archive Current log sequence 222 222 225

If you are using NOARCHIVELOG mode, the "next log sequence to archive" line is suppressed.

Command Reference 8-15

ARCHIVE LOG

The log sequence increments every time the Log Writer begins to write to another redo log file group; it does not indicate the number of logs being used. Every time an online redo log file group is reused, the contents are assigned a new log sequence number.
STOP

Disables automatic archival. If the instance is still in ARCHIVELOG mode and all redo log file groups fill, database operation is suspended until a redo log file is archived (for example, until you enter the command ARCHIVE LOG NEXT or ARCHIVE LOG ALL).
START

Enables automatic archiving. Starts the background process ARCH, which performs automatic archiving as required. If ARCH is started and a filename is supplied, the filename becomes the new default archive destination. ARCH automatically starts on instance startup if the initialization parameter LOG_ARCHIVE_START is set to TRUE.
NEXT

Manually archives the next online redo log file group that has been filled, but not yet archived.
ALL

Manually archives all filled, but not yet archived, online log file groups.
integer

Causes archival of the online redo log file group with log sequence number n. You can specify any redo log file group that is still online. An error occurs if the log file cannot be found online or the sequence number is not valid. This option can be used to rearchive a log file group.
destination Specifies the destination device or directory in an operating system. Specification of archive destination devices is installation-specific; see your platform-specific Oracle documentation for examples of specifying archive destinations. On many operating systems, multiple log files can be spooled to the same tape.

If not specified in the command line, the archive destination is derived from the initialization parameter LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST. The command

8-16

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

ARCHIVE LOG

ARCHIVE LOG START destination causes the specified device or directory to become the new default archive destination for all future automatic or manual archives. A destination specified with any other option is a temporary destination that is in effect only for the current (manual) archive. It does not change the default archive destination for subsequent automatic archives. For information about specifying archive destinations, see your platform-specific Oracle documentation.

Usage Notes
You must be connected to an open Oracle database as SYSOPER, or SYSDBA. For information about connecting to the database, see the CONNECT command. If an online redo log file group fills and none are available for reuse, database operation is suspended. The condition can be resolved by archiving a log file group. For information about specifying archive destinations, see your platform-specific Oracle documentation.
Note: This command applies only to the current instance. To specify archiving for a different instance or for all instances in a Parallel Server, use the SQL command ALTER SYSTEM. For more information about using SQL commands, see the Oracle8i SQL Reference.

Examples
To start up the archiver process and begin automatic archiving, using the archive destination specified in LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST, enter
SQL> ARCHIVE LOG START

To stop automatic archiving, enter

SQL> ARCHIVE LOG STOP

Command Reference 8-17

ARCHIVE LOG

To archive the log file group with the sequence number 1001 to the destination specified, enter
SQL> ARCHIVE LOG 1001 '/vobs/oracle/dbs/arch'

'arch' specifies the prefix of the filename on the destination device; the remainder of the filename is dependent on the initialization parameter LOG_ARCHIVE_ FORMAT, which specifies the filename format for archived redo log files.

8-18

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

ATTRIBUTE

ATTRIBUTE
Purpose
Specifies display characteristics for a given attribute of an Object Type column, such as format for NUMBER data. Also lists the current display characteristics for a single attribute or all attributes.

Syntax
ATTRIBUTE [type_name.attribute_name [option ...]]

where option represents one of the following clauses:

ALI[AS] alias CLE[AR] FOR[MAT] format LIKE {type_name.attribute_name|alias} ON|OFF

Terms and Clauses

Enter ATTRIBUTE followed by type_name.attribute_name and no other clauses to list the current display characteristics for only the specified attribute. Enter ATTRIBUTE with no clauses to list all current attribute display characteristics. Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:
type_name.attribute_name Identifies the data item (typically the name of an attribute) within the set of attributes for a given object of Object Type, type_name.

If you select objects of the same Object Type, an ATTRIBUTE command for that type_name.attribute_name will apply to all such objects you reference in that session.
ALI[AS] alias

Assigns a specified alias to a type_name.attribute_name, which can be used to refer to the type_name.attribute_name in other ATTRIBUTE commands.

Command Reference 8-19

ATTRIBUTE

CLE[AR]

Resets the display characteristics for the attribute_name. The format specification must be a text constant such as A10 or $9,999not a variable.
FOR[MAT] format

Specifies the display format of the column. The format specification must be a text constant such as A10 or $9,999not a variable.
LIKE {type_name.attribute_name|alias}

Copies the display characteristics of another attribute. LIKE copies only characteristics not defined by another clause in the current ATTRIBUTE command.
ON|OFF

Controls the status of display characteristics for a column. OFF disables the characteristics for an attribute without affecting the characteristics definition. ON reinstates the characteristics.

Usage Notes
You can enter any number of ATTRIBUTE commands for one or more attributes. All attribute characteristics set for each attribute remain in effect for the remainder of the session, until you turn the attribute OFF, or until you use the CLEAR COLUMN command. Thus, the ATTRIBUTE commands you enter can control an attributes display characteristics for multiple SQL SELECT commands. When you enter multiple ATTRIBUTE commands for the same attribute, SQL*Plus applies their clauses collectively. If several ATTRIBUTE commands apply the same clause to the same attribute, the last one entered will control the output.

Examples
To make the ENAME attribute of the Object Type EMP_TYPE 20 characters wide, enter
SQL> ATTRIBUTE EMP_TYPE.ENAME FORMAT A20

To format the SAL attribute of the Object Type EMP_TYPE so that it shows millions of dollars, rounds to cents, uses commas to separate thousands, and displays $0.00 when a value is zero, enter
SQL> ATTRIBUTE EMP_TYPE.SAL FORMAT $9,999,990.99

8-20

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

BREAK

BREAK
Purpose
Specifies where and how formatting will change in a report, such as
s

suppressing display of duplicate values for a given column skipping a line each time a given column value changes printing COMPUTEd figures each time a given column value changes or at the end of the report (see also the COMPUTE command)

Also lists the current BREAK definition.

Syntax
BRE[AK] [ON report_element [action [action]]] ...

where:
report_element Requires the following syntax:
{column|expr|ROW|REPORT}

action

Requires the following syntax:

[SKI[P] n|[SKI[P]] PAGE][NODUP[LICATES]|DUP[LICATES]]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:
ON column [action [action]]

When you include action(s), specifies action(s) for SQL*Plus to take whenever a break occurs in the specified column (called the break column). (column cannot have a table or view appended to it. To achieve this, you can alias the column in the SQL statement.) A break is one of three events:
s

a change in the value of a column or expression the output of a row the end of a report

When you omit action(s), BREAK ON column suppresses printing of duplicate values in column and marks a place in the report where

Command Reference 8-21

BREAK

SQL*Plus will perform the computation you specify in a corresponding COMPUTE command. You can specify ON column one or more times. If you specify multiple ON clauses, as in
SQL> BREAK ON DEPTNO SKIP PAGE ON JOB > SKIP 1 ON SAL SKIP 1

the first ON clause represents the outermost break (in this case, ON DEPTNO) and the last ON clause represents the innermost break (in this case, ON SAL). SQL*Plus searches each row of output for the specified break(s), starting with the outermost break and proceedingin the order you enter the clausesto the innermost. In the example, SQL*Plus searches for a change in the value of DEPTNO, then JOB, then SAL. Next, SQL*Plus executes actions beginning with the action specified for the innermost break and proceeding in reverse order toward the outermost break (in this case, from SKIP 1 for ON SAL toward SKIP PAGE for ON DEPTNO). SQL*Plus executes each action up to and including the action specified for the first occurring break encountered in the initial search. If, for example, in a given row the value of JOB changesbut the values of DEPTNO and SAL remain the sameSQL*Plus skips two lines before printing the row (one as a result of SKIP 1 in the ON SAL clause and one as a result of SKIP 1 in the ON JOB clause). Whenever you use ON column, you should also use an ORDER BY clause in the SQL SELECT command. Typically, the columns used in the BREAK command should appear in the same order in the ORDER BY clause (although all columns specified in the ORDER BY clause need not appear in the BREAK command). This prevents breaks from occurring at meaningless points in the report. The following SELECT command produces meaningful results:
SQL> SELECT DEPTNO, JOB, SAL, ENAME 2 FROM EMP 3 ORDER BY DEPTNO, JOB, SAL, ENAME;

All rows with the same DEPTNO print together on one page, and within that page all rows with the same JOB print in groups. Within each group of jobs, those jobs with the same SAL print in groups.

8-22

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

BREAK

Breaks in ENAME cause no action because ENAME does not appear in the BREAK command.
ON expr [action [action]]

When you include action(s), specifies action(s) for SQL*Plus to take when the value of the expression changes. When you omit action(s), BREAK ON expr suppresses printing of duplicate values of expr and marks a place in the report where SQL*Plus will perform the computation you specify in a corresponding COMPUTE command. You can use an expression involving one or more table columns or an alias assigned to a report column in a SQL SELECT or SQL*Plus COLUMN command. If you use an expression in a BREAK command, you must enter expr exactly as it appears in the SELECT command. If the expression in the SELECT command is a+b, for example, you cannot use b+a or (a+b) in a BREAK command to refer to the expression in the SELECT command. The information given above for ON column also applies to ON expr.
ON ROW [action [action]]

When you include action(s), specifies action(s) for SQL*Plus to take when a SQL SELECT command returns a row. The ROW break becomes the innermost break regardless of where you specify it in the BREAK command. You should always specify an action when you BREAK on a row.
ON REPORT [action]

Marks a place in the report where SQL*Plus will perform the computation you specify in a corresponding COMPUTE command. Use BREAK ON REPORT in conjunction with COMPUTE to print grand totals or other "grand" computed values. The REPORT break becomes the outermost break regardless of where you specify it in the BREAK command. Note that SQL*Plus will not skip a page at the end of a report, so you cannot use BREAK ON REPORT SKIP PAGE. Refer to the following list for a description of each action:
SKI[P] n

Skips n lines before printing the row where the break occurred.

Command Reference 8-23

BREAK

[SKI[P]] PAGE

Skips the number of lines that are defined to be a page before printing the row where the break occurred. The number of lines per page can be set via the PAGESIZE clause of the SET command. Note that PAGESIZE only changes the number of lines that SQL*Plus considers to be a page. Therefore, SKIP PAGE may not always cause a physical page break, unless you have also specified NEWPAGE 0. Note also that if there is a break after the last row of data to be printed in a report, SQL*Plus will not skip the page.
NODUP[LICATES]

Prints blanks rather than the value of a break column when the value is a duplicate of the columns value in the preceding row.
DUP[LICATES]

Prints the value of a break column in every selected row. Enter BREAK with no clauses to list the current break definition.

Usage Notes
Each new BREAK command you enter replaces the preceding one. To remove the BREAK command, use CLEAR BREAKS.

Example
To produce a report that prints duplicate job values, prints the average of SAL and inserts one blank line when the value of JOB changes, and additionally prints the sum of SAL and inserts another blank line when the value of DEPTNO changes, you could enter the following commands. (The example selects departments 10 and 30 and the jobs of clerk and salesman only.)
SQL> SQL> SQL> SQL> 2 3 4 BREAK ON DEPTNO SKIP 1 ON JOB SKIP 1 DUPLICATES COMPUTE SUM OF SAL ON DEPTNO COMPUTE AVG OF SAL ON JOB SELECT DEPTNO, JOB, ENAME, SAL FROM EMP WHERE JOB IN (CLERK, SALESMAN) AND DEPTNO IN (10, 30) ORDER BY DEPTNO, JOB;

8-24

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

BREAK

The following output results:

DEPTNO JOB ENAME SAL --------- --------- ---------- --------10 CLERK MILLER 1300 ********* --------avg 1300 ********** sum 30 CLERK JAMES ********* avg SALESMAN SALESMAN SALESMAN SALESMAN ********* avg ********** sum ALLEN MARTIN TURNER WARD ---------1300 1045 ---------1045 1760 1375 1650 1375 ---------1540 ---------7205

Command Reference 8-25

BTITLE

BTITLE
Purpose
Places and formats a specified title at the bottom of each report page or lists the current BTITLE definition. For a description of the old form of BTITLE, see Appendix F.

Syntax
BTI[TLE] [printspec [text|variable] ...]|[OFF|ON]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the TTITLE command for additional information on terms and clauses in the BTITLE command syntax. Enter BTITLE with no clauses to list the current BTITLE definition.

Usage Notes
If you do not enter a printspec clause before the first occurrence of text, BTITLE left justifies the text. SQL*Plus interprets BTITLE in the new form if a valid printspec clause (LEFT, SKIP, COL, and so on) immediately follows the command name.

Examples
To set a bottom title with CORPORATE PLANNING DEPARTMENT on the left and a date on the right, enter
SQL> BTITLE LEFT CORPORATE PLANNING DEPARTMENT > RIGHT 23 Nov 1998

To set a bottom title with CONFIDENTIAL in column 50, followed by six spaces and a date, enter
SQL> BTITLE COL 50 CONFIDENTIAL TAB 6 23 Nov 1998

8-26

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

CHANGE

CHANGE
Purpose
Changes the first occurrence of text on the current line in the buffer.

Syntax
C[HANGE] sepchar old [sepchar [new [sepchar]]]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:
sepchar

Represents any non-alphanumeric character such as "/" or "!". Use a sepchar that does not appear in old or new. You can omit the space between CHANGE and the first sepchar.
old

Represents the text you wish to change. CHANGE ignores case in searching for old. For example,
CHANGE /aq/aw

will find the first occurrence of "aq", "AQ", "aQ", or "Aq" and change it to "aw". SQL*Plus inserts the new text exactly as you specify it. If old is prefixed with "...", it matches everything up to and including the first occurrence of old. If it is suffixed with "...", it matches the first occurrence of old and everything that follows on that line. If it contains an embedded "...", it matches everything from the preceding part of old through the following part of old.
new

Represents the text with which you wish to replace old. If you omit new and, optionally, the second and third sepchars, CHANGE deletes old from the current line of the buffer.

Command Reference 8-27

CHANGE

Usage Notes
CHANGE changes the first occurrence of the existing specified text on the current line of the buffer to the new specified text. The current line is marked with an asterisk (*) in the LIST output. You can also use CHANGE to modify a line in the buffer that has generated an Oracle error. SQL*Plus sets the buffer s current line to the line containing the error so that you can make modifications. To reenter an entire line, you can type the line number followed by the new contents of the line. If you specify a line number larger than the number of lines in the buffer and follow the number with text, SQL*Plus adds the text in a new line at the end of the buffer. If you specify zero ("0") for the line number and follow the zero with text, SQL*Plus inserts the line at the beginning of the buffer (that line becomes line 1).

Examples
Assume the current line of the buffer contains the following text:
4* WHERE JOB IS IN (CLERK,SECRETARY,RECEPTIONIST)

Enter the following command:

SQL> C /RECEPTIONIST/GUARD/

The text in the buffer changes as follows:

4* WHERE JOB IS IN (CLERK,SECRETARY,GUARD)

Or enter the following command:

SQL> C /CLERK,.../CLERK)/

The original line changes to

4* WHERE JOB IS IN (CLERK)

Or enter the following command:

SQL> C /(...)/(COOK,BUTLER)/

The original line changes to

4* WHERE JOB IS IN (COOK,BUTLER)

8-28

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

CHANGE

You can replace the contents of an entire line using the line number. This entry
SQL> 2 FROM EMP e1

causes the second line of the buffer to be replaced with

FROM EMP e1

Note that entering a line number followed by a string will replace the line regardless of what text follows the line number. For example,
SQL> 2 c/old/new/

will change the second line of the buffer to be

2* c/old/new/

Command Reference 8-29

CLEAR

CLEAR
Purpose
Resets or erases the current value or setting for the specified option.

Syntax
CL[EAR] option ...

where option represents one of the following clauses:

BRE[AKS] BUFF[ER] COL[UMNS] COMP[UTES] SCR[EEN] SQL TIMI[NG]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:
BRE[AKS]

Removes the break definition set by the BREAK command.

BUFF[ER]

Clears text from the buffer. CLEAR BUFFER has the same effect as CLEAR SQL, unless you are using multiple buffers (see the SET BUFFER command in Appendix F).
COL[UMNS]

Resets column display attributes set by the COLUMN command to default settings for all columns. To reset display attributes for a single column, use the CLEAR clause of the COLUMN command. CLEAR COLUMNS also clears the ATTRIBUTEs for that column.
COMP[UTES]

Removes all COMPUTE definitions set by the COMPUTE command.

SCR[EEN]

Clears your screen.

8-30

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

CLEAR

SQL

Clears the text from SQL buffer. CLEAR SQL has the same effect as CLEAR BUFFER, unless you are using multiple buffers (see the SET BUFFER command in Appendix F).
TIMI[NG]

Deletes all timers created by the TIMING command.

Example
To clear breaks, enter
SQL> CLEAR BREAKS

To clear column definitions, enter

SQL> CLEAR COLUMNS

Command Reference 8-31

COLUMN

COLUMN
Purpose
Specifies display attributes for a given column, such as
s

text for the column heading alignment of the column heading format for NUMBER data wrapping of column data

Also lists the current display attributes for a single column or all columns.

Syntax
COL[UMN] [{column|expr} [option ...]]

where option represents one of the following clauses:

ALI[AS] alias CLE[AR] FOLD_A[FTER] FOLD_B[EFORE] FOR[MAT] format HEA[DING] text JUS[TIFY] {L[EFT]|C[ENTER]|C[ENTRE]|R[IGHT]} LIKE {expr|alias} NEWL[INE] NEW_V[ALUE] variable NOPRI[NT]|PRI[NT] NUL[L] text OLD_V[ALUE] variable ON|OFF WRA[PPED]|WOR[D_WRAPPED]|TRU[NCATED]

Terms and Clauses

Enter COLUMN followed by column or expr and no other clauses to list the current display attributes for only the specified column or expression. Enter COLUMN with no clauses to list all current column display attributes.

8-32

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

COLUMN

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:

{column|expr}

Identifies the data item (typically, the name of a column) in a SQL SELECT command to which the column command refers. If you use an expression in a COLUMN command, you must enter expr exactly as it appears in the SELECT command. If the expression in the SELECT command is a+b, for example, you cannot use b+a or (a+b) in a COLUMN command to refer to the expression in the SELECT command. If you select columns with the same name from different tables, a COLUMN command for that column name will apply to both columns. That is, a COLUMN command for the column ENAME applies to all columns named ENAME that you reference in this session. COLUMN ignores table name prefixes in SELECT commands. Also, spaces are ignored unless the name is placed in double quotes. To format the columns differently, assign a unique alias to each column within the SELECT command itself (do not use the ALIAS clause of the COLUMN command) and enter a COLUMN command for each columns alias.
ALI[AS] alias

Assigns a specified alias to a column, which can be used to refer to the column in BREAK, COMPUTE, and other COLUMN commands.
CLE[AR]

Resets the display attributes for the column to default values. To reset the attributes for all columns, use the CLEAR COLUMNS command. CLEAR COLUMNS also clears the ATTRIBUTEs for that column.
FOLD_A[FTER]

Inserts a carriage return after the column heading and after each row in the column. SQL*Plus does not insert an extra carriage return after the last column in the SELECT list.
FOLD_B[EFORE]

Inserts a carriage return before the column heading and before each row of the column. SQL*Plus does not insert an extra carriage return before the first column in the SELECT list.

Command Reference 8-33

COLUMN

FOR[MAT] format

Specifies the display format of the column. The format specification must be a text constant such as A10 or $9,999not a variable. Character Columns The default width of CHAR, NCHAR, VARCHAR2 (VARCHAR) and NVARCHAR2 (NCHAR VARYING) columns is the width of the column in the database. SQL*Plus formats these datatypes left-justified. If a value does not fit within the column width, SQL*Plus wraps or truncates the character string depending on the setting of SET WRAP. A LONG, CLOB or NCLOB columns width defaults to the value of SET LONGCHUNKSIZE or SET LONG, whichever one is smaller. To change the width of a datatype to n, use FORMAT An. (A stands for alphanumeric.) If you specify a width shorter than the column heading, SQL*Plus truncates the heading. If you specify a width for a LONG, CLOB, or NCLOB column, SQL*Plus uses the LONGCHUNKSIZE or the specified width, whichever is smaller, as the column width. DATE Columns The default width and format of unformatted DATE columns in SQL*Plus is derived from the NLS parameters in effect. Otherwise, the default width is A9. In Oracle8, the NLS parameters may be set in your database parameter file or may be environment variables or an equivalent platform-specific mechanism. They may also be specified for each session with the ALTER SESSION command. (See the documentation for Oracle8i for a complete description of the NLS parameters). You can change the format of any DATE column using the SQL function TO_CHAR in your SQL SELECT statement. You may also wish to use an explicit COLUMN FORMAT command to adjust the column width. When you use SQL functions like TO_CHAR, Oracle automatically allows for a very wide column. To change the width of a DATE column to n, use the COLUMN command with FORMAT An. If you specify a width shorter than the column heading, the heading is truncated. NUMBER Columns To change a NUMBER columns width, use FORMAT followed by an element as specified in Table 81.

8-34

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

COLUMN

Table 81 Number Formats

Element 9 Example(s) Description 9999

Number of "9"s specifies number of significant digits returned. Blanks are displayed for leading zeroes. A zero (0) is displayed for a value of zero. Displays a leading zero or a value of zero in this position as 0. Prefixes value with dollar sign. Displays a zero value as blank, regardless of "0"s in the format model. Displays "-" after a negative value. For a positive value, a trailing space is displayed. Returns "+" for positive values and "-" for negative values in this position. Displays a negative value in <angle brackets>. For a positive value, a leading and trailing space is displayed. Displays the decimal character in this position, separating the integral and fractional parts of a number. Displays the group separator in this position. Displays the ISO currency symbol in this position. Displays the local currency symbol in this position. Displays a comma in this position. Displays a period (decimal point) in this position, separating the integral and fractional parts of a number. Multiplies value by 10n , where n is the number of "9"s after the "V". Displays value in scientific notation (format must contain exactly four "E"s). Displays upper- or lowercase Roman numerals. Value can be an integer between 1 and 3999.

0 $ B MI S PR D G C L

0999 9990 $9999 B9999

9999MI

S9999

9999PR

99D99

9G999 C999 L999

, (comma) 9,999 . (period) 99.99 V EEEE RN or rn 999V99

9.999EEEE

RN

Command Reference 8-35

COLUMN

Table 81 Number Formats

Element DATE Example(s) Description DATE

Displays value as a date in MM/DD/YY format; used to format NUMBER columns that represent Julian dates.

The MI and PR format elements can only appear in the last position of a number format model. The S format element can only appear in the first or last position. If a number format model does not contain the MI, S or PR format elements, negative return values automatically contain a leading negative sign and positive values automatically contain a leading space. A number format model can contain only a single decimal character (D) or period (.), but it can contain multiple group separators (G) or commas (,). A group separator or comma cannot appear to the right of a decimal character or period in a number format model. SQL*Plus formats NUMBER data right-justified. A NUMBER columns width equals the width of the heading or the width of the FORMAT plus one space for the sign, whichever is greater. If you do not explicitly use FORMAT, then the columns width will always be at least the value of SET NUMWIDTH. SQL*Plus may round your NUMBER data to fit your format or field width. If a value cannot fit within the column width, SQL*Plus indicates overflow by displaying a pound sign (#) in place of each digit the width allows. If a positive value is extremely large and a numeric overflow occurs when rounding a number, then the infinity sign (~) replaces the value. Likewise, if a negative value is extremely small and a numeric overflow occurs when rounding a number, then the negative infinity sign replaces the value (-~).
HEA[DING] text

Defines a column heading. If you do not use a HEADING clause, the columns heading defaults to column or expr. If text contains blanks or punctuation characters, you must enclose it with single or double quotes. Each occurrence of the HEADSEP character (by default, "|") begins a new line.

8-36

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

COLUMN

For example,
COLUMN ENAME HEADING Employee |Name

would produce a two-line column heading. See the HEADSEP variable of the SET command in this chapter for information on changing the HEADSEP character.
JUS[TIFY] {L[EFT]|C[ENTER]|C[ENTRE]|R[IGHT]}

Aligns the heading. If you do not use a JUSTIFY clause, headings for NUMBER columns default to RIGHT and headings for other column types default to LEFT.
LIKE {expr|alias}

Copies the display attributes of another column or expression (whose attributes you have already defined with another COLUMN command). LIKE copies only attributes not defined by another clause in the current COLUMN command.
NEWL[INE]

Starts a new line before displaying the columns value. NEWLINE has the same effect as FOLD_BEFORE.
NEW_V[ALUE] variable

Specifies a variable to hold a column value. You can reference the variable in TTITLE commands. Use NEW_VALUE to display column values or the date in the top title. You must include the column in a BREAK command with the SKIP PAGE action. The variable name cannot contain a pound sign (#). NEW_VALUE is useful for master/detail reports in which there is a new master record for each page. For master/detail reporting, you must also include the column in the ORDER BY clause. See the example at the end of this command description. For information on displaying a column value in the bottom title, see COLUMN OLD_VALUE. For more information on referencing variables in titles, see the TTITLE command later in this chapter. For information on formatting and valid format models, see the COLUMN FORMAT command.

Command Reference 8-37

COLUMN

NOPRI[NT]|PRI[NT]

Controls the printing of the column (the column heading and all the selected values). NOPRINT turns the printing of the column off. PRINT turns the printing of the column on.
NUL[L] text

Controls the text SQL*Plus displays for null values in the given column. The default is a white space. SET NULL controls the text displayed for all null values for all columns, unless overridden for a specific column by the NULL clause of the COLUMN command. When a NULL value is SELECTed, a variables type will always become CHAR so the SET NULL text can be stored in it.
OLD_V[ALUE] variable

Specifies a variable to hold a column value. You can reference the variable in BTITLE commands. Use OLD_VALUE to display column values in the bottom title. You must include the column in a BREAK command with the SKIP PAGE action. OLD_VALUE is useful for master/detail reports in which there is a new master record for each page. For master/detail reporting, you must also include the column in the ORDER BY clause. For information on displaying a column value in the top title, see COLUMN NEW_VALUE. For more information on referencing variables in titles, see the TTITLE command later in this chapter.
ON|OFF

Controls the status of display attributes for a column. OFF disables the attributes for a column without affecting the attributes definition. ON reinstates the attributes.
WRA[PPED]|WOR[D_WRAPPED]|TRU[NCATED]

Specifies how SQL*Plus will treat a datatype or DATE string that is too wide for a column. WRAPPED wraps the string within the column bounds, beginning new lines when required. When WORD_WRAP is enabled, SQL*Plus left justifies each new line, skipping all leading whitespace (for example, returns, newline characters, tabs and spaces), including embedded newline characters. Embedded whitespace not on a line boundary is not skipped. TRUNCATED truncates the string at the end of the first line of display.

8-38

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

COLUMN

Usage Notes
You can enter any number of COLUMN commands for one or more columns. All column attributes set for each column remain in effect for the remainder of the session, until you turn the column OFF, or until you use the CLEAR COLUMN command. Thus, the COLUMN commands you enter can control a columns display attributes for multiple SQL SELECT commands. When you enter multiple COLUMN commands for the same column, SQL*Plus applies their clauses collectively. If several COLUMN commands apply the same clause to the same column, the last one entered will control the output.

Examples
To make the ENAME column 20 characters wide and display EMPLOYEE NAME on two lines at the top, enter
SQL> COLUMN ENAME FORMAT A20 HEADING EMPLOYEE |NAME

To format the SAL column so that it shows millions of dollars, rounds to cents, uses commas to separate thousands, and displays $0.00 when a value is zero, you would enter
SQL> COLUMN SAL FORMAT $9,999,990.99

To assign the alias NET to a column containing a long expression, to display the result in a dollar format, and to display <NULL> for null values, you might enter
SQL> COLUMN SAL+COMM+BONUS-EXPENSES-INS-TAX ALIAS NET SQL> COLUMN NET FORMAT $9,999,999.99 NULL <NULL>

Note that the example divides this column specification into two commands. The first defines the alias NET, and the second uses NET to define the format. Also note that in the first command you must enter the expression exactly as you entered it (or will enter it) in the SELECT command. Otherwise, SQL*Plus cannot match the COLUMN command to the appropriate column. To wrap long values in a column named REMARKS, you can enter
SQL> COLUMN REMARKS FORMAT A20 WRAP

Command Reference 8-39

COLUMN

For example:
CUSTOMER DATE QUANTITY REMARKS ---------- --------- -------- -------------------123 25-AUG-86 144 This order must be s hipped by air freigh t to ORD

If you replace WRAP with WORD_WRAP, REMARKS looks like this:

CUSTOMER DATE QUANTITY REMARKS ---------- --------- -------- --------------------123 25-AUG-86 144 This order must be shipped by air freight to ORD

If you specify TRUNCATE, REMARKS looks like this:

CUSTOMER DATE QUANTITY REMARKS ---------- --------- -------- -------------------123 25-AUG-86 144 This order must be s

In order to print the current date and the name of each job in the top title, enter the following. (For details on creating a date variable, see "Displaying the Current Date in Titles" under "Defining Page and Report Titles and Dimensions" in Chapter 4.)
SQL> SQL> SQL> SQL> > SQL> 2 3 4 COLUMN JOB NOPRINT NEW_VALUE JOBVAR COLUMN TODAY NOPRINT NEW_VALUE DATEVAR BREAK ON JOB SKIP PAGE ON TODAY TTITLE CENTER Job Report RIGHT DATEVAR SKIP 2 LEFT Job: JOBVAR SKIP 2 SELECT TO_CHAR(SYSDATE, MM/DD/YY) TODAY, ENAME, JOB, MGR, HIREDATE, SAL, DEPTNO FROM EMP WHERE JOB IN (CLERK, SALESMAN) ORDER BY JOB, ENAME;

8-40

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

COLUMN

Your two page report would look similar to the following report, with "Job Report" centered within your current linesize:
Job Report Job: CLERK 11/23/98

ENAME MGR HIREDATE SAL DEPTNO ---------- ------- --------- ----------- ---------ADAMS 7788 14-JAN-87 1100 20 JAMES 7698 03-DEC-81 950 30 MILLER 7782 23-JAN-82 1300 10 SMITH 7902 17-DEC-80 800 20

Job Report Job: CLERK

11/23/98

ENAME MGR HIREDATE SAL DEPTNO ---------- ------- --------- ----------- ---------ALLEN 7698 20-JAN-81 1600 30 MARTIN 7698 03-DEC-81 950 30 MILLER 7782 23-JAN-82 1300 10 SMITH 7902 17-DEC-80 800 20

To change the default format of DATE columns to 'YYYY-MM-DD', you can enter
SQL> ALTER SESSION SET NLS_DATE_FORMAT = YYYY-MM-DD;

The following output results:

Session altered

To display the change, enter a SELECT statement, such as:

SQL> SELECT HIREDATE 2 FROM EMP 3 WHERE EMPNO = 7839;

The following output results:

HIREDATE ---------1981-11-17

See the Oracle8i SQL Reference for information on the ALTER SESSION command.

Command Reference 8-41

COLUMN

Note that in a SELECT statement, some SQL calculations or functions, such as TO_ CHAR, may cause a column to be very wide. In such cases, use the FORMAT option to alter the column width.

8-42

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

COMPUTE

COMPUTE
Purpose
Calculates and prints summary lines, using various standard computations, on subsets of selected rows, or lists all COMPUTE definitions. (For details on how to create summaries, see "Clarifying Your Report with Spacing and Summary Lines" in Chapter 4.)

Syntax
COMP[UTE] [function [LAB[EL] text] ... OF {expr|column|alias} ... ON {expr|column|alias|REPORT|ROW} ...]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:
function ... Represents one of the functions listed in Table 82. If you specify more than one function, use spaces to separate the functions.
Table 82 COMPUTE Functions
Function AVG COU[NT] MAX[IMUM] Computes Applies to Datatypes

Average of non-null values Count of non-null values Maximum value

NUMBER all types NUMBER, CHAR, NCHAR, VARCHAR2 (VARCHAR), NVARCHAR2 (NCHAR VARYING) NUMBER, CHAR, NCHAR, VARCHAR2 (VARCHAR), NVARCHAR2 (NCHAR VARYING) all types

MIN[IMUM]

Minimum value

NUM[BER]

Count of rows

Command Reference 8-43

COMPUTE

Table 82 COMPUTE Functions

Function STD Computes Applies to Datatypes

Standard deviation of non-null values Sum of non-null values Variance of non-null values

NUMBER NUMBER NUMBER

SUM VAR[IANCE]

LAB[EL] text Defines the label to be printed for the computed value. If no LABEL clause is used, text defaults to the unabbreviated function keyword. If text contains spaces or punctuation, you must enclose it with single quotes. The label prints left justified and truncates to the column width or linesize, whichever is smaller. The maximum length of a label is 500 characters. The label for the computed value appears in the break column specified. To suppress the label, use the NOPRINT option of the COLUMN command on the break column. If you repeat a function in a COMPUTE command, SQL*Plus issues a warning and uses the first occurrence of the function. With ON REPORT and ON ROW computations, the label appears in the first column listed in the SELECT statement. The label can be suppressed by using a NOPRINT column first in the SELECT statement. When you compute a function of the first column in the SELECT statement ON REPORT or ON ROW, then the computed value appears in the first column and the label is not displayed. To see the label, select a dummy column first in the SELECT list.
OF {expr|column|alias} ...

In the OF clause, you can refer to an expression or function reference in the SELECT statement by placing the expression or function reference in double quotes. Column names and aliases do not need quotes.
ON {expr|column|alias|REPORT|ROW} ...

Specifies the event SQL*Plus will use as a break. (column cannot have a table or view appended to it. To achieve this, you can alias the column in the SQL statement.) COMPUTE prints the computed value and restarts the computation when the event occurs (that is, when the value

8-44

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

COMPUTE

of the expression changes, a new ROW is fetched, or the end of the report is reached). If multiple COMPUTE commands reference the same column in the ON clause, only the last COMPUTE command applies. To reference a SQL SELECT expression or function reference in an ON clause, place the expression or function reference in quotes. Column names and aliases do not need quotes. Enter COMPUTE without clauses to list all COMPUTE definitions.

Usage Notes
In order for the computations to occur, the following conditions must all be true:
s

One or more of the expressions, columns, or column aliases you reference in the OF clause must also be in the SELECT command. The expression, column, or column alias you reference in the ON clause must occur in the SELECT command and in the most recent BREAK command. If you reference either ROW or REPORT in the ON clause, also reference ROW or REPORT in the most recent BREAK command.

To remove all COMPUTE definitions, use the CLEAR COMPUTES command.

Examples
To subtotal the salary for the "clerk", "analyst", and "salesman" job classifications with a compute label of "TOTAL", enter
SQL> SQL> SQL> 2 3 4 BREAK ON JOB SKIP 1 COMPUTE SUM LABEL TOTAL OF SAL ON JOB SELECT JOB, ENAME, SAL FROM EMP WHERE JOB IN (CLERK, ANALYST, SALESMAN) ORDER BY JOB, SAL;

Command Reference 8-45

COMPUTE

The following output results:

JOB ENAME SAL --------- ---------- ---------ANALYST SCOTT 3000 FORD 3000 ********* ---------TOTAL 6000 CLERK SMITH JAMES ADAMS MILLER 800 950 1100 1300 ---------4150 1250 1250 1500 1600 ---------5600

********* TOTAL SALESMAN WARD MARTIN TURNER ALLEN ********* TOTAL

To calculate the total of salaries less than 1,000 on a report, enter

SQL> SQL> SQL> SQL> 2 3 4 COMPUTE SUM OF SAL ON REPORT BREAK ON REPORT COLUMN DUMMY HEADING SELECT DUMMY, SAL, EMPNO FROM EMP WHERE SAL < 1000 ORDER BY SAL;

The following output results:

SAL EMPNO --- ---------- ----------800 7369 950 7900 ---------sum 5350

8-46

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

COMPUTE

To compute the average and maximum salary for the accounting and sales departments, enter
SQL> SQL> > > SQL> 2 3 4 5 BREAK ON DNAME SKIP 1 COMPUTE AVG LABEL Dept Average MAX LABEL Dept Maximum OF SAL ON DNAME SELECT DNAME, ENAME, SAL FROM DEPT, EMP WHERE DEPT.DEPTNO = EMP.DEPTNO AND DNAME IN (ACCOUNTING, SALES) ORDER BY DNAME;

The following output results:

DNAME ENAME SAL -------------- ---------- ---------ACCOUNTING CLARK 2450 KING 5000 MILLER 1300 ************** ---------Dept Average 2916.66667 Dept Maximum 5000 SALES ALLEN WARD JAMES TURNER MARTIN BLAKE 1600 1250 950 1500 1250 2850 ---------1566.66667 2850

************** Dept Average Dept Maximum

To compute the sum of salaries for departments 10 and 20 without printing the compute label:
SQL> SQL> SQL> SQL> 2 3 4 COLUMN DUMMY NOPRINT COMPUTE SUM OF SAL ON DUMMY BREAK ON DUMMY SKIP 1 SELECT DEPTNO DUMMY, DEPTNO, ENAME, SAL FROM EMP WHERE DEPTNO <= 20 ORDER BY DEPTNO;

Command Reference 8-47

COMPUTE

SQL*Plus displays the following output:

DEPTNO ---------10 10 10 ENAME SAL ---------- ---------KING 5000 CLARK 2450 MILLER 1300 ---------8750 JONES FORD SMITH SCOTT ADAMS 2975 3000 800 3000 1100 ---------10875

20 20 20 20 20

If, instead, you do not want to print the label, only the salary total at the end of the report:
SQL> SQL> SQL> SQL> 2 3 4 COLUMN DUMMY NOPRINT COMPUTE SUM OF SAL ON DUMMY BREAK ON DUMMY SELECT NULL DUMMY, DEPTNO, ENAME, SAL FROM EMP WHERE DEPTNO <= 20 ORDER BY DEPTNO;

SQL*Plus displays the following output:

DEPTNO ---------10 10 10 20 20 20 20 20 ENAME SAL ---------- ---------KING 5000 CLARK 2450 MILLER 1300 JONES 2975 FORD 3000 SMITH 800 SCOTT 3000 ADAMS 1100 ---------19625

8-48

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

CONNECT

CONNECT
Purpose
Connects a given username to Oracle.

Syntax
CONN[ECT] [[logon] [AS [SYSOPER|SYSDBA]]]

where logon requires the following syntax:

username[/password][@net_service_name]|/

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:
username[/password] Represent the username and password with which you wish to connect to Oracle. If you omit username and password, SQL*Plus prompts you for them. If you enter a slash (/) or simply enter [Return] to the prompt for username, SQL*Plus logs you in using a default logon (see "/" below).

If you omit only password, SQL*Plus prompts you for password. When prompting, SQL*Plus does not display password on your terminal screen. See the PASSWORD command in this chapter for information about changing your password.
net_service_name Consists of a Net8 connection string. The exact syntax depends upon the Net8 communications protocol your Oracle installation uses. For more information, refer to the Net8 manual appropriate for your protocol or contact your DBA. SQL*Plus does not prompt for a service name, but uses your default database if you do not include a specification.
/

Represents a default logon using operating system authentication. You cannot enter a net_service_name if you use a default logon. In a default logon, SQL*Plus typically attempts to log you in using the username OPS$name, where name is your operating system username. See the Oracle8i Administrators Guide for information about operating system authentication.

Command Reference 8-49

CONNECT

AS [SYSOPER|SYSDBA]

The AS clause allows privileged connections by users who have been granted SYSOPER or SYSDBA system privileges.

Usage Notes
CONNECT commits the current transaction to the database, disconnects the current username from Oracle, and reconnects with the specified username. If you log on or connect as a user whose account has expired, SQL*Plus prompts you to change your password before you can connect. If an account is locked, a message is displayed and connection into that account (as that user) is not permitted until the account is unlocked by your DBA. For more information about user account management, refer to the CREATE and ALTER USER commands, and the CREATE PROFILE command in the Oracle8i SQL Reference.

Examples
To connect across Net8 using username SCOTT and password TIGER to the database known by the Net8 alias as FLEETDB, enter
SQL> CONNECT SCOTT/TIGER@FLEETDB

To connect using username SCOTT, letting SQL*Plus prompt you for the password, enter
SQL> CONNECT SCOTT

For more information about setting up your password file, refer to the Oracle8i Administrators Guide. To use a password file to connect to an instance on the current node as a privileged user named SCOTT with the password TIGER, enter
SQL> CONNECT SCOTT/TIGER AS SYSDBA

Note, that your default schema is now SYS, not SCOTT.

8-50

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

COPY

COPY
Purpose
Copies the data from a query to a table in a local or remote database.

Syntax
COPY {FROM username[/password]@net_service_name| TO username[/password]@net_service_name| FROM username[/password]@net_service_name TO username[/password]@net_service_name} {APPEND|CREATE|INSERT|REPLACE} destination_table [(column, column, column ...)] USING query

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:
username[/password] Represent the Oracle username/password you wish to COPY FROM and TO. In the FROM clause, username/password identifies the source of the data; in the TO clause, username/password identifies the destination. If you do not specify password in either the FROM clause or the TO clause, SQL*Plus will prompt you for it. SQL*Plus suppresses the display of your response to these prompts. net_service_name Consists of a Net8 connection string. You must include a net_service_ name clause in the COPY command. In the FROM clause, net_service_ name represents the database at the source; in the TO clause, net_service_ name represents the database at the destination. The exact syntax depends upon the Net8 communications protocol your Oracle installation uses. For more information, refer to the Net8 manual appropriate for your protocol or contact your DBA. destination_table Represents the table you wish to create or to which you wish to add data.
(column, column, column, ...)

Specifies the names of the columns in destination_table. You must enclose a name in double quotes if it contains lowercase letters or blanks.

Command Reference 8-51

COPY

If you specify columns, the number of columns must equal the number of columns selected by the query. If you do not specify any columns, the copied columns will have the same names in the destination table as they had in the source if COPY creates destination_table.
USING query

Specifies a SQL query (SELECT command) determining which rows and columns COPY copies.
FROM username [/password] @net_service_name

Specifies the username, password, and database that contains the data to be copied. If you omit the FROM clause, the source defaults to the database to which SQL*Plus is connected (that is, the database that other commands address). You must include a FROM clause to specify a source database other than the default.
TO username[/password] @net_service_name

Specifies the database containing the destination table. If you omit the TO clause, the destination defaults to the database to which SQL*Plus is connected (that is, the database that other commands address). You must include a TO clause to specify a destination database other than the default.
APPEND

Inserts the rows from query into destination_table if the table exists. If destination_table does not exist, COPY creates it.
CREATE

Inserts the rows from query into destination_table after first creating the table. If destination_table already exists, COPY returns an error.
INSERT

Inserts the rows from query into destination_table. If destination_table does not exist, COPY returns an error. When using INSERT, the USING query must select one column for each column in the destination_table.
REPLACE

Replaces destination_table and its contents with the rows from query. If destination_table does not exist, COPY creates it. Otherwise, COPY drops the existing table and replaces it with a table containing the copied data.

8-52

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

COPY

Usage Notes
To enable the copying of data between Oracle and non-Oracle databases, NUMBER columns are changed to DECIMAL columns in the destination table. Hence, if you are copying between Oracle databases, a NUMBER column with no precision will be changed to a DECIMAL(38) column. When copying between Oracle databases, you should use SQL commands (CREATE TABLE AS and INSERT) or you should ensure that your columns have a precision specified. The SQL*Plus SET variable LONG limits the length of LONG columns that you copy. If any LONG columns contain data longer than the value of LONG, COPY truncates the data. SQL*Plus performs a commit at the end of each successful COPY. If you set the SQL*Plus SET variable COPYCOMMIT to a positive value n, SQL*Plus performs a commit after copying every n batches of records. The SQL*Plus SET variable ARRAYSIZE determines the size of a batch. Some operating environments require that service names be placed in double quotes.

Examples
The following command copies the entire EMP table to a table named WESTEMP. Note that the tables are located in two different databases. If WESTEMP already exists, SQL*Plus replaces the table and its contents. The columns in WESTEMP have the same names as the columns in the source table, EMP.
SQL> COPY FROM SCOTT/TIGER@HQ TO JOHN/CHROME@WEST > REPLACE WESTEMP > USING SELECT * FROM EMP

The following command copies selected records from EMP to the database to which SQL*Plus is connected. SQL*Plus creates SALESMEN through the copy. SQL*Plus copies only the columns EMPNO and ENAME, and at the destination names them EMPNO and SALESMAN.
SQL> COPY FROM SCOTT/TIGER@HQ > CREATE SALESMEN (EMPNO,SALESMAN) > USING SELECT EMPNO, ENAME FROM EMP > WHERE JOB=SALESMAN

Command Reference 8-53

DEFINE

DEFINE
Purpose
Specifies a user variable and assigns it a CHAR value, or lists the value and variable type of a single variable or all variables.

Syntax
DEF[INE] [variable]|[variable = text]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:
variable

Represents the user variable whose value you wish to assign or list.
text

Represents the CHAR value you wish to assign to variable. Enclose text in single quotes if it contains punctuation or blanks.
variable = text Defines (names) a user variable and assigns it a CHAR value.

Enter DEFINE followed by variable to list the value and type of variable. Enter DEFINE with no clauses to list the values and types of all user variables.

Usage Notes
DEFINEd variables retain their values until one of the following events occurs:
s

you enter a new DEFINE command referencing the variable you enter an UNDEFINE command referencing the variable you enter an ACCEPT command referencing the variable you reference the variable in the NEW_VALUE or OLD_VALUE clause of the COLUMN command and reference the column in a subsequent SQL SELECT command you EXIT SQL*Plus

Whenever you run a stored query or command file, SQL*Plus substitutes the value of variable for each substitution variable referencing variable (in the form &variable or

8-54

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

DEFINE

&&variable). SQL*Plus will not prompt you for the value of variable in this session until you UNDEFINE variable. Note that you can use DEFINE to define the variable, _EDITOR, which establishes the host system editor invoked by the SQL*Plus EDIT command. If you continue the value of a DEFINEd variable on multiple lines (using the SQL*Plus command continuation character), SQL*Plus replaces each continuation character and carriage return you enter with a space in the resulting variable. For example, SQL*Plus interprets
SQL> DEFINE TEXT = ONE> TWO> THREE

as
SQL> DEFINE TEXT = ONE TWO THREE

Examples
To assign the value MANAGER to the variable POS, type:
SQL> DEFINE POS = MANAGER

If you execute a command that contains a reference to &POS, SQL*Plus will substitute the value MANAGER for &POS and will not prompt you for a POS value. To assign the CHAR value 20 to the variable DEPTNO, type:
SQL> DEFINE DEPTNO = 20

Even though you enter the number 20, SQL*Plus assigns a CHAR value to DEPTNO consisting of two characters, 2 and 0. To list the definition of DEPTNO, enter
SQL> DEFINE DEPTNO DEFINE DEPTNO = 20 (CHAR)

This result shows that the value of DEPTNO is 20.

Command Reference 8-55

DEL

DEL
Purpose
Deletes one or more lines of the buffer.

Syntax
DEL [n|n m|n *|n LAST|*|* n|* LAST|LAST]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:
n n m n * n LAST
* * n * LAST LAST

Deletes line n. Deletes lines n through m. Deletes line n through the current line. Deletes line n through the last line. Deletes the current line. Deletes the current line through line n. Deletes the current line through the last line. Deletes the last line.

Enter DEL with no clauses to delete the current line of the buffer.

Usage Notes
DEL makes the following line of the buffer (if any) the current line. You can enter DEL several times to delete several consecutive lines.
Note: DEL is a SQL*Plus command and DELETE is a SQL command. For more information about the SQL DELETE command, see the Oracle8i SQL Reference.

8-56

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

DEL

Examples
Assume the SQL buffer contains the following query:
1 2 3 4* SELECT ENAME, DEPTNO FROM EMP WHERE JOB = SALESMAN ORDER BY DEPTNO

To make the line containing the WHERE clause the current line, you could enter
SQL> LIST 3 3* WHERE JOB = SALESMAN

followed by
SQL> DEL

The SQL buffer now contains the following lines:

1 SELECT ENAME, DEPTNO 2 FROM EMP 3* ORDER BY DEPTNO

To delete the second line of the buffer, enter

SQL> DEL 2

The SQL buffer now contains the following lines:

1 SELECT ENAME, DEPTNO 2* ORDER BY DEPTNO

Command Reference 8-57

DESCRIBE

DESCRIBE
Purpose
Lists the column definitions for the specified table, view, or synonym or the specifications for the specified function or procedure.

Syntax
DESC[RIBE] {[schema.]object[@net_service_name]}

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:
schema

Represents the schema where the object resides. If you omit schema, SQL*Plus assumes you own object.
object

Represents the table, view, type, procedure, function, package or synonym you wish to describe.
@net_service_name Consists of the database link name corresponding to the database where object exists. For more information on which privileges allow access to another table in a different schema, refer to the Oracle8i SQL Reference.

Usage Notes
The description for tables, views, types and synonyms contains the following information:
s

each columns name whether or not null values are allowed (NULL or NOT NULL) for each column datatype of columns, for example, NUMBER, CHAR, VARCHAR2 (VARCHAR), LONG, DATE, RAW, LONGRAW, or ROWID precision of columns (and scale, if any, for a numeric column)

When you do a DESCRIBE, VARCHAR columns are returned with a type of VARCHAR2.

8-58

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

DESCRIBE

The DESCRIBE command allows you to describe objects recursively to the depth level set in the SET DESCRIBE command. You can also display the line number and indentation of the attribute or column name when an object contains multiple object types. For more information, see the SET command later in this chapter. To control the width of the data displayed, use the SET LINESIZE command. For more information, see the SET command later in this chapter. The description for functions and procedures contains the following information:
s

the type of PL/SQL object (function or procedure) the name of the function or procedure the type of value returned (for functions) the argument names, types, whether they are input or output, and default values, if any

Examples
To describe the table EMP, enter
SQL> DESCRIBE EMP

SQL*Plus lists the following information:

Name Null? ------------------------------ -------EMPNO NOT NULL ENAME JOB MGR HIREDATE SAL COMM DEPTNO Type -----------NUMBER(4) CHAR(10) JOB(9) NUMBER(4) DATE NUMBER(7,2) NUMBER(7,2) NUMBER(2)

To describe a procedure called CUSTOMER_LOOKUP, enter

SQL> DESCRIBE customer_lookup

Command Reference 8-59

DESCRIBE

SQL*Plus lists the following information:

PROCEDURE customer_lookup Argument Name Type ---------------------- -------CUST_ID NUMBER CUST_NAME VARCHAR2 In/Out Default? -------- --------IN OUT

To create and describe the package APACK that contains the procedures aproc and bproc, enter
SQL> 2 3 4 5 SQL> CREATE PACKAGE apack AS PROCEDURE aproc(P1 CHAR, P2 NUMBER); PROCEDURE bproc(P1 CHAR, P2 NUMBER); END apack; / DESCRIBE apack

SQL*Plus lists the following information:

PROCEDURE aproc Argument Name ---------------------P1 P2 PROCEDURE bproc Argument Name ---------------------P1 P2 Type -------CHAR NUMBER Type -------CHAR NUMBER In/Out Default? -------- --------IN IN In/Out Default? -------- --------IN IN

To create and describe the object type ADDRESS that contains the attributes STREET and CITY, enter
SQL> 2 3 4 5 SQL> CREATE TYPE ADDRESS AS OBJECT ( STREET VARCHAR2(20), CITY VARCHAR2(20) ); / DESCRIBE address

8-60

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

DESCRIBE

SQL*Plus lists the following information:

Name Null? ------------------------------ -------STREET CITY Type -----------VARCHAR2(20) VARCHAR2(20)

To create and describe the object type EMPLOYEE that contains the attributes ENAME, EMPADDR, JOB and SAL, enter
SQL> 2 3 4 5 6 7 SQL> CREATE TYPE EMPLOYEE AS OBJECT ( ENAME VARCHAR2(30), EMPADDR ADDRESS, JOB VARCHAR2(20), SAL NUMBER(7,2) ); / DESCRIBE employee

SQL*Plus lists the following information:

Name Null? ------------------------------ -------ENAME EMPADDR JOB SAL Type -----------VARCHAR2(30) ADDRESS VARCHAR2(20) NUMBER(7,2)

To create and describe the object type addr_type as a table of the object type ADDRESS, enter
SQL> CREATE TYPE addr_type IS TABLE OF ADDRESS; 2 / SQL> DESCRIBE addr_type

SQL*Plus lists the following information:

addr_type TABLE OF ADDRESS Name Null? ------------------------------ -------STREET CITY Type -----------VARCHAR2(20) VARCHAR2(20)

Command Reference 8-61

DESCRIBE

To create and describe the object type addr_varray as a varray of the object type ADDRESS, enter
SQL> CREATE TYPE addr_varray AS VARRAY(10) OF ADDRESS; 2 / SQL> DESCRIBE addr_varray

SQL*Plus lists the following information:

addr_varray VARRAY(10) OF ADDRESS Name Null? ------------------------------ -------STREET CITY Type -----------VARCHAR2(20) VARCHAR2(20)

To create and describe the table dept_emp that contains the columns DEPTNO, PERSON and LOC, enter
SQL> 2 3 4 5 6 SQL> CREATE TABLE dept_emp ( DEPTNO NUMBER, PERSON EMPLOYEE, LOC NUMBER ); / DESCRIBE dept_emp

SQL*Plus lists the following information:

Name Null? ------------------------------ -------DEPTNO PERSON LOC Type -----------NUMBER EMPLOYEE NUMBER

To create and describe the object type rational that contains the attributes NUMERATOR and DENOMINATOR, and the METHOD rational_order, enter
SQL> 2 3 4 > 5 6 7 CREATE OR REPLACE TYPE rational AS OBJECT ( NUMERATOR NUMBER, DENOMINATOR NUMBER, MAP MEMBER FUNCTION rational_order RETURN DOUBLE PRECISION, PRAGMA RESTRICT_REFERENCES (rational_order, RNDS, WNDS, RNPS, WNPS) ); /

8-62

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

DESCRIBE

SQL> 2 > 3 4 5 6 7 SQL>

CREATE OR REPLACE TYPE BODY rational AS OBJECT MAP MEMBER FUNCTION rational_order RETURN DOUBLE PRECISION IS BEGIN RETURN NUMERATOR/DENOMINATOR; END; END; / DESCRIBE rational

SQL*Plus lists the following information:

Name Null? ------------------------------ -------NUMERATOR DENOMINATOR Type -----------NUMBER NUMBER

METHOD -----MAP MEMBER FUNCTION RATIONAL_ORDER RETURNS NUMBER

To describe the object emp_object and then format the output using the SET DESCRIBE command, first enter
SQL> desc emp_object

SQL*Plus lists the following information:

Name Null ----------------------------------------- -------EMPLOYEE DEPT START_DATE POSITION SAL Type ---------------------------RECUR_PERSON RECUR_DEPARTMENT DATE VARCHAR2(1) RECUR_SALARY

To format the DESCRIBE output use the SET command as follows:

SQL> SQL> SQL> SQL> set set set set linesize 80 desc depth 2 desc indent on desc line off

Command Reference 8-63

DESCRIBE

To display the settings for the object, use the SHOW command as follows:
SQL> show desc describe DEPTH 2 LINENUM OFF INDENT ON SQL> desc emp_object

SQL*Plus lists the following information:

Name Null ----------------------------------------- -------EMPLOYEE NAME ADDR ADDR1 DOB GENDER DEPT DEPTNO DEPT_NAME LOCATION START_DATE POSITION SAL ANNUAL_SAL EMP_TYPE COMM PENALTY_RATE Type ---------------------------RECUR_PERSON VARCHAR2(20) RECUR_ADDRESS RECUR_ADDRESS1 DATE VARCHAR2(10) RECUR_DEPARTMENT NUMBER VARCHAR2(20) VARCHAR2(20) DATE VARCHAR2(1) RECUR_SALARY NUMBER(10,2) VARCHAR2(1) NUMBER(10,2) NUMBER(5,2)

For more information on using the CREATE TYPE command, see your Oracle8i SQL Reference. For information about using the SET DESCRIBE and SHOW DESCRIBE commands, see the SET and SHOW commands later in this chapter.

8-64

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

DISCONNECT

DISCONNECT
Purpose
Commits pending changes to the database and logs the current username out of Oracle, but does not exit SQL*Plus.

Syntax
DISC[ONNECT]

Usage Notes Use DISCONNECT within a command file to prevent user access to the database when you want to log the user out of Oracle but have the user remain in SQL*Plus. Use EXIT or QUIT to log out of Oracle and return control to your host computers operating system.

Example
Your command file might begin with a CONNECT command and end with a DISCONNECT, as shown below.
SQL> GET MYFILE 1 CONNECT ... . . . . 15* DISCONNECT

Command Reference 8-65

EDIT

EDIT
Purpose
Invokes a host operating system text editor on the contents of the specified file or on the contents of the buffer.

Syntax
ED[IT] [file_name[.ext]]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following for a description of the term or clause:
file_name[.ext] Represents the file you wish to edit (typically a command file).

Enter EDIT with no filename to edit the contents of the SQL buffer with the host operating system text editor.

Usage Notes
If you omit the file extension, SQL*Plus assumes the default command-file extension (normally SQL). For information on changing the default extension, see the SUFFIX variable of the SET command in this chapter. If you specify a filename, SQL*Plus searches for the file in the current working directory. If SQL*Plus cannot find the file in the current working directory, it creates a file with the specified name. The user variable, _EDITOR, contains the name of the text editor invoked by EDIT. You can change the text editor by changing the value of _EDITOR. See DEFINE for information about changing the value of a user variable. If _EDITOR is undefined, EDIT attempts to invoke the default host operating system editor. EDIT alone places the contents of the SQL buffer in a file by default named AFIEDT.BUF (in your current working directory) and invokes the text editor on the contents of the file. If the file AFIEDT.BUF already exists, it is overwritten with the contents of the buffer. You can change the default filename by using the SET EDITFILE command. For more information about setting a default filename for the EDIT command, see the EDITFILE variable of the SET command in this chapter.
Note: The default file, AFIEDT.BUF, may have a different name on some operating systems.

8-66

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

EDIT

If you do not specify a filename and the buffer is empty, EDIT returns an error message. To leave the editing session and return to SQL*Plus, terminate the editing session in the way customary for the text editor. When you leave the editor, SQL*Plus loads the contents of the file into the buffer.

Example
To edit the file REPORT with the extension SQL using your host operating system text editor, enter
SQL> EDIT REPORT

Command Reference 8-67

EXECUTE

EXECUTE
Purpose
Executes a single PL/SQL statement. The EXECUTE command is often useful when you want to execute a PL/SQL statement that references a stored procedure. For more information on PL/SQL, see your PL/SQL Users Guide and Reference.

Syntax
EXEC[UTE] statement

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following for a description of the term or clause:
statement

Represents a PL/SQL statement.

Usage Notes
If your EXECUTE command cannot fit on one line because of the PL/SQL statement, use the SQL*Plus continuation character (a hyphen) as shown in the example below. The length of the command and the PL/SQL statement cannot exceed the length defined by SET LINESIZE.

Examples
The following EXECUTE command assigns a value to a bind variable:
SQL> EXECUTE :n := 1

The following EXECUTE command runs a PL/SQL statement that references a stored procedure:
SQL> EXECUTE > :ID := EMP_MANAGEMENT.HIRE(BLAKE,MANAGER,KING,2990,SALES)

Note that the value returned by the stored procedure is being placed in a bind variable, :ID. For information on how to create a bind variable, see the VARIABLE command in this chapter.

8-68

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

EXIT

EXIT
Purpose
Terminates SQL*Plus and returns control to the operating system.

Syntax
{EXIT|QUIT} [SUCCESS|FAILURE|WARNING|n|variable|:BindVariable] [COMMIT|ROLLBACK]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:
{EXIT|QUIT}

Can be used interchangeably (QUIT is a synonym for EXIT).

SUCCESS

Exits normally.
FAILURE

Exits with a return code indicating failure.

WARNING

Exits with a return code indicating warning.

COMMIT

Saves pending changes to the database before exiting.

n

Represents an integer you specify as the return code.

variable

Represents a user-defined or system variable (but not a bind variable), such as SQL.SQLCODE. EXIT variable exits with the value of variable as the return code.
:BindVariable Represents a variable created in SQL*Plus with the VARIABLE command, and then referenced in PL/SQL, or other subprograms. :BindVariable exits the subprogram and returns you to SQL*Plus.
ROLLBACK

Executes a ROLLBACK statement and abandons pending changes to the database before exiting. EXIT with no clauses commits and exits with a value of SUCCESS.

Command Reference 8-69

EXIT

Usage Notes
EXIT allows you to specify an operating system return code. This allows you to run SQL*Plus command files in batch mode and to detect programmatically the occurrence of an unexpected event. The manner of detection is operating-system specific. See the Oracle installation and users manual(s) provided for your operating system for details. The key words SUCCESS, WARNING, and FAILURE represent operating-system dependent values. On some systems, WARNING and FAILURE may be indistinguishable.
Note: SUCCESS, FAILURE, and WARNING are not reserved words.

The range of operating system return codes is also restricted on some operating systems. This limits the portability of EXIT n and EXIT variable between platforms. For example, on UNIX there is only one byte of storage for return codes; therefore, the range for return codes is limited to zero to 255. If you make a syntax error in the EXIT options or use a non-numeric variable, SQL*Plus performs an EXIT FAILURE COMMIT. For information on exiting conditionally, see the WHENEVER SQLERROR and WHENEVER OSERROR commands later in this chapter.

Example
The following example commits all uncommitted transactions and returns the error code of the last executed SQL command or PL/SQL block:
SQL> EXIT SQL.SQLCODE

The location of the return code depends on your system. Consult your DBA for information concerning how your operating system retrieves data from a program. See the TTITLE command in this chapter for more information on SQL.SQLCODE.

8-70

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

GET

GET
Purpose
Loads a host operating system file into the SQL buffer.

Syntax
GET file_name[.ext] [LIS[T]|NOL[IST]]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:
file_name[.ext] Represents the file you wish to load (typically a command file).
LIS[T]

Lists the contents of the file.

NOL[IST]

Suppresses the listing.

Usage Note
If you do not specify a file extension, SQL*Plus assumes the default command-file extension (normally SQL). For information on changing the default extension, see the SUFFIX variable of the SET command in this chapter. If part of the filename you are specifying contains the word list or the word file, you need to put the name in double quotes. SQL*Plus searches for the file in the current working directory. The operating system file should contain a single SQL statement or PL/SQL block. The statement should not be terminated with a semicolon. If a SQL*Plus command or more than one SQL statement or PL/SQL block is loaded into the SQL buffer from an operating system file, an error occurs when the RUN or slash (/) command is used to execute the buffer. The GET command can be used to load files created with the SAVE command. See the SAVE command in this chapter for more information.

Command Reference 8-71

GET

Example
To load a file called YEARENDRPT with the extension SQL into the buffer, enter
SQL> GET YEARENDRPT

8-72

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

HELP

HELP
Purpose
Accesses the SQL*Plus help system.

Syntax
HELP [topic]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following for a description of the term or clause:
topic

Represents a SQL*Plus help topic, for example, COLUMN. Enter HELP without topic to get help on the help system.

Usage Notes
You can only enter one topic after HELP. You can abbreviate the topic (for example, COL for COLUMN). However, if you enter only an abbreviated topic and the abbreviation is ambiguous, SQL*Plus displays help for all topics that match the abbreviation. For example, if you enter
SQL> HELP EX

SQL*Plus displays the syntax for the EXECUTE command followed by the syntax for the EXIT command. If you get a response indicating that help is not available, consult your database administrator.

Example
To see a list of SQL*Plus commands, enter
SQL> HELP INDEX

Command Reference 8-73

HOST

HOST
Purpose
Executes a host operating system command without leaving SQL*Plus.

Syntax
HO[ST] [command]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following for a description of the term or clause:
command

Represents a host operating system command. Enter HOST without command to display an operating system prompt. You can then enter multiple operating system commands. For information on returning to SQL*Plus, refer to the Oracle installation and users manual(s) provided for your operating system.

Usage Notes
With some operating systems, you can use a "$" (VMS), "!" (UNIX), or another character instead of HOST. See the Oracle installation and users manual(s) provided for your operating system for details. You may not have access to the HOST command, depending on your operating system. See the Oracle installation and users manual(s) provided for your operating system or ask your DBA for more information. SQL*Plus removes the SQLTERMINATOR (a semicolon by default) before the HOST command is issued. A workaround for this is to add another SQLTERMINATOR. See the SQLTERMINATOR variable of the SET command in this chapter for more information on the SQLTERMINATOR.

Example
To execute an operating system command, ls *.sql, enter
SQL> HOST ls *.sql

8-74

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

INPUT

INPUT
Purpose
Adds one or more new lines of text after the current line in the buffer.

Syntax
I[NPUT] [text]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following for a description of the term or clause:
text

Represents the text you wish to add. To add a single line, enter the text of the line after the command INPUT, separating the text from the command with a space. To begin the line with one or more spaces, enter two or more spaces between INPUT and the first non-blank character of text. To add several lines, enter INPUT with no text. INPUT prompts you for each line. To leave INPUT, enter a null (empty) line.

Usage Notes
If you enter a line number at the command prompt larger than the number of lines in the buffer, and follow the number with text, SQL*Plus adds the text in a new line at the end of the buffer. If you specify zero (0) for the line number and follow the zero with text, then SQL*Plus inserts the line at the beginning of the buffer (that line becomes line 1).

Examples
Assume the SQL buffer contains the following command:
1 SELECT ENAME, DEPTNO, SAL, COMM 2 FROM EMP

To add an ORDER BY clause to the query, enter

SQL> LIST 2 2* FROM EMP SQL> INPUT ORDER BY ENAME

Command Reference 8-75

INPUT

LIST 2 ensures that line 2 is the current line. INPUT adds a new line containing the ORDER BY clause after the current line. The SQL buffer now contains the following lines:
1 SELECT ENAME, DEPTNO, SAL, COMM 2 FROM EMP 3* ORDER BY ENAME

To add a two-line WHERE clause, enter

SQL> 2* SQL> 3 4 5 LIST 2 FROM EMP INPUT WHERE JOB = SALESMAN AND COMM 500

INPUT prompts you for new lines until you enter an empty line. The SQL buffer now contains the following lines:
1 2 3 4 5 SELECT ENAME, DEPTNO, SAL, COMM FROM EMP WHERE JOB = SALESMAN AND COMM 500 ORDER BY ENAME

8-76

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

LIST

LIST
Purpose
Lists one or more lines of the SQL buffer.

Syntax
L[IST] [n|n m|n *|n LAST|*|* n|* LAST|LAST]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:
n n m n * n LAST
* * n * LAST LAST

Lists line n. Lists lines n through m. Lists line n through the current line. Lists line n through the last line. Lists the current line. Lists the current line through line n. Lists the current line through the last line. Lists the last line.

Enter LIST with no clauses to list all lines.

Usage Notes
The last line listed becomes the new current line (marked by an asterisk).

Example
To list the contents of the buffer, enter
SQL> LIST

You will see a listing of all lines in the buffer, similar to the following example:
1 2 3 4* SELECT ENAME, DEPTNO, JOB FROM EMP WHERE JOB = CLERK ORDER BY DEPTNO

The asterisk indicates that line 4 is the current line.

Command Reference 8-77

LIST

To list the second line only, enter

SQL> LIST 2

You will then see this:

2* FROM EMP

To list the current line (now line 2) to the last line, enter
SQL> LIST * LAST

You will then see this:

2 FROM EMP 3 WHERE JOB = CLERK 4* ORDER BY DEPTNO

8-78

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

PASSWORD

PASSWORD
Purpose
Allows you to change a password without echoing the password on an input device.

Syntax
PASSW[ORD] [username]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following for a description of the clause or term:
username

Specifies the user. If you do not specify a username, username defaults to the current user.

Usage Notes
To change the password of another user, you must have been granted the appropriate privilege. For more information about changing your password, see the CONNECT command in this chapter.

Example
Suppose you are logged on as scott/tiger, and want to change the password to tigertiger
SQL> passw Changing password for scott Old password: tiger New password: tigertiger Retype new password: tigertiger Password changed

Command Reference 8-79

PASSWORD

Suppose you are logged on as a DBA, and want to change the password for user usera (currently identified by passa) to passusera
SQL> passw usera Changing password for usera New password: passusera Retype new password: passusera Password changed

8-80

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

PAUSE

PAUSE
Purpose
Displays an empty line followed by a line containing text, then waits for the user to press [Return], or displays two empty lines and waits for the users response.

Syntax
PAU[SE] [text]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following for a description of the clause or term:
text

Represents the text you wish to display. Enter PAUSE followed by no text to display two empty lines.

Usage Notes
Because PAUSE always waits for the users response, it is best to use a message that tells the user explicitly to press [Return]. PAUSE reads input from the terminal (if a terminal is available) even when you have designated the source of the command input as a file. For information on pausing between pages of a report, see the PAUSE variable of the SET command later in this chapter.

Example
To print "Adjust paper and press RETURN to continue." and to have SQL*Plus wait for the user to press [Return], you might include the following PAUSE command in a command file:
SET PAUSE OFF PAUSE Adjust paper and press RETURN to continue. SELECT ...

Command Reference 8-81

PRINT

PRINT
Purpose
Displays the current value of bind variables. For more information on bind variables, see your PL/SQL Users Guide and Reference.

Syntax
PRI[NT] [variable ...]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following for a description of the clause or term:
variable ... Represents the names of the bind variables whose values you wish to display.

Enter PRINT with no variables to print all bind variables.

Usage Notes
Bind variables are created using the VARIABLE command. For more information and examples, see the VARIABLE command in this chapter. You can control the formatting of the PRINT output just as you would query output. For more information, see the formatting techniques described in Chapter 4. To automatically display bind variables referenced in a successful PL/SQL block or used in an EXECUTE command, use the AUTOPRINT clause of the SET command. For more information, see the SET command in this chapter.

Example
The following example illustrates a PRINT command:
SQL> SQL> 2 3 SQL> VARIABLE n NUMBER BEGIN :n := 1; END; PRINT n N ---------1

8-82

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

PROMPT

PROMPT
Purpose
Sends the specified message or a blank line to the users screen.

Syntax
PRO[MPT] [text]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following for a description of the term or clause:
text

Represents the text of the message you wish to display. If you omit text, PROMPT displays a blank line on the users screen.

Usage Notes
You can use this command in command files to give information to the user.

Example
The following example shows the use of PROMPT in conjunction with ACCEPT in a command file called ASKFORDEPT. ASKFORDEPT contains the following SQL*Plus and SQL commands:
PROMPT PROMPT Please enter a valid department PROMPT For example: 10, 20, 30, 40 ACCEPT NEWDEPT NUMBER PROMPT DEPT:> SELECT DNAME FROM DEPT WHERE DEPTNO = &NEWDEPT

Assume you run the file using START or @:

SQL> @ASKFORDEPT

SQL*Plus displays the following prompts:

Please enter a valid department For example: 10, 20, 30, 40 DEPT:>

Command Reference 8-83

PROMPT

You can enter a department number at the prompt DEPT:>. By default, SQL*Plus lists the line containing &NEWDEPT before and after substitution, and then displays the department name corresponding to the number entered at the DEPT:> prompt.

8-84

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

RECOVER

RECOVER
Purpose
Performs media recovery on one or more tablespaces, one or more datafiles, or the entire database.

Syntax
RECOVER [AUTOMATIC][FROM location] {[STANDBY] DATABASE [UNTIL options][USING BACKUP CONTROLFILE] |TABLESPACE {tablespace [, tablespace ...]} |DATAFILE {datafilename [, datafilename ...]} |STANDBY {TABLESPACE tablespace [,tablespace ...] |DATAFILE datafilename [, datafilename ...]} UNTIL CONTROLFILE |LOGFILE filename |CONTINUE [DEFAULT] |CANCEL} [PARALLEL clause]

where options requires the following syntax:

{CANCEL|CHANGE integer|TIME date}

and where clause requires the following syntax:

{PARALLEL ([DEGREE {integer|DEFAULT}|INSTANCES {integer|DEFAULT}]...) |NOPARALLEL}

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term and clause:
AUTOMATIC

Automatically generates the name of the next archived redo log file needed to continue the recovery operation. Oracle uses the LOG_ ARCHIVE_DEST (or LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1) and LOG_ARCHIVE_ FORMAT parameters (or their defaults) to generate the target redo log filename. If the file is found, the redo contained in that file is applied. If the file is not found, Oracle prompts you for a filename, displaying the generated filename as a suggestion. If you specify neither AUTOMATIC nor LOGFILE, Oracle prompts you for a filename, displaying the generated filename as a suggestion. You can then accept the generated filename or replace it with a fully

Command Reference 8-85

RECOVER

qualified filename. If you know the archived filename differs from what Oracle would generate, you can save time by using the LOGFILE clause.
FROM location

Specifies the location from which the archived redo log file group is read. The value of location must be a fully specified file location following the conventions of your operating system. If you omit this parameter, Oracle assumes the archived redo log file group is in the location specified by the initialization parameter LOG_ARCHIVE_ DEST or LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1.
STANDBY

Recovers the standby database using the control file and archived redo log files copied from the primary database. The standby database must be mounted but not open.
DATABASE

Recovers the entire database.

UNTIL CANCEL

Specifies an incomplete, cancel-based recovery. Recovery proceeds by prompting you with the suggested filenames of archived redo log files, and recovery completes when you specify CANCEL instead of a filename.
UNTIL CHANGE integer

Specifies an incomplete, change-based recovery. integer is the number of the System Change Number (SCN) following the last change you wish to recover. For example, if you want to restore your database up to the transaction with an SCN of 9, you would specify UNTIL CHANGE 10.
UNTIL TIME date

Specifies an incomplete, time-based recovery. Use single quotes, and the following format:
'YYYY-MM-DD:HH24:MI:SS'

USING BACKUP CONTROLFILE

Specifies that a backup of the control file be used instead of the current control file.

8-86

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

RECOVER

TABLESPACE tablespace

Recovers a particular tablespace. tablespace is the name of a tablespace in the current database. You may recover up to 16 tablespaces in one statement.
DATAFILE datafilename

Recovers a particular datafile. You can specify any number of datafiles.

STANDBY {TABLESPACE tablespace [, tablespace ...]

[DATAFILE datafilename [, datafilename ...]} Reconstructs a lost or damaged datafile or tablespace in the standby database using archived redo log files copied from the primary database and a control file.
UNTIL CONTROLFILE

Specifies that the recovery of an old standby datafile or tablespace uses the current standby database control file.
LOGFILE filename

Continues media recovery by applying the specified redo log file.

CONTINUE [DEFAULT]

Continues multi-instance recovery after it has been interrupted to disable a thread. Continues recovery using the redo log file that Oracle would automatically generate if no other logfile were specified. This option is equivalent to specifying AUTOMATIC, except that Oracle does not prompt for a filename.
CANCEL

Terminates cancel-based recovery.

PARALLEL DEGREE integer

Specifies the number of recovery processes used to apply redo entries to datafiles on each instance. An integer specified for DEGREE overrides the initialization parameter RECOVERY_PARALLELISM.
PARALLEL DEGREE DEFAULT

Indicates that twice the number of datafiles being recovered is the number of recovery processes to use.

Command Reference 8-87

RECOVER

PARALLEL INSTANCES integer

Specifies the number of instances to use for parallel recovery. The number of recovery processes specified with DEGREE is used on each instance. Thus, the total number of recovery processes is the integer specified with DEGREE multiplied by the integer specified with INSTANCES. INSTANCES is only pertinent for the Oracle Parallel Server.
PARALLEL INSTANCES DEFAULT

INSTANCES DEFAULT or not including the INSTANCES keyword causes has operating system-specific consequences. For more information about the default behavior of the INSTANCES DEFAULT specification, see the Oracle8i Parallel Server Concepts and Administration manual.
NOPARALLEL

Specifies that recovery is to proceed serially. Note that a specification of PARALLEL(DEGREE 1 INSTANCES 1) is equivalent to specifying the NOPARALLEL keyword. The PARALLEL keyword overrides the RECOVERY_PARALLELISM initialization parameter. The number specified with the PARALLEL keyword is the number of recovery processes used to apply redo entries to datafiles. For more information about the PARALLEL keyword see the Oracle8i Parallel Server Concepts and Administration manual.

Usage Notes
Note, you must be connected to Oracle as SYSOPER, or SYSDBA. You cannot use the RECOVER command when connected via the multi-threaded server. To perform media recovery on an entire database (all tablespaces), the database must be mounted EXCLUSIVE and closed. To perform media recovery on a tablespace, the database must be mounted and open, and the tablespace must be offline. To perform media recovery on a datafile, the database can remain open and mounted with the damaged datafiles offline (unless the file is part of the SYSTEM tablespace). Before using the RECOVER command you must have restored copies of the damaged datafile(s) from a previous backup. Be sure you can access all archived and online redo log files dating back to when that backup was made.

8-88

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

RECOVER

When another log file is required during recovery, a prompt suggests the names of files that are needed. The name is derived from the values specified in the initialization parameters LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST and LOG_ARCHIVE_FORMAT. You should restore copies of the archived redo log files needed for recovery to the destination specified in LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST, if necessary. You can override the initialization parameters by setting the LOGSOURCE variable with the SET LOGSOURCE command. During recovery you can accept the suggested log name by pressing return, cancel recovery by entering CANCEL instead of a log name, or enter AUTO at the prompt for automatic file selection without further prompting. If you have enabled autorecovery (that is, SET AUTORECOVERY ON), recovery proceeds without prompting you with filenames. Status messages are displayed when each log file is applied. When normal media recovery is done, a completion status is returned. For more information on recovery and the RECOVER command, see the Oracle8i Administrator's Guide, and the Oracle8i Backup and Recovery guide.

Examples
To recover the entire database, enter
SQL> RECOVER DATABASE

To recover the database until a specified time, enter

SQL> RECOVER DATABASE UNTIL TIME 23-NOV-98:04:32:00

To recover the two tablespaces ts_one and ts_two from the database, enter
SQL> RECOVER TABLESPACE ts_one, ts_two

To recover the datafile data1.db from the database, enter

SQL> RECOVER DATAFILE 'data1.db'

Command Reference 8-89

REMARK

REMARK
Purpose
Begins a comment in a command file. SQL*Plus does not interpret the comment as a command.

Syntax
REM[ARK]

Usage Notes
The REMARK command must appear at the beginning of a line, and the comment ends at the end of the line. A line cannot contain both a comment and a command. For details on entering comments in command files using the SQL comment delimiters, /* ... */, or the ANSI/ISO comment delimiter, -- ..., refer to "Placing Comments in Command Files" in Chapter 3.

Example
The following command file contains some typical comments:
REM COMPUTE uses BREAK ON REPORT to break on end of table BREAK ON REPORT COMPUTE SUM OF DEPARTMENT 10 DEPARTMENT 20 DEPARTMENT 30 TOTAL BY JOB ON REPORT REM Each column displays the sums of salaries by job for REM one of the departments 10, 20, 30. SELECT JOB, SUM( DECODE( DEPTNO, 10, SAL, 0)) DEPARTMENT 10, SUM( DECODE( DEPTNO, 20, SAL, 0)) DEPARTMENT 20, SUM( DECODE( DEPTNO, 30, SAL, 0)) DEPARTMENT 30, SUM(SAL) TOTAL BY JOB FROM EMP GROUP BY JOB

8-90

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

REPFOOTER

REPFOOTER
Purpose
Places and formats a specified report footer at the bottom of each report, or lists the current REPFOOTER definition.

Syntax
REPF[OOTER] [PAGE] [printspec [text|variable] ...]|[OFF|ON]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the REPHEADER command for additional information on terms and clauses in the REPFOOTER command syntax. Enter REPFOOTER with no clauses to list the current REPFOOTER definition.

Usage Notes
If you do not enter a printspec clause before the text or variables, REPFOOTER left justifies the text or variables. You can use any number of constants and variables in a printspec. SQL*Plus displays the constants and variables in the order you specify them, positioning and formatting each constant or variable as specified by the printspec clauses that precede it.
Note: If SET EMBEDDED is ON, the report footer is suppressed.

Example
To define "END EMPLOYEE LISTING REPORT" as a report footer on a separate page and to center it, enter:
SQL> SQL> SQL> 2 3 REPFOOTER PAGE CENTER END EMPLOYEE LISTING REPORT TTITLE RIGHT Page: FORMAT 999 SQL.PNO SELECT ENAME, SAL FROM EMP WHERE SAL > 2000;

Command Reference 8-91

REPFOOTER

Page: 1 ENAME SAL ---------- ---------JONES 2975 BLAKE 2850 CLARK 2450 SCOTT 3000 KING 5000 FORD 3000 Page: 2 END EMPLOYEE LISTING REPORT

To suppress the report footer without changing its definition, enter

SQL> REPFOOTER OFF

8-92

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

REPHEADER

REPHEADER
Purpose
Places and formats a specified report header at the top of each report, or lists the current REPHEADER definition.

Syntax
REPH[EADER] [PAGE] [printspec [text|variable] ...]|[OFF|ON]

where printspec represents one or more of the following clauses used to place and format the text:
COL n S[KIP] [n] TAB n LE[FT] CE[NTER] R[IGHT] BOLD FORMAT text

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause. These terms and clauses also apply to the REPFOOTER command.
PAGE

Begins a new page after printing the specified report header or before printing the specified report footer.
text

Represents the report header or footer text. Enter text in single quotes if you want to place more than one word on a single line. The default is NULL.
variable

Represents a user variable or any of the following system-maintained values:

s

SQL.LNO (current line number) SQL.PNO (current page number) SQL.RELEASE (current Oracle release number)

Command Reference 8-93

REPHEADER

SQL.CODE (current error code) SQL.USER (current username)

To print one of these values, reference the appropriate variable in the report header or footer. You can format variable with the FORMAT clause.
OFF

Turns the report header or footer off (suppresses its display) without affecting its definition.
COL n

Indents to column n of the current line (backward if column n has been passed). "Column" in this context means print position, not table column.
S[KIP] [n]

Skips to the start of a new line n times; if you omit n, one time; if you enter zero for n, backward to the start of the current line.
TAB n

Skips forward n columns (backward if you enter a negative value for n). "Column" in this context means print position, not table column.
LE[FT] CE[NTER] R[IGHT]

Left-align, center, and right-align data on the current line respectively. SQL*Plus aligns following data items as a group, up to the end of the printspec or the next LEFT, CENTER, RIGHT, or COL command. CENTER and RIGHT use the SET LINESIZE value to calculate the position of the data item that follows.
BOLD

Prints data in bold print. SQL*Plus represents bold print on your terminal by repeating the data on three consecutive lines. On some operating systems, SQL*Plus may instruct your printer to print bolded text on three consecutive lines, instead of bold.
FORMAT text

Specifies a format model that determines the format of following data items, up to the next FORMAT clause or the end of the command. The format model must be a text constant such as A10 or $999. See

8-94

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

REPHEADER

COLUMN FORMAT for more information on formatting and valid format models. If the datatype of the format model does not match the datatype of a given data item, the FORMAT clause has no effect on that item. If no appropriate FORMAT model precedes a given data item, SQL*Plus prints NUMBER values according to the format specified by SET NUMFORMAT or, if you have not used SET NUMFORMAT, the default format. SQL*Plus prints DATE values according to the default format. Refer to the FORMAT clause of the COLUMN command in this chapter for more information on default formats. Enter REPHEADER with no clauses to list the current REPHEADER definition.

Usage Notes
If you do not enter a printspec clause before the text or variables, REPHEADER left justifies the text or variables. You can use any number of constants and variables in a printspec. SQL*Plus displays the constants and variables in the order you specify them, positioning and formatting each constant or variable as specified by the printspec clauses that precede it.

Example
To define "EMPLOYEE LISTING REPORT" as a report header on a separate page, and to center it, enter:
SQL> SQL> SQL> 2 3 REPHEADER PAGE CENTER EMPLOYEE LISTING REPORT TTITLE RIGHT Page: FORMAT 999 SQL.PNO SELECT ENAME, SAL FROM EMP WHERE SAL > 2000; Page: 1 EMPLOYEE LISTING REPORT

Command Reference 8-95

REPHEADER

Page: 2 ENAME SAL ---------- ---------JONES 2975 BLAKE 2850 CLARK 2450 SCOTT 3000 KING 5000 FORD 3000 6 rows selected.

To suppress the report header without changing its definition, enter:

SQL> REPHEADER OFF

8-96

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

RUN

RUN
Purpose
Lists and executes the SQL command or PL/SQL block currently stored in the SQL buffer.

Syntax
R[UN]

Usage Notes
RUN causes the last line of the SQL buffer to become the current line. The slash command (/) functions similarly to RUN, but does not list the command in the SQL buffer on your screen.

Example
Assume the SQL buffer contains the following query:
SELECT DEPTNO FROM DEPT

To RUN the query, enter

SQL> RUN

The following output results:

1* SELECT DEPTNO FROM DEPT DEPTNO ---------10 20 30 40

Command Reference 8-97

SAVE

SAVE
Purpose
Saves the contents of the SQL buffer in a host operating system file (a command file).

Syntax
SAV[E] file_name[.ext] [CRE[ATE]|REP[LACE]|APP[END]]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:
file_name[.ext] Specifies the command file in which you wish to save the buffers contents.
REP[LACE]

Replaces the contents of an existing file. If the file does not exist, REPLACE creates the file.
APP[END]

Adds the contents of the buffer to the end of the file you specify.

Usage Notes
If you do not specify an extension, SQL*Plus assumes the default command-file extension (normally SQL). For information on changing this default extension, see the SUFFIX variable of the SET command in this chapter. If you wish to SAVE a file under a name identical to a SAVE command clause (CREATE, REPLACE, or APPEND), you must specify a file extension. When you SAVE the contents of the SQL buffer, SAVE adds a line containing a slash (/) to the end of the file. If the filename you specify is the word file, you need to put the name in single quotes.

8-98

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

SAVE

Examples
To save the contents of the buffer in a file named DEPTSALRPT with the extension SQL, enter
SQL> SAVE DEPTSALRPT

To save the contents of the buffer in a file named DEPTSALRPT with the extension OLD, enter
SQL> SAVE DEPTSALRPT.OLD

Command Reference 8-99

SET

SET
Purpose
Sets a system variable to alter the SQL*Plus environment for your current session, such as
s

the display width for NUMBER data the display width for LONG data enabling or disabling the printing of column headings the number of lines per page

Syntax
SET system_variable value

where system_variable value represents a system variable followed by a value, as shown below:
APPI[NFO]{ON|OFF|text} ARRAY[SIZE] {15|n} AUTO[COMMIT] {OFF|ON|IMM[EDIATE]|n} AUTOP[RINT] {OFF|ON} AUTORECOVERY {ON|OFF] AUTOT[RACE] {OFF|ON|TRACE[ONLY]} [EXP[LAIN]] [STAT[ISTICS]] BLO[CKTERMINATOR] {.|c} CMDS[EP] {;|c|OFF|ON} COLSEP {_|text} COM[PATIBILITY] {V7|V8|NATIVE} CON[CAT] {.|c|OFF|ON} COPYC[OMMIT] {0|n} COPYTYPECHECK {OFF|ON} DEF[INE] {&|c|OFF|ON} DESCRIBE [DEPTH {1|n|ALL}][LINENUM {ON|OFF}][INDENT {ON|OFF}] ECHO {OFF|ON} EDITF[ILE] file_name[.ext] EMB[EDDED] {OFF|ON} ESC[APE] {\|c|OFF|ON} FEED[BACK] {6|n|OFF|ON} FLAGGER {OFF|ENTRY|INTERMED[IATE]|FULL} FLU[SH] {OFF|ON} HEA[DING] {OFF|ON} HEADS[EP] {||c|OFF|ON} INSTANCE [instance_path|LOCAL]

8-100 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

SET

LIN[ESIZE] {80|n} LOBOF[FSET] {n|1} LOGSOURCE [pathname] LONG {80|n} LONGC[HUNKSIZE] {80|n} NEWP[AGE] {1|n|NONE} NULL text NUMF[ORMAT] format NUM[WIDTH] {10|n} PAGES[IZE] {24|n} PAU[SE] {OFF|ON|text} RECSEP {WR[APPED]|EA[CH]|OFF} RECSEPCHAR {_|c} SERVEROUT[PUT] {OFF|ON} [SIZE n] [FOR[MAT] {WRA[PPED]| WOR[D_WRAPPED]|TRU[NCATED]}] SHIFT[INOUT] {VIS[IBLE]|INV[ISIBLE]} SHOW[MODE] {OFF|ON} SQLBL[ANKLINES] {ON|OFF} SQLC[ASE] {MIX[ED]|LO[WER]|UP[PER]} SQLCO[NTINUE] {> |text} SQLN[UMBER] {OFF|ON} SQLPRE[FIX] {#|c} SQLP[ROMPT] {SQL>|text} SQLT[ERMINATOR] {;|c|OFF|ON} SUF[FIX] {SQL|text} TAB {OFF|ON} TERM[OUT] {OFF|ON} TI[ME] {OFF|ON} TIMI[NG] {OFF|ON} TRIM[OUT] {OFF|ON} TRIMS[POOL] {ON|OFF} UND[ERLINE] {-|c|ON|OFF} VER[IFY] {OFF|ON} WRA[P] {OFF|ON}

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term, clause, or system variable:
APPI[NFO]{ON|OFF|text}

Sets automatic registering of command files through the DBMS_ APPLICATION_INFO package. This enables the performance and resource usage of each command file to be monitored by your DBA. The registered name appears in the MODULE column of the

Command Reference

8-101

SET

V$SESSION and V$SQLAREA virtual tables. You can also read the registered name using the DBMS_APPLICATION_INFO.READ_ MODULE procedure. ON registers command files invoked by the @, @@ or START commands. OFF disables registering of command files. Instead, the current value of text is registered. Text specifies the text to register when no command file is being run or when APPINFO is OFF. The default for text is "SQL*Plus". If you enter multiple words for text, you must enclose them in quotes. The maximum length for text is limited by the DBMS_APPLICATION_INFO package. The registered name has the format nn@xfilename where: nn is the depth level of command file; x is '<' when the command file name is truncated, otherwise, it is blank; and filename is the command file name, possibly truncated to the length allowed by the DBMS_ APPLICATION_INFO package interface.
Note: To use this feature, you must have access to the DBMS_ APPLICATION_INFO package. Run DBMSUTIL.SQL (this name may vary depending on your operating system) as SYS to create the DBMS_APPLICATION_INFO package. DBMSUTIL.SQL is part of the Oracle8 database server product.

For more information on the DBMS_APPLICATION_INFO package, see the Oracle8i Tuning manual.
ARRAY[SIZE] {15|n}

Sets the number of rowscalled a batchthat SQL*Plus will fetch from the database at one time. Valid values are 1 to 5000. A large value increases the efficiency of queries and subqueries that fetch many rows, but requires more memory. Values over approximately 100 provide little added performance. ARRAYSIZE has no effect on the results of SQL*Plus operations other than increasing efficiency.
AUTO[COMMIT]{OFF|ON|IMM[EDIATE]|n}

Controls when Oracle commits pending changes to the database. ON commits pending changes to the database after Oracle executes each successful INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE command or PL/SQL block. OFF suppresses automatic committing so that you must commit changes manually (for example, with the SQL command COMMIT). IMMEDIATE functions in the same manner as the ON option. n

8-102 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

SET

commits pending changes to the database after Oracle executes n successful SQL INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE commands or PL/SQL blocks. n cannot be less than zero or greater than 2,000,000,000. The statement counter is reset to zero after successful completion of
s

n INSERT, UPDATE or DELETE commands or PL/SQL blocks a commit a rollback a SET AUTOCOMMIT command

Note: For this feature, a PL/SQL block is considered one transaction, regardless of the actual number of SQL commands contained within it.

AUTOP[RINT] {OFF|ON}

Sets the automatic PRINTing of bind variables. ON or OFF controls whether SQL*Plus automatically displays bind variables (referenced in a successful PL/SQL block or used in an EXECUTE command). For more information about displaying bind variables, see the PRINT command in this chapter.
AUTORECOVERY [ON|OFF]

ON sets the RECOVER command to automatically apply the default filenames of archived redo log files needed during recovery. No interaction is needed when AUTORECOVERY is set to ON, provided the necessary files are in the expected locations with the expected names. The filenames used when AUTORECOVERY is ON are derived from the values of the initialization parameters LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST and LOG_ARCHIVE_FORMAT. OFF, the default option, requires that you enter the filenames manually or accept the suggested default filename given.
AUTOT[RACE] {OFF|ON|TRACE[ONLY]} [EXP[LAIN]] [STAT[ISTICS]]

Displays a report on the execution of successful SQL DML statements (SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE or DELETE). The report can include execution statistics and the query execution path. OFF does not display a trace report. ON displays a trace report. TRACEONLY displays a trace report, but does not print query data, if

Command Reference

8-103

SET

any. EXPLAIN shows the query execution path by performing an EXPLAIN PLAN. STATISTICS displays SQL statement statistics. Using ON or TRACEONLY with no explicit options defaults to EXPLAIN STATISTICS. The TRACEONLY option may be useful to suppress the query data of large queries. If STATISTICS is specified, SQL*Plus still fetches the query data from the server, however, the data is not displayed. The AUTOTRACE report is printed after the statement has successfully completed. Information about Execution Plans and the statistics is documented in the Oracle8i Tuning manual. When SQL*Plus produces a STATISTICS report, a second connection to the database is automatically created. This connection is closed when the STATISTICS option is set to OFF, or you log out of SQL*Plus. The formatting of your AUTOTRACE report may vary depending on the version of the server to which you are connected and the configuration of the server. AUTOTRACE is not available when FIPS flagging is enabled. See "Tracing Statements" in Chapter 3 for more information on AUTOTRACE.
BLO[CKTERMINATOR] {.|c}

Sets the non-alphanumeric character used to end PL/SQL blocks to c. To execute the block, you must issue a RUN or / (slash) command.
CMDS[EP] {;|c|OFF|ON}

Sets the non-alphanumeric character used to separate multiple SQL*Plus commands entered on one line to c. ON or OFF controls whether you can enter multiple commands on a line; ON automatically sets the command separator character to a semicolon (;).
COLSEP { |text}

Sets the text to be printed between SELECTed columns. If the COLSEP variable contains blanks or punctuation characters, you must enclose it with single quotes. The default value for text is a single space. In multi-line rows, the column separator does not print between columns that begin on different lines. The column separator does not

8-104 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

SET

appear on blank lines produced by BREAK ... SKIP n and does not overwrite the record separator. See SET RECSEP in this chapter for more information.
COM[PATIBILITY]{V7|V8|NATIVE}

Specifies the version of Oracle to which you are currently connected. Set COMPATIBILITY to V7 for Oracle7, or V8 for Oracle8 and Oracle8i. Set COMPATIBILITY to NATIVE if you wish the database to determine the setting (for example, if connected to Oracle8 or Oracle8i, compatibility would default to V8). COMPATIBILITY must be correctly set for the version of Oracle to which you are connected; otherwise, you will be unable to run any SQL commands. Note that you can set COMPATIBILITY to V7 when connected to Oracle8i. This enables you to run Oracle7 SQL against Oracle8i.
CON[CAT] {.|c|OFF|ON}

Sets the character you can use to terminate a substitution variable reference if you wish to immediately follow the variable with a character that SQL*Plus would otherwise interpret as a part of the substitution variable name. SQL*Plus resets the value of CONCAT to a period when you switch CONCAT on.
COPYC[OMMIT] {0|n}

Controls the number of batches after which the COPY command commits changes to the database. COPY commits rows to the destination database each time it copies n row batches. Valid values are zero to 5000. You can set the size of a batch with the ARRAYSIZE variable. If you set COPYCOMMIT to zero, COPY performs a commit only at the end of a copy operation.
COPYTYPECHECK {OFF|ON}

Sets the suppression of the comparison of datatypes while inserting or appending to tables with the COPY command. This is to facilitate copying to DB2, which requires that a CHAR be copied to a DB2 DATE.
DEF[INE] {&|c|OFF|ON}

Sets the character used to prefix substitution variables to c. ON or OFF controls whether SQL*Plus will scan commands for substitution variables and replace them with their values. ON changes the value of c back to the default '&', not the most recently used character. The setting of DEFINE to OFF overrides the setting of the SCAN variable. For more

Command Reference

8-105

SET

information on the SCAN variable, see the SET SCAN command in Appendix F.
DESCRIBE [DEPTH {1|n|ALL}][LINENUM {ON|OFF}][INDENT {ON|OFF}]

Sets the depth of the level to which you can recursively describe an object. The valid range of the DEPTH clause is from 1 to 50. If you SET DESCRIBE DEPTH ALL, then the depth will be set to 50, which is the maximum level allowed. You can also display the line number and indentation of the attribute or column name when an object contains multiple object types. Use the SET LINESIZE command to control the width of the data displayed. For more information about describing objects, see the DESCRIBE command earlier in this chapter.
ECHO {OFF|ON}

Controls whether the START command lists each command in a command file as the command is executed. ON lists the commands; OFF suppresses the listing.
EDITF[ILE] file_name[.ext]

Sets the default filename for the EDIT command. For more information about the EDIT command, see EDIT in this chapter. You can include a path and/or file extension. For information on changing the default extension, see the SUFFIX variable of this command. The default filename and maximum filename length are operating system specific.
EMB[EDDED] {OFF|ON}

Controls where on a page each report begins. OFF forces each report to start at the top of a new page. ON allows a report to begin anywhere on a page. Set EMBEDDED to ON when you want a report to begin printing immediately following the end of the previously run report.
ESC[APE] {\|c|OFF|ON}

Defines the character you enter as the escape character. OFF undefines the escape character. ON enables the escape character. ON changes the value of c back to the default "\". You can use the escape character before the substitution character (set through SET DEFINE) to indicate that SQL*Plus should treat the substitution character as an ordinary character rather than as a request for variable substitution.

8-106 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

SET

FEED[BACK] {6|n|OFF|ON}

Displays the number of records returned by a query when a query selects at least n records. ON or OFF turns this display on or off. Turning feedback ON sets n to 1. Setting feedback to zero is equivalent to turning it OFF.
FLAGGER {OFF|ENTRY |INTERMED[IATE]|FULL}

Checks to make sure that SQL statements conform to the ANSI/ISO SQL92 standard. If any non-standard constructs are found, the Oracle Server flags them as errors and displays the violating syntax. This is the equivalent of the SQL language ALTER SESSION SET FLAGGER command. You may execute SET FLAGGER even if you are not connected to a database. FIPS flagging will remain in effect across SQL*Plus sessions until a SET FLAGGER OFF (or ALTER SESSION SET FLAGGER = OFF) command is successful or you exit SQL*Plus. When FIPS flagging is enabled, SQL*Plus displays a warning for the CONNECT, DISCONNECT, and ALTER SESSION SET FLAGGER commands, even if they are successful.
FLU[SH] {OFF|ON}

Controls when output is sent to the users display device. OFF allows the host operating system to buffer output. ON disables buffering. Use OFF only when you run a command file non-interactively (that is, when you do not need to see output and/or prompts until the command file finishes running). The use of FLUSH OFF may improve performance by reducing the amount of program I/O.
HEA[DING] {OFF|ON}

Controls printing of column headings in reports. ON prints column headings in reports; OFF suppresses column headings. The SET HEADING OFF command will not affect the column width displayed, and only suppresses the printing of the column header itself.

Command Reference

8-107

SET

HEADS[EP] {||c|OFF|ON}

Defines the character you enter as the heading separator character. The heading separator character cannot be alphanumeric or white space. You can use the heading separator character in the COLUMN command and in the old forms of BTITLE and TTITLE to divide a column heading or title onto more than one line. ON or OFF turns heading separation on or off. When heading separation is OFF, SQL*Plus prints a heading separator character like any other character. ON changes the value of c back to the default "|".
INSTANCE [instance_path|LOCAL]

Changes the default instance for your session to the specified instance path. Using the SET INSTANCE command does not connect to a database. The default instance is used for commands when no instance is specified. Any commands preceding the first use of SET INSTANCE communicate with the default instance. To reset the instance to the default value for your operating system, you can either enter SET INSTANCE with no instance_path or SET INSTANCE LOCAL. See your operating system-specific Oracle documentation for a description of how to set the initial default instance. Note, you can only change the instance when you are not currently connected to any instance. That is, you must first make sure that you have disconnected from the current instance, then set or change the instance, and reconnect to an instance in order for the new setting to be enabled. This command may only be issued when Net8 is running. You can use any valid Net8 connect string as the specified instance path. See your operating system-specific Oracle documentation for a complete description of how your operating system specifies Net8 connect strings. The maximum length of the instance path is 64 characters.
LIN[ESIZE] {80|n}

Sets the total number of characters that SQL*Plus displays on one line before beginning a new line. It also controls the position of centered and right-aligned text in TTITLE, BTITLE, REPHEADER and REPFOOTER. You can define LINESIZE as a value from 1 to a maximum that is system dependent. Refer to the Oracle installation and users manual(s) provided for your operating system.

8-108 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

SET

LOBOF[FSET] {n|1}

Sets the starting position from which CLOB and NCLOB data is retrieved and displayed.
LOGSOURCE [pathname]

Specifies the location from which archive logs are retrieved during recovery. The default value is set by the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST initialization parameter. Using the SET LOGSOURCE command without a pathname restores the default location.
LONG {80|n}

Sets maximum width (in bytes) for displaying LONG, CLOB and NCLOB values; and for copying LONG values. The maximum value of n is 2 gigabytes.
LONGC[HUNKSIZE] {80|n}

Sets the size (in bytes) of the increments in which SQL*Plus retrieves a LONG, CLOB or NCLOB value.
NEWP[AGE] {1|n|NONE}

Sets the number of blank lines to be printed from the top of each page to the top title. A value of zero places a formfeed at the beginning of each page (including the first page) and clears the screen on most terminals. If you set NEWPAGE to NONE, SQL*Plus does not print a blank line or formfeed between the report pages.
NULL text

Sets the text that represents a null value in the result of a SQL SELECT command. Use the NULL clause of the COLUMN command to override the setting of the NULL variable for a given column.
NUMF[ORMAT] format

Sets the default format for displaying numbers. Enter a number format for format. For number format descriptions, see the FORMAT clause of the COLUMN command in this chapter.
NUM[WIDTH] {10|n}

Sets the default width for displaying numbers. For number format descriptions, see the FORMAT clause of the COLUMN command in this chapter.

Command Reference

8-109

SET

PAGES[IZE] {24|n}

Sets the number of lines in each page. You can set PAGESIZE to zero to suppress all headings, page breaks, titles, the initial blank line, and other formatting information.
PAU[SE] {OFF|ON|text}

Allows you to control scrolling of your terminal when running reports. ON causes SQL*Plus to pause at the beginning of each page of report output. You must press [Return] after each pause. The text you enter specifies the text to be displayed each time SQL*Plus pauses. If you enter multiple words, you must enclose text in single quotes. You can embed terminal-dependent escape sequences in the PAUSE command. These sequences allow you to create inverse video messages or other effects on terminals that support such characteristics.
RECSEP {WR[APPED]|EA[CH]|OFF} RECSEPCHAR { |c}

Display or print record separators. A record separator consists of a single line of the RECSEPCHAR (record separating character) repeated LINESIZE times. RECSEPCHAR defines the record separating character. A single space is the default. RECSEP tells SQL*Plus where to make the record separation. For example, if you set RECSEP to WRAPPED, SQL*Plus prints a record separator only after wrapped lines. If you set RECSEP to EACH, SQL*Plus prints a record separator following every row. If you set RECSEP to OFF, SQL*Plus does not print a record separator.
SERVEROUT[PUT] {OFF|ON} [SIZE n] [FOR[MAT] {WRA[PPED]|WOR[D_WRAPPED]|TRU[NCATED]}]

Controls whether to display the output (that is, DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_ LINE) of stored procedures or PL/SQL blocks in SQL*Plus. OFF suppresses the output of DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE; ON displays the output. SIZE sets the number of bytes of the output that can be buffered within the Oracle8i database server. The default for n is 2000. n cannot be less than 2000 or greater than 1,000,000.

8-110 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

SET

When WRAPPED is enabled SQL*Plus wraps the server output within the line size specified by SET LINESIZE, beginning new lines when required. When WORD_WRAPPED is enabled, each line of server output is wrapped within the line size specified by SET LINESIZE. Lines are broken on word boundaries. SQL*Plus left justifies each line, skipping all leading whitespace. When TRUNCATED is enabled, each line of server output is truncated to the line size specified by SET LINESIZE. For each FORMAT, every server output line begins on a new output line. For more information on DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE, see your Oracle8i Application Developers Guide.
SHIFT[INOUT] {VIS[IBLE]|INV[ISIBLE]}

Allows correct alignment for terminals that display shift characters. The SET SHIFTINOUT command is useful for terminals which display shift characters together with data (for example, IBM 3270 terminals). You can only use this command with shift sensitive character sets (for example, JA16DBCS). Use VISIBLE for terminals that display shift characters as a visible character (for example, a space or a colon). INVISIBLE is the opposite and does not display any shift characters.
SHOW[MODE] {OFF|ON}

Controls whether SQL*Plus lists the old and new settings of a SQL*Plus system variable when you change the setting with SET. ON lists the settings; OFF suppresses the listing. SHOWMODE ON has the same behavior as the obsolete SHOWMODE BOTH.
SQLBL[ANKLINES] {ON|OFF}

Controls whether SQL*Plus allows blank lines within a SQL command. ON interprets blank lines and new lines as part of a SQL command. OFF, the default value, does not allow blank lines or new lines in a SQL command. SQL*Plus returns to the default behavior when a SQLTERMINTATOR or BLOCKTERMINATOR is encountered.

Command Reference

8-111

SET

SQLC[ASE] {MIX[ED]|LO[WER]|UP[PER]}

Converts the case of SQL commands and PL/SQL blocks just prior to execution. SQL*Plus converts all text within the command, including quoted literals and identifiers, as follows:
s

uppercase if SQLCASE equals UPPER lowercase if SQLCASE equals LOWER unchanged if SQLCASE equals MIXED

SQLCASE does not change the SQL buffer itself.

SQLCO[NTINUE] {> |text}

Sets the character sequence SQL*Plus displays as a prompt after you continue a SQL*Plus command on an additional line using a hyphen ().
SQLN[UMBER] {OFF|ON}

Sets the prompt for the second and subsequent lines of a SQL command or PL/SQL block. ON sets the prompt to be the line number. OFF sets the prompt to the value of SQLPROMPT.
SQLPRE[FIX] {#|c}

Sets the SQL*Plus prefix character. While you are entering a SQL command or PL/SQL block, you can enter a SQL*Plus command on a separate line, prefixed by the SQL*Plus prefix character. SQL*Plus will execute the command immediately without affecting the SQL command or PL/SQL block that you are entering. The prefix character must be a non-alphanumeric character.
SQLP[ROMPT] {SQL>|text}

Sets the SQL*Plus command prompt.

SQLT[ERMINATOR] {;|c|OFF|ON}

Sets the character used to end and execute SQL commands to c. OFF means that SQL*Plus recognizes no command terminator; you terminate a SQL command by entering an empty line. ON resets the terminator to the default semicolon (;).
SUF[FIX] {SQL|text}

Sets the default file extension that SQL*Plus uses in commands that refer to command files. SUFFIX does not control extensions for spool files.

8-112 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

SET

TAB {OFF|ON}

Determines how SQL*Plus formats white space in terminal output. OFF uses spaces to format white space in the output. ON uses the TAB character. TAB settings are every eight characters. The default value for TAB is system dependent.
TERM[OUT] {OFF|ON}

Controls the display of output generated by commands executed from a command file. OFF suppresses the display so that you can spool output from a command file without seeing the output on the screen. ON displays the output. TERMOUT OFF does not affect output from commands you enter interactively.
TI[ME] {OFF|ON}

Controls the display of the current time. ON displays the current time before each command prompt. OFF suppresses the time display.
TIMI[NG] {OFF|ON}

Controls the display of timing statistics. ON displays timing statistics on each SQL command or PL/SQL block run. OFF suppresses timing of each command. For information about the data SET TIMING ON displays, see the Oracle installation and users manual(s) provided for your operating system. Refer to the TIMING command for information on timing multiple commands.
TRIM[OUT] {OFF|ON}

Determines whether SQL*Plus allows trailing blanks at the end of each displayed line. ON removes blanks at the end of each line, improving performance especially when you access SQL*Plus from a slow communications device. OFF allows SQL*Plus to display trailing blanks. TRIMOUT ON does not affect spooled output.
TRIMS[POOL] {ON|OFF}

Determines whether SQL*Plus allows trailing blanks at the end of each spooled line. ON removes blanks at the end of each line. OFF allows SQL*Plus to include trailing blanks. TRIMSPOOL ON does not affect terminal output.
UND[ERLINE] {-|c|ON|OFF}

Sets the character used to underline column headings in SQL*Plus reports to c. Note, c cannot be an alphanumeric character or a white

Command Reference

8-113

SET

space. ON or OFF turns underlining on or off. ON changes the value of c back to the default "-".
VER[IFY] {OFF|ON}

Controls whether SQL*Plus lists the text of a SQL statement or PL/SQL command before and after SQL*Plus replaces substitution variables with values. ON lists the text; OFF suppresses the listing.
WRA[P] {OFF|ON}

Controls whether SQL*Plus truncates the display of a SELECTed row if it is too long for the current line width. OFF truncates the SELECTed row; ON allows the SELECTed row to wrap to the next line. Use the WRAPPED and TRUNCATED clauses of the COLUMN command to override the setting of WRAP for specific columns.

Usage Notes
SQL*Plus maintains system variables (also called SET command variables) to allow you to establish a particular environment for a SQL*Plus session. You can change these system variables with the SET command and list them with the SHOW command. SET ROLE and SET TRANSACTION are SQL commands (see the Oracle8i SQL Reference for more information). When not followed by the keywords TRANSACTION or ROLE, SET is assumed to be a SQL*Plus command.

Examples
The following examples show sample uses of selected SET command variables. APPINFO To display the setting of APPINFO, enter
SQL> SHOW APPINFO SQL> appinfo is ON and set to SQL*Plus

To change the default text, enter

SQL> SET APPI This is SQL*Plus SQL> SHOW APPINFO SQL> appinfo is ON and set to This is SQL*Plus

8-114 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

SET

To make sure that registration has taken place, enter

SQL> VARIABLE MOD VARCHAR2(50) SQL> VARIABLE ACT VARCHAR2(40) SQL> EXECUTE DBMS_APPLICATION_INFO.READ_MODULE(:MOD, :ACT); SQL> PRINT MOD MOD --------------------------------------------------This is SQL*Plus

AUTORECOVERY To set the recovery mode to AUTOMATIC, enter

SQL> SET AUTORECOVERY ON SQL> RECOVER DATABASE

CMDSEP To specify a TTITLE and format a column on the same line, enter
SQL> SQL> SQL> 2 SET CMDSEP + TTITLE LEFT SALARIES + COLUMN SAL FORMAT $9,999 SELECT ENAME, SAL FROM EMP WHERE JOB = CLERK;

The following output results:

SALARIES ENAME SAL ---------- ------SMITH $800 ADAMS $1,100 JAMES $950 MILLER $1,300

COLSEP To set the column separator to "|" enter

SQL> SQL> 2 3 SET COLSEP | SELECT ENAME, JOB, DEPTNO FROM EMP WHERE DEPTNO = 20;

Command Reference

8-115

SET

The following output results:

ENAME |JOB | DEPTNO ------------------------------SMITH |CLERK | 20 JONES |MANAGER | 20 SCOTT |ANALYST | 20 ADAMS |CLERK | 20 FORD |ANALYST | 20

COMPATIBILITY To run a command file, SALARY.SQL, created with Oracle7, enter

SQL> SET COMPATIBILITY V7 SQL> START SALARY

After running the file, reset compatibility to V8 to run command files created with Oracle8:
SQL> SET COMPATIBILITY V8

Alternatively, you can add the command SET COMPATIBILITY V7 to the beginning of the command file, and reset COMPATIBILITY to V8 at the end of the file. DESCRIBE To describe the object emp_object to a depth of two levels, and indent the output while also displaying line numbers, first describe the object as follows:
SQL> desc emp_object

The following output results:

Name Null ----------------------------------------- -------EMPLOYEE NAME ADDR ADDR1 DOB GENDER DEPT DEPTNO DEPT_NAME LOCATION START_DATE Type ---------------------------RECUR_PERSON VARCHAR2(20) RECUR_ADDRESS RECUR_ADDRESS1 DATE VARCHAR2(10) RECUR_DEPARTMENT NUMBER VARCHAR2(20) VARCHAR2(20) DATE

8-116 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

SET

POSITION SAL ANNUAL_SAL EMP_TYPE COMM PENALTY_RATE

VARCHAR2(1) RECUR_SALARY NUMBER(10,2) VARCHAR2(1) NUMBER(10,2) NUMBER(5,2)

To format emp_object so that the output displays with indentation and line numbers, use the SET DESCRIBE command as follows:
SQL> SET DESCRIBE DEPTH 2 LINENUM ON INDENT ON

To display the above settings, enter

SQL> DESCRIBE emp_object

The following output results:

Name Null Type ------------------------------ -------- ---------------------------EMPLOYEE RECUR_PERSON NAME VARCHAR2(20) ADDR RECUR_ADDRESS ADDR1 RECUR_ADDRESS1 DOB DATE GENDER VARCHAR2(10) DEPT RECUR_DEPARTMENT DEPTNO NUMBER DEPT_NAME VARCHAR2(20) LOCATION VARCHAR2(20) START_DATE DATE POSITION VARCHAR2(1) SAL RECUR_SALARY ANNUAL_SAL NUMBER(10,2) EMP_TYPE VARCHAR2(1) COMM NUMBER(10,2) PENALTY_RATE NUMBER(5,2)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

1 1 1 1 1 7 7 7

13 13 13 13

ESCAPE If you define the escape character as an exclamation point (!), then
SQL> SET ESCAPE ! SQL> ACCEPT v1 PROMPT Enter !&1:

Command Reference

8-117

SET

displays this prompt:

Enter &1:

HEADING To suppress the display of column headings in a report, enter

SQL> SET HEADING OFF

If you then run a SQL SELECT command,

SQL> SELECT ENAME, SAL FROM EMP 2 WHERE JOB = CLERK;

the following output results:

ADAMS JAMES MILLER 1100 950 1300

INSTANCE To set the default instance to "PROD1" enter

SQL> SET INSTANCE PROD1

To set the instance back to the default or local, enter

SQL> SET INSTANCE local

LOBOFFSET To set the starting position from which a CLOB columns data is retrieved to the 22nd position, enter
SQL> SET LOBOFFSET 22

The CLOB data will wrap on your screen; SQL*Plus will not truncate until the 23rd character. LOGSOURCE To set the default location of log files for recovery to the directory "/usr/oracle81/dbs/arch" enter
SQL> SET LOGSOURCE "/usr/oracle81/dbs/arch" SQL> RECOVER DATABASE

8-118 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

SET

LONG To set the maximum width for displaying and copying LONG values to 500, enter
SQL> SET LONG 500

The LONG data will wrap on your screen; SQL*Plus will not truncate until the 501st character. LONGCHUNKSIZE To set the size of the increments in which SQL*Plus retrieves LONG values to 100 characters, enter
SQL> SET LONGCHUNKSIZE 100

The LONG data will be retrieved in increments of 100 characters until the entire value is retrieved or the value of SET LONG is reached. SERVEROUTPUT To enable the display of DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE, enter
SQL> SET SERVEROUTPUT ON

The following example shows what happens when you execute an anonymous procedure with SET SERVEROUTPUT ON:
SQL> 2 3 4 Task BEGIN DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE(Task is complete); END; / is complete.

PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.

The following example shows what happens when you create a trigger with SET SERVEROUTPUT ON:
SQL> CREATE TRIGGER SERVER_TRIG BEFORE INSERT OR UPDATE > OR DELETE 2 ON SERVER_TAB 3 BEGIN 4 DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE(Task is complete.); 5 END; 6 / Trigger created.

Command Reference

8-119

SET

SQL> INSERT INTO SERVER_TAB VALUES (TEXT); Task is complete. 1 row created.

To set the output to WORD_WRAPPED, enter

SQL> SET SERVEROUTPUT ON FORMAT WORD_WRAPPED SQL> SET LINESIZE 20 SQL> BEGIN 2 DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE(If there is nothing left to do); 3 DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE(shall we continue with plan B?); 4 end; 5 / If there is nothing left to do shall we continue with plan B?

To set the output to TRUNCATED, enter

SQL> SET SERVEROUTPUT ON FORMAT TRUNCATED SQL> SET LINESIZE 20 SQL> BEGIN 2 DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE(If there is nothing left to do); 3 DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE(shall we continue with plan B?); 4 END; 5 / If there is nothing shall we continue wi

SHIFTINOUT To enable the display of shift characters, enter

SQL> SET SHIFTINOUT VISIBLE SQL> SELECT ENAME, JOB FROM EMP;

8-120 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

SET

The following output results:

ENAME ---------:JJOO: :AA:abc JOB ---------:AABBCC: :DDEE:e

where ":" = shift character uppercase = multibyte character lowercase = singlebyte character

Note: This example illustrates that the columns are aligned correctly. The data used in this example is an illustration only and does not represent real data.

SQLBLANKLINES To preserve blank lines in a SQL statement, enter

SQL> SET SQLBLANKLINES ON SQL> SELECT * 2 3 FROM 4 5 DUAL 6 7 ;

The following output results:

D X

SQLCONTINUE To set the SQL*Plus command continuation prompt to an exclamation point followed by a space, enter
SQL> SET SQLCONTINUE !

Command Reference

8-121

SET

SQL*Plus will prompt for continuation as follows:

SQL> TTITLE YEARLY INCOME ! RIGHT SQL.PNO SKIP 2 ! CENTER PC DIVISION SQL>

SUFFIX To set the default command-file extension to UFI, enter

SQL> SET SUFFIX UFI

If you then enter

SQL> GET EXAMPLE

SQL*Plus will look for a file named EXAMPLE with an extension of UFI instead of EXAMPLE with an extension of SQL.

8-122 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

SHOW

SHOW
Purpose
Shows the value of a SQL*Plus system variable or the current SQL*Plus environment.

Syntax
SHO[W] option

where option represents one of the following terms or clauses:

system_variable ALL BTI[TLE] ERR[ORS] [{FUNCTION|PROCEDURE|PACKAGE|PACKAGE BODY| TRIGGER|VIEW|TYPE|TYPE BODY} [schema.]name] LNO PARAMETERS [parameter_name] PNO REL[EASE] REPF[OOTER] REPH[EADER] SGA SPOO[L] SQLCODE TTI[TLE] USER

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:
system_variable Represents any system variable set by the SET command.
ALL

Lists the settings of all SHOW options, except ERRORS, in alphabetical order.
BTI[TLE]

Shows the current BTITLE definition.

Command Reference

8-123

SHOW

ERR[ORS] [{FUNCTION|PROCEDURE|PACKAGE|PACKAGE BODY |TRIGGER|VIEW|TYPE|TYPE BODY} [schema.]name]

Shows the compilation errors of a stored procedure (includes stored functions, procedures, and packages). After you use the CREATE command to create a stored procedure, a message is displayed if the stored procedure has any compilation errors. To see the errors, you use SHOW ERRORS. When you specify SHOW ERRORS with no arguments, SQL*Plus shows compilation errors for the most recently created or altered stored procedure. When you specify the type (function, procedure, package, package body, trigger, view, type, or type body) and the name of the PL/SQL stored procedure, SQL*Plus shows errors for that stored procedure. For more information on compilation errors, see your PL/SQL Users Guide and Reference. schema contains the named object. If you omit schema, SHOW ERRORS assumes the object is located in your current schema. SHOW ERRORS output displays the line and column number of the error (LINE/COL) as well as the error itself (ERROR). LINE/COL and ERROR have default widths of 8 and 65, respectively. You can alter these widths using the COLUMN command.
LNO

Shows the current line number (the position in the current page of the display and/or spooled output).
PARAMETERS [parameter_name]

Displays the current values for one or more initialization parameters. You can use a string after the command to see a subset of parameters whose names include that string. For example, if you enter:
SQL> SHOW PARAMETERS COUNT

you would see:

NAME -----------------------------db_file_multiblock_read_count spin_count TYPE ----integer integer VALUE ----12 0

The SHOW PARAMETERS command, without any string following the command, displays all initialization parameters.

8-124 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

SHOW

Note, your output may vary depending on the version and configuration of the Oracle database server to which you are connected.
PNO

Shows the current page number.

REL[EASE]

Shows the release number of Oracle that SQL*Plus is accessing.

REPF[OOTER]

Shows the current REPFOOTER definition.

REPH[EADER]

Shows the current REPHEADER definition.

SPOO[L]

Shows whether output is being spooled.

SGA

Displays information about the current instances System Global Area.

SQLCODE

Shows the value of SQL.SQLCODE (the SQL return code of the most recent operation).
TTI[TLE]

Shows the current TTITLE definition.

USER

Shows the username under which you are currently accessing SQL*Plus.

Examples
To list the current LINESIZE, enter
SQL> SHOW LINESIZE

If the current linesize equals 80 characters, SQL*Plus will give the following response:
linesize 80

Command Reference

8-125

SHOW

The following example illustrates how to create a stored procedure and then show its compilation errors:
SQL> connect system/manager SQL> create procedure scott.proc1 as SQL> begin SQL> :p1 := 1; SQL> end; SQL> / Warning: Procedure created with compilation errors. SQL> show errors Errors for PROCEDURE SCOTT.PROC1: LINE/COL ERROR -------------------------------------------------------3/3 PLS-00049: bad bind variable P1 SQL> show errors procedure proc1 No errors. SQL> show errors procedure scott.proc1 Errors for PROCEDURE SCOTT.PROC1: LINE/COL ERROR -------------------------------------------------------3/3 PLS-00049: bad bind variable P1

To show whether AUTORECOVERY is enabled, enter

SQL> SHOW AUTORECOVERY autorecovery ON

To display the connect string for the default instance, enter

SQL> SHOW INSTANCE instance "local"

To display the location for archive logs, enter

SQL> SHOW LOGSOURCE logsource "/usr/oracle81/dbs/arch"

To display information about the SGA, enter

SQL> SHOW SGA Total System Global Area Fixed Size Variable Size Database Buffers Redo Buffers 7629732 60324 6627328 409600 532480 bytes bytes bytes bytes bytes

8-126 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

SHUTDOWN

SHUTDOWN
Purpose
Shuts down a currently running Oracle instance, optionally closing and dismounting a database.

Syntax
SHUTDOWN [ABORT|IMMEDIATE|NORMAL|TRANSACTIONAL]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:
ABORT

Proceeds with the fastest possible shutdown. Does not wait for calls to complete or users to disconnect. Does not close or dismount the database, but does shut down the instance. Requires instance recovery on next startup. You must use this option if a background process terminates abnormally.
IMMEDIATE

Does not wait for current calls to complete, prohibits further connects, and closes and dismounts the database. Finally, shuts down the instance. Does not wait for connected users to disconnect. Does not require instance recovery on next startup.
NORMAL

Waits for currently connected users to disconnect from the database, prohibits further connects, and closes and dismounts the database. Finally, shuts down the instance. Does not require instance recovery on next startup. NORMAL is the default option.
TRANSACTIONAL

Performs shutdown of an instance while minimizing interruption to clients. No client can start a new transaction on the instance. If a client attempts to start a new transaction, they are disconnected. After all transactions have either been committed or aborted, any client still connected to the instance is disconnected. At this point, the instance shuts down just as it would when a SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE is submitted.

Command Reference

8-127

SHUTDOWN

Using SHUTDOWN TRANSACTIONAL prevents clients from losing work, and at the same time, does not require all users to log off.

Usage Notes
SHUTDOWN with no arguments is equivalent to SHUTDOWN NORMAL. You must be connected to a database as SYSOPER, or SYSDBA. You cannot connect via a multi-threaded server. For more information about connecting to a database, see the CONNECT command earlier in this chapter.

Example
To shutdown the database in normal mode, enter
SQL> SHUTDOWN Database closed. Database dismounted. Oracle instance shut down.

8-128 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

SPOOL

SPOOL
Purpose
Stores query results in an operating system file and, optionally, sends the file to a printer.

Syntax
SPO[OL] [file_name[.ext]|OFF|OUT]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:
file_name[.ext] Represents the name of the file to which you wish to spool. SPOOL followed by file_name begins spooling displayed output to the named file. If you do not specify an extension, SPOOL uses a default extension (LST or LIS on most systems).
OFF

Stops spooling.
OUT

Stops spooling and sends the file to your host computers standard (default) printer. Enter SPOOL with no clauses to list the current spooling status.

Usage Notes
To spool output generated by commands in a command file without displaying the output on the screen, use SET TERMOUT OFF. SET TERMOUT OFF does not affect output from commands run interactively.

Examples
To record your displayed output in a file named DIARY using the default file extension, enter
SQL> SPOOL DIARY

To stop spooling and print the file on your default printer, enter
SQL> SPOOL OUT

Command Reference

8-129

START

START
Purpose
Executes the contents of the specified command file.

Syntax
STA[RT] file_name[.ext] [arg ...]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:
file_name[.ext] Represents the command file you wish to execute. The file can contain any command that you can run interactively.

If you do not specify an extension, SQL*Plus assumes the default command-file extension (normally SQL). For information on changing this default extension, see the SUFFIX variable of the SET command in this chapter. When you enter START file_name.ext, SQL*Plus searches for a file with the filename and extension you specify in the current default directory. If SQL*Plus does not find such a file, SQL*Plus will search a system-dependent path to find the file. Some operating systems may not support the path search. Consult the Oracle installation and users manual(s) provided for your operating system for specific information related to your operating system environment.
arg ...

Represent data items you wish to pass to parameters in the command file. If you enter one or more arguments, SQL*Plus substitutes the values into the parameters (&1, &2, and so forth) in the command file. The first argument replaces each occurrence of &1, the second replaces each occurrence of &2, and so forth. The START command DEFINEs the parameters with the values of the arguments; if you START the command file again in this session, you can enter new arguments or omit the arguments to use the old values. For more information on using parameters, refer to the subsection "Passing Parameters through the START Command" under "Writing Interactive Commands" in Chapter 3.

8-130 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

START

Usage Notes
The @ ("at" sign) and @@ (double "at" sign) commands function similarly to START. Disabling the START command in the Product User Profile also disables the @ and @@ commands. See the @ and @@ commands in this chapter for further information on these commands. The EXIT or QUIT commands in a command file terminate SQL*Plus.

Example
A file named PROMOTE with the extension SQL, used to promote employees, might contain the following command:
SELECT * FROM EMP WHERE MGR=&1 AND JOB=&2 AND SAL>&3;

To run this command file, enter

SQL> START PROMOTE 7280 CLERK 950

SQL*Plus then executes the following command:

SELECT * FROM EMP WHERE MGR=7280 AND JOB=CLERK AND SAL>950;

Command Reference

8-131

STARTUP

STARTUP
Purpose
Starts an Oracle instance with several options, including mounting and opening a database.

Syntax
STARTUP [FORCE][RESTRICT][PFILE=filename][MOUNT[OPEN[RECOVER]] [database]][mount_options]|[NOMOUNT]

where mount_options requires the following syntax:

[EXCLUSIVE|[PARALLEL|SHARED][RETRY]]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term and clause:
FORCE

Shuts down the current Oracle instance (if it is running) with SHUTDOWN mode ABORT, before restarting it. If the current instance is running and FORCE is not specified, an error results. FORCE is useful while debugging and under abnormal circumstances. It should not normally be used.
RESTRICT

Only allows Oracle users with the RESTRICTED SESSION system privilege to connect to the database. Later, you can use the ALTER SYSTEM command to disable the restricted session feature.
PFILE=filename

Causes the specified parameter file to be used while starting up the instance.
MOUNT

Mounts a database but does not open it.

OPEN

Mounts and opens the specified database.

8-132 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

STARTUP

NOMOUNT

Causes the database not to be mounted upon instance startup. Cannot be used with SHARED, EXCLUSIVE, PARALLEL, MOUNT, or OPEN.
RECOVER

Specifies that media recovery should be performed, if necessary, before starting the instance. STARTUP RECOVER has the same effect as issuing the RECOVER DATABASE command and starting an instance. Only complete recovery is possible with the RECOVER option. Recovery proceeds, if necessary, as if AUTORECOVERY is set to ON, regardless of whether or not AUTORECOVERY is enabled. If a redo log file is not found in the expected location, recovery continues as if AUTORECOVERY is disabled, by prompting you with the suggested location and name of the subsequent log files that need to be applied. If recovery fails using the RECOVER option, the database remains mounted and closed.
database

The name of the database to mount or open. If no database name is specified, the database name is taken from the initialization parameter DB_NAME.
EXCLUSIVE

Signifies that the database can only be mounted and opened by the current instance (it cannot be opened simultaneously by multiple instances). Cannot be used with SHARED, PARALLEL, or NOMOUNT. If no mounting option is specified, EXCLUSIVE is assigned by default.
PARALLEL

Must be specified if the database is to be mounted by multiple instances concurrently. Cannot be used with EXCLUSIVE or NOMOUNT. Invalid if the initialization parameter SINGLE_PROCESS is set to TRUE.
SHARED

Synonym for PARALLEL.

RETRY

Specifies that opening the database should be attempted every five seconds if the instance is busy being recovered by another instance. When an instance is being recovered by another instance, the down instance cannot open the database until recovery is complete. If the

Command Reference

8-133

STARTUP

database cannot be opened for any other reason, RETRY does not attempt to open the database again. This option is only available for instances operating in PARALLEL mode.

Usage Notes
You must be connected to a database as SYSOPER, or SYSDBA. You cannot be connected via a multi-threaded server.

Examples
To start an instance using the standard parameter file, mount the default database in exclusive mode, and open the database, enter
SQL> STARTUP

or enter
SQL> STARTUP OPEN database EXCLUSIVE

To start an instance using the standard parameter file, mount the default database in parallel mode, and open the database, enter
SQL> STARTUP PARALLEL SQL> STARTUP OPEN database PARALLEL

To restart an instance that went down in parallel mode and may not yet have been recovered by other instances, use the RETRY option:
SQL> STARTUP PARALLEL RETRY

To shutdown the current instance, immediately restart it without mounting or opening, and allow only database administrators to connect, enter
SQL> STARTUP FORCE NOMOUNT RESTRICT

To start an instance using the parameter file TESTPARM without mounting the database, enter
SQL> STARTUP PFILE=testparm NOMOUNT

8-134 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

STARTUP

To shutdown a particular database, immediately restart and open it in parallel mode, allow access only to database administrators, and use the parameter file MYINIT.ORA. enter
SQL> STARTUP OPEN database PFILE=myinit.ora FORCE SHARED RESTRICT

To startup an instance and mount but not open a database, enter

SQL> CONNECT INTERNAL Connected to an idle instance. SQL> STARTUP MOUNT ORACLE instance started. Total System Global Area Fixed Size Variable Size Database Buffers Redo Buffers 7629732 60324 6627328 409600 532480 bytes bytes bytes bytes bytes

Command Reference

8-135

STORE

STORE
Purpose
Saves attributes of the current SQL*Plus environment in a host operating system file (a command file).

Syntax
STORE {SET} file_name[.ext] [CRE[ATE]|REP[LACE]|APP[END]]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:
SET

Saves the values of the system variables. Refer to the SAVE command for information on the other terms and clauses in the STORE command syntax.

Usage Notes
This command creates a command file which can be executed with the START, @ or @@ commands. If you want to store a file under a name identical to a STORE command clause (that is, CREATE, REPLACE or APPEND), you must put the name in single quotes or specify a file extension.

Example
To store the current SQL*Plus system variables in a file named DEFAULTENV with the default command-file extension, enter
SQL> STORE SET DEFAULTENV

To append the current SQL*Plus system variables to an existing file called DEFAULTENV with the extension OLD, enter
SQL> STORE SET DEFAULTENV.OLD APPEND

8-136 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

TIMING

TIMING
Purpose
Records timing data for an elapsed period of time, lists the current timers name and timing data, or lists the number of active timers.

Syntax
TIMI[NG] [START text|SHOW|STOP]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:
START text

Sets up a timer and makes text the name of the timer. You can have more than one active timer by STARTing additional timers before STOPping the first; SQL*Plus nests each new timer within the preceding one. The timer most recently STARTed becomes the current timer.
SHOW

Lists the current timers name and timing data.

STOP

Lists the current timers name and timing data, then deletes the timer. If any other timers are active, the next most recently STARTed timer becomes the current timer. Enter TIMING with no clauses to list the number of active timers.

Usage Notes
You can use this data to do a performance analysis on any commands or blocks run during the period. For information about the data TIMING displays, see the Oracle installation and users manual(s) provided for your operating system. Refer to SET TIMING ON for information on automatically displaying timing data after each SQL command or PL/SQL block you run. To delete all timers, use the CLEAR TIMING command.

Command Reference

8-137

TIMING

Examples
To create a timer named SQL_TIMER, enter
SQL> TIMING START SQL_TIMER

To list the current timers title and accumulated time, enter

SQL> TIMING SHOW

To list the current timers title and accumulated time and to remove the timer, enter
SQL> TIMING STOP

8-138 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

TTITLE

TTITLE
Purpose
Places and formats a specified title at the top of each report page or lists the current TTITLE definition. The old form of TTITLE is used if only a single word or string in quotes follows the TTITLE command. For a description of the old form of TTITLE, see TTITLE in Appendix F.

Syntax
TTI[TLE] [printspec [text|variable] ...]|[OFF|ON]

where printspec represents one or more of the following clauses used to place and format the text:
COL n S[KIP] [n] TAB n LE[FT] CE[NTER] R[IGHT] BOLD FORMAT text

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause. These terms and clauses also apply to the BTITLE command.
text

Represents the title text. Enter text in single quotes if you want to place more than one word on a single line.
variable

Represents a user variable or any of the following system-maintained values:

s

SQL.LNO (current line number) SQL.PNO (current page number) SQL.RELEASE (current Oracle release number)

Command Reference

8-139

TTITLE

SQL.SQLCODE (current error code) SQL.USER (current username)

To print one of these values, reference the appropriate variable in the title. You can format variable with the FORMAT clause.
OFF

Turns the title off (suppresses its display) without affecting its definition.
ON

Turns the title on (restores its display). When you define a top title, SQL*Plus automatically sets TTITLE to ON.
COL n

Indents to column n of the current line (backward if column n has been passed). "Column" in this context means print position, not table column.
S[KIP] [n]

Skips to the start of a new line n times; if you omit n, one time; if you enter zero for n, backward to the start of the current line.
TAB n

Skips forward n columns (backward if you enter a negative value for n). "Column" in this context means print position, not table column.
LE[FT]|CE[NTER]|R[IGHT]

Left-align, center, and right-align data on the current line respectively. SQL*Plus aligns following data items as a group, up to the end of the printspec or the next LEFT, CENTER, RIGHT, or COL command. CENTER and RIGHT use the SET LINESIZE value to calculate the position of the data item that follows.
BOLD

Prints data in bold print. SQL*Plus represents bold print on your terminal by repeating the data on three consecutive lines. On some operating systems, SQL*Plus may instruct your printer to print bolded text on three consecutive lines, instead of bold.

8-140 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

TTITLE

FORMAT text

Specifies a format model that determines the format of following data items, up to the next FORMAT clause or the end of the command. The format model must be a text constant such as A10 or $999. See the COLUMN FORMAT command for more information on formatting and valid format models. If the datatype of the format model does not match the datatype of a given data item, the FORMAT clause has no effect on that item. If no appropriate FORMAT model precedes a given data item, SQL*Plus prints NUMBER values according to the format specified by SET NUMFORMAT or, if you have not used SET NUMFORMAT, the default format. SQL*Plus prints DATE values according to the default format. Refer to the FORMAT clause of the COLUMN command in this chapter for more information on default formats. Enter TTITLE with no clauses to list the current TTITLE definition.

Usage Notes
If you do not enter a printspec clause before the first occurrence of text, TTITLE left justifies the text. SQL*Plus interprets TTITLE in the new form if a valid printspec clause (LEFT, SKIP, COL, and so on) immediately follows the command name. See COLUMN NEW_VALUE for information on printing column and DATE values in the top title. You can use any number of constants and variables in a printspec. SQL*Plus displays the constants and variables in the order you specify them, positioning and formatting each constant or variable as specified by the printspec clauses that precede it. The length of the title you specify with TTITLE cannot exceed 2400 characters. The continuation character (a hyphen) will not be recognized inside a single-quoted title text string. To be recognized, the continuation character must appear outside the quotes, as follows:
SQL> TTITLE CENTER Summary Report for > the Month of May

Command Reference

8-141

TTITLE

Examples
To define "Monthly Analysis" as the top title and to left-align it, to center the date, to right-align the page number with a three-digit format, and to display "Data in Thousands" in the center of the next line, enter
SQL> TTITLE LEFT Monthly Analysis CENTER 23 Nov 98 > RIGHT Page: FORMAT 999 SQL.PNO SKIP CENTER > Data in Thousands

The following title results:

Monthly Analysis 23 Nov 98 Data in Thousands Page: 1

To suppress the top title display without changing its definition, enter
SQL> TTITLE OFF

8-142 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

UNDEFINE

UNDEFINE
Purpose
Deletes one or more user variables that you defined either explicitly (with the DEFINE command) or implicitly (with an argument to the START command).

Syntax
UNDEF[INE] variable ...

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following for a description of the term or clause:
variable

Represents the name of the user variable you wish to delete. One or more user variables may be deleted in the same command.

Examples
To undefine a user variable named POS, enter
SQL> UNDEFINE POS

To undefine two user variables named MYVAR1 and MYVAR2, enter

SQL> UNDEFINE MYVAR1 MYVAR2

Command Reference

8-143

VARIABLE

VARIABLE
Purpose
Declares a bind variable that can then be referenced in PL/SQL. For more information on bind variables, see "Using Bind Variables" in Chapter 3. For more information about PL/SQL, see your PL/SQL Users Guide and Reference. VARIABLE without arguments displays a list of all the variables declared in the session. VARIABLE followed only by a variable name lists that variable.

Syntax
VAR[IABLE] [variable [NUMBER|CHAR|CHAR (n)|NCHAR|NCHAR (n) |VARCHAR2 (n)|NVARCHAR2 (n)|CLOB|NCLOB|REFCURSOR]]

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:
variable

Represents the name of the bind variable you wish to create.

NUMBER

Creates a variable of type NUMBER with a fixed length.

CHAR

Creates a variable of type CHAR (character) with a length of one.

CHAR (n)

Creates a variable of type CHAR with a maximum length of n, up to 2000.

NCHAR

Creates a variable of type NCHAR (national character) with a length of one.

NCHAR (n)

Creates a variable of type NCHAR with a maximum length of n, up to 2000.

VARCHAR2 (n)

Creates a variable of type VARCHAR2 with a maximum length of n, up to 4000.

8-144 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

VARIABLE

NVARCHAR2 (n)

Creates a a variable of type NVARCHAR2 (NCHAR VARYING) with a maximum length of n, up to 4000.
CLOB

Creates a variable of type CLOB.

NCLOB

Creates a variable of type NCLOB.

REFCURSOR

Creates a variable of type REF CURSOR.

Usage Notes
Bind variables may be used as parameters to stored procedures, or may be directly referenced in anonymous PL/SQL blocks. To display the value of a bind variable created with VARIABLE, use the PRINT command. For more information, see the PRINT command in this chapter. To automatically display the value of a bind variable created with VARIABLE, use the SET AUTOPRINT command. For more information, see the SET AUTOPRINT command in this chapter. Bind variables cannot be used in the COPY command or SQL statements, except in PL/SQL blocks. Instead, use substitution variables. When you execute a VARIABLE ... CLOB or NCLOB command, SQL*Plus associates a LOB locator with the bind variable. The LOB locator is automatically populated when you execute a SELECT clob_column INTO :cv statement in a PL/SQL block. SQL*Plus closes the LOB locator after completing a PRINT statement for that bind variable, or when you exit SQL*Plus. SQL*Plus SET commands such as SET LONG and SET LONGCHUNKSIZE and SET LOBOFFSET may be used to control the size of the buffer while PRINTing CLOB or NCLOB bind variables. SQL*Plus REFCURSOR bind variables may be used to reference PL/SQL 2.3 or higher Cursor Variables, allowing PL/SQL output to be formatted by SQL*Plus. For more information on PL/SQL Cursor Variables, see your PL/SQL Users Guide and Reference. When you execute a VARIABLE ... REFCURSOR command, SQL*Plus creates a cursor bind variable. The cursor is automatically opened by an OPEN ... FOR SELECT statement referencing the bind variable in a PL/SQL block. SQL*Plus

Command Reference

8-145

VARIABLE

closes the cursor after completing a PRINT statement for that bind variable, or on exit. SQL*Plus formatting commands such as BREAK, COLUMN, COMPUTE and SET may be used to format the output from PRINTing a REFCURSOR. A REFCURSOR bind variable may not be PRINTed more than once without re-executing the PL/SQL OPEN...FOR statement.

Examples
The following example illustrates creating a bind variable and then setting it to the value returned by a function:
SQL> VARIABLE id NUMBER SQL> BEGIN 2 :id := emp_management.hire 3 (BLAKE,MANAGER,KING,2990,SALES); 4 END;

The bind variable named id can be displayed with the PRINT command or used in subsequent PL/SQL subprograms. The following example illustrates automatically displaying a bind variable:
SQL> SQL> SQL> 2 3 4 SET AUTOPRINT ON VARIABLE a REFCURSOR BEGIN OPEN :a FOR SELECT * FROM DEPT ORDER BY DEPTNO; END; /

PL/SQL procedure successfully completed. DEPTNO -------10 20 30 40 DNAME ------------ACCOUNTING RESEARCH SALES OPERATIONS LOC ------------NEW YORK DALLAS CHICAGO BOSTON

In the above example, there is no need to issue a PRINT command to display the variable.

8-146 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

VARIABLE

The following example creates some variables and then lists them:
SQL> VARIABLE id NUMBER SQL> VARIABLE txt CHAR (20) SQL> VARIABLE myvar REFCURSOR SQL> VARIABLE variable id datatype NUMBER variable txt datatype CHAR(20) variable myvar datatype REFCURSOR

The following example lists a single variable:

SQL> VARIABLE txt variable txt datatype CHAR(20)

The following example illustrates producing a report listing individual salaries and computing the departmental and total salary cost:
SQL> 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 VARIABLE RC REFCURSOR BEGIN OPEN :RC FOR SELECT DNAME, ENAME, SAL FROM EMP, DEPT WHERE EMP.DEPTNO = DEPT.DEPTNO ORDER BY EMP.DEPTNO, ENAME; END; /

PL/SQL procedure successfully completed. SQL> SQL> SQL> SQL> SQL> SQL> SQL> SQL> SQL> SET PAGESIZE 100 FEEDBACK OFF TTITLE LEFT *** Departmental Salary Bill *** SKIP 2 COLUMN SAL FORMAT $999,990.99 HEADING Salary COLUMN DNAME HEADING Department COLUMN ENAME HEADING Employee COMPUTE SUM LABEL Subtotal: OF SAL ON DNAME COMPUTE SUM LABEL Total: OF SAL ON REPORT BREAK ON DNAME SKIP 1 ON REPORT SKIP 1 PRINT RC

Command Reference

8-147

VARIABLE

*** Departmental Salary Bill *** Department Employee -------------- -----------ACCOUNTING CLARK KING MILLER ************** Subtotal: RESEARCH ADAMS FORD JONES SCOTT SMITH Salary ---------$2,450.00 $5,000.00 $1,300.00 ---------$8,750.00 $1,100.00 $3,000.00 $2,975.00 $3,000.00 $800.00 ---------$10,875.00 $1,600.00 $2,850.00 $950.00 $1,250.00 $1,500.00 $1,250.00 ---------$9,400.00 ---------$29,025.00

************** Subtotal: SALES ALLEN BLAKE JAMES MARTIN TURNER WARD

************** Subtotal:

Total:

The following example illustrates producing a report containing a CLOB column, and then displaying it with the SET LOBOFFSET command. Assume you have already created a table named clob_tab which contains a column named clob_col of type CLOB. The clob_col contains the following data:
Remember to run the Departmental Salary Bill report each month. This report contains confidential information.

8-148 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

VARIABLE

To produce a report listing the data in the col_clob column, enter

SQL> variable t clob SQL> begin 2 select clob_col into t: from clob_tab; 3 end; 4 / PL/SQL procedure successfully completed

To print 200 characters from the column clob_col, enter

SQL> set LONG 200 SQL> print t

The following output results:

T -----------------------------------------------------------Remember to run the Departmental Salary Bill report each month. This report contains confidential information.

To set the printing position to the 21st character, enter

SQL> set LOBOFFSET 21 SQL> print t

the following output results:

T -----------------------------------------------------------Departmental Salary Bill report each month. This report contains confidential information.

For more information on creating CLOB columns, see your Oracle8i SQL Reference.

Command Reference

8-149

WHENEVER OSERROR

WHENEVER OSERROR
Purpose
Exits SQL*Plus if an operating system error occurs (such as a file I/O error).

Syntax
WHENEVER OSERROR {EXIT [SUCCESS|FAILURE|n|variable|:BindVariable][COMMIT|ROLLBACK] |CONTINUE [COMMIT|ROLLBACK|NONE]}

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:
EXIT [SUCCESS|FAILURE|n|variable|:BindVariable]

Directs SQL*Plus to exit as soon as an operating system error is detected. You can also specify that SQL*Plus return a success or failure code, the operating system failure code, or a number or variable of your choice. See EXIT in this chapter for details.
CONTINUE

Turns off the EXIT option.

COMMIT

Directs SQL*Plus to execute a COMMIT before exiting or continuing and save pending changes to the database.
ROLLBACK

Directs SQL*Plus to execute a ROLLBACK before exiting or continuing and abandon pending changes to the database.
NONE

Directs SQL*Plus to take no action before continuing.

Usage Notes
If you do not enter the WHENEVER OSERROR command, the default behavior of SQL*Plus is to continue and take no action when an operating system error occurs. If you do not enter the WHENEVER SQLERROR command, the default behavior of SQL*Plus is to continue and take no action when a SQL error occurs.

8-150 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

WHENEVER OSERROR

Examples
The commands in the following command file cause SQL*Plus to exit and COMMIT any pending changes if a failure occurs when writing to the output file:
SQL> WHENEVER OSERROR EXIT SQL> START no_such_file OS Message: No such file or directory Disconnected from Oracle8......

Command Reference

8-151

WHENEVER SQLERROR

WHENEVER SQLERROR
Purpose
Exits SQL*Plus if a SQL command or PL/SQL block generates an error.

Syntax
WHENEVER SQLERROR {EXIT [SUCCESS|FAILURE|WARNING|n|variable|:BindVariable] [COMMIT|ROLLBACK]|CONTINUE [COMMIT|ROLLBACK|NONE]}

Terms and Clauses

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:
EXIT [SUCCESS|FAILURE|WARNING|n|variable|:BindVariable]

Directs SQL*Plus to exit as soon as it detects a SQL command or PL/SQL block error (but after printing the error message). SQL*Plus will not exit on a SQL*Plus error. The EXIT clause of WHENEVER SQLERROR follows the same syntax as the EXIT command. See EXIT in this chapter for details.
CONTINUE

Turns off the EXIT option.

COMMIT

Directs SQL*Plus to execute a COMMIT before exiting or continuing and save pending changes to the database.
ROLLBACK

Directs SQL*Plus to execute a ROLLBACK before exiting or continuing and abandon pending changes to the database.
NONE

Directs SQL*Plus to take no action before continuing.

Usage Notes
The WHENEVER SQLERROR command is triggered by SQL command or PL/SQL block errors, and not by SQL*Plus command errors.

8-152 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

WHENEVER SQLERROR

Examples
The commands in the following command file cause SQL*Plus to exit and return the SQL error code if the SQL UPDATE command fails:
SQL> WHENEVER SQLERROR EXIT SQL.SQLCODE SQL> UPDATE EMP SET SAL = SAL*1.1

The following SQL command error causes SQL*Plus to exit and return the SQL error code:
SQL> WHENEVER SQLERROR EXIT SQL.SQLCODE SQL> SELECT COLUMN_DOES_NOT_EXIST FROM DUAL; SELECT COLUMN_DOES_NOT_EXIST FROM DUAL * ERROR at line 1: ORA-00904: invalid column name Disconnected from Oracle.....

The following SQL command error causes SQL*Plus to exit and return the value of the variable MY_ERROR_VAR:
SQL> DEFINE MY_ERROR_VAR = 99 SQL> WHENEVER SQLERROR EXIT MY_ERROR_VAR SQL> UPDATE NON_EXISTED_TABLE SET COL1 = COL1 + 1; UPDATE NON_EXISTED_TABLE SET COL1 = COL1 + 1 * ERROR at line 1: ORA-00942: table or view does not exist Disconnected from Oracle.....

The following examples show that the WHENEVER SQLERROR command does not have any effect on SQL*Plus commands, but does on SQL commands and PL/SQL blocks:
SQL> WHENEVER SQLERROR EXIT SQL.SQLCODE SQL> COLUMN ENAME HEADIING EMPLOYEE NAME Unknown COLUMN option HEADIING SQL> SHOW NON_EXISTED_OPTION

Command Reference

8-153

WHENEVER SQLERROR

Unknown SHOW option NON_EXISTED_OPTION SQL> GET NON_EXISTED_FILE.SQL Unable to open NON_EXISTED_FILE.SQL

The following PL/SQL block error causes SQL*Plus to exit and return the SQL error code:
SQL> SQL> 2 3 4 WHENEVER SQLERROR EXIT SQL.SQLCODE BEGIN SELECT COLUMN_DOES_NOT_EXIST FROM DUAL; END; /

SELECT COLUMN_DOES_NOT_EXIST FROM DUAL; * ERROR at line 2: ORA-06550: line 2, column 10: PLS-00201: identifier COLUMN_DOES_NOT_EXIST must be declared ORA-06550: line 2, column 3: PL/SQL: SQL Statement ignored Disconnected from Oracle.....

8-154 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

A
COPY Command Messages and Codes
This appendix lists error messages generated by the COPY command. For error messages generated by Oracle, refer to the Oracle8i Error Messages manual. CPY0002 Illegal or missing APPEND, CREATE, INSERT, or REPLACE option Cause: An internal COPY function has invoked COPY with a create option (flag) value that is out of range. Action: Please contact your Oracle Worldwide Customer Support Services representative. CPY0003 Internal Error: logical host number out of range Cause: An internal COPY function has been invoked with a logical host number value that is out of range. Action: Please contact your Oracle Worldwide Customer Support Services representative. CPY0004 Source and destination table and column names dont match Cause: On an APPEND operation or an INSERT (when the table exists), at least one column name in the destination table does not match the corresponding column name in the optional column name list or in the SELECT command. Action: Re-specify the COPY command, making sure that the column names and their respective order in the destination table match the column names and column order in the optional column list or in the SELECT command

COPY Command Messages and Codes A-1

CPY0005 Source and destination column attributes dont match Cause: On an APPEND operation or an INSERT (when the table exists), at least one column in the destination table does not have the same datatype as the corresponding column in the SELECT command. Action: Re-specify the COPY command, making sure that the datatypes for items being selected agree with the destination. You can use TO_DATE, TO_ CHAR, and TO_NUMBER to make conversions. CPY0006 Select list has more columns than destination table Cause: On an APPEND operation or an INSERT (when the table exists), the number of columns in the SELECT command is greater than the number of columns in the destination table. Action: Re-specify the COPY command, making sure that the number of columns being selected agrees with the number in the destination table. CPY0007 Select list has fewer columns than destination table Cause: On an APPEND operation or INSERT (when the table exists), the number of columns in the SELECT command is less than the number of columns in the destination table. Action: Re-specify the COPY command, making sure that the number of columns being selected agrees with the number in the destination table. CPY0008 More column list name than columns in the destination table Cause: On an APPEND operation or an INSERT (when the table exists), the number of columns in the column name list is greater than the number of columns in the destination table. Action: Re-specify the COPY command, making sure that the number of columns in the column list agrees with the number in the destination table.

A-2 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

CPY0009 Fewer column list name than columns in the destination table Cause: On an APPEND operation or an INSERT (when the table exists), the number of columns in the column name list is less than the number of columns in the destination table. Action: Re-specify the COPY command, making sure that the number of columns in the column list agrees with the number in the destination table.

COPY Command Messages and Codes A-3

A-4 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

B
Release 8.1.5 Enhancements
SQL*Plus release 8.1.5 provides a number of enhancements over previous releases of SQL*Plus. This appendix describes the enhancements for SQL*Plus release 8.1.5.

Release 8.1.5 Enhancements B-1

SQL*Plus Release 8.1.5 Enhancements

SQL*Plus Release 8.1.5 Enhancements

To fully exploit SQL*Plus Release 8.1.5, you need Oracle8i. SQL*Plus release 8.1.5 gives you the following capabilities:
s

There is a new command named STARTUP. The STARTUP command starts an Oracle instance, with the options to mount and open a database. There is a new command named SHUTDOWN. The SHUTDOWN command shuts down an Oracle instance that is currently running. It also optionally closes and dismounts a database. There is a new command named RECOVER. The RECOVER command performs media recovery on tablespaces, datafiles or the entire databse. There is a new command named ARCHIVE LOG. The ARCHIVE LOG command allows redo log files to be archived. It also displays information about redo log files. The CONNECT command now has an AS clause. The AS clause, allows privileged connections by users who have been granted SYSOPER or SYSDBA system privileges. The SET command now has an AUTORECOVERY clause. The AUTORECOVERY clause specifies whether default archived redo log files are to be used during recovery. The SET command now has a DESCRIBE clause. The DESCRIBE clause specifies the depth or level to which objects can be described. The SET command now has an INSTANCE clause. The INSTANCE clause changes the default instance for your session to the specified instance. The SET command now has a LOGSOURCE clause. The LOGSOURCE clause specifies the location from which archive logs are retrieved during recovery. The SET command now has a SQLBLANKLINES clause. The SQLBLANKLINES clause allows and preserves blank lines within any SQL command. The SHOW command now has a PARAMETERS clause. The PARAMETERS clause displays the current values for one or more initialization parameters. The SHOW command now has an SGA clause. The SGA clause displays information about the current instances System Global Area.

B-2 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

C
SQL*Plus Limits
Table C-1, on the following page, lists the limit, or maximum value, of each of the SQL*Plus elements shown. The limits shown are valid for most operating systems.

SQL*Plus Limits C-1

.
Table C1 SQL*Plus Limits
Item filename length username length user variable name length user variable value length command-line length length of a LONG value entered through SQL*Plus LINESIZE Limit system dependent 30 bytes 30 bytes 240 characters 2500 characters LINESIZE value system dependent

LONGCHUNKSIZE value system dependent output line size line size after variable substitution number of characters in a COPMUTE command label number of lines per SQL command maximum PAGESIZE total row width maximum ARRAYSIZE maximum number of nested command files maximum page number maximum PL/SQL error message size maximum ACCEPT character string length maximum number of DEFINE variables system dependent 3,000 characters (internal only) 500 characters

500 (assuming 80 characters per line) 50,000 lines 60,000 characters for VMS; otherwise, 32,767 characters 5000 rows 20 for VMS, CMS, Unix; otherwise, 5 99,999 2K 240 Bytes 2048

C-2 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

D
SQL Command List
Table D-1, on the following page, lists major SQL commands. Refer to the Oracle8i SQL Reference for full documentation of these commands.

SQL Command List D-1

Table D1 SQL Command List

Major SQL Commands and Clauses ALTER ANALYZE AUDIT COMMENT CREATE DROP EXPLAIN GRANT INSERT LOCK TABLE NOAUDIT RENAME REVOKE SAVEPOINT SET ROLE SET TRANSACTION TRUNCATE UPDATE

D-2 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

E
Security
This appendix describes the available methods for controlling access to database tables and SQL*Plus commands. The available methods for security fall into two broad categories:
s

PRODUCT_USER_PROFILE Table Roles

Security

E-1

PRODUCT_USER_PROFILE Table

PRODUCT_USER_PROFILE Table
Various Oracle products use PRODUCT_USER_PROFILE, a table in the SYSTEM account, to provide product-level security that supplements the user-level security provided by the SQL GRANT and REVOKE commands and user roles.

Overview
DBAs can use PRODUCT_USER_PROFILE to disable certain SQL and SQL*Plus commands in the SQL*Plus environment on a per-user basis. SQL*Plusnot Oracleenforces this security. DBAs can even restrict access to the GRANT, REVOKE, and SET ROLE commands to control users ability to change their database privileges. SQL*Plus reads restrictions from PRODUCT_USER_PROFILE when a user logs in to SQL*Plus and maintains those restrictions for the duration of the session. Changes to PRODUCT_USER_PROFILE will only take effect the next time the affected users log in to SQL*Plus. The PRODUCT_USER_PROFILE table applies only to the local database. If accessing objects on a remote database via a database link, the PRODUCT_USER_ PROFILE for the remote database does not apply. The remote database cannot extract the username and password from the database link in order to determine that users profile and privileges.

Creating the Table

You can create PRODUCT_USER_PROFILE by running the command file named PUPBLD with the extension SQL as SYSTEM. The exact format of the file extension and the location of the file are system dependent. See the Oracle installation and users manual(s) provided for your operating system or your DBA for more information.
Note: If the table is created incorrectly, all users other than SYSTEM will see a warning when connecting to Oracle that the PRODUCT_USER_PROFILE information is not loaded.

E-2 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

PRODUCT_USER_PROFILE Table

Table Structure
The PRODUCT_USER_PROFILE table consists of the following columns:
PRODUCT USERID ATTRIBUTE SCOPE NUMERIC_VALUE CHAR_VALUE DATE_VALUE LONG_VALUE NOT NULL CHAR (30) CHAR(30) CHAR(240) CHAR(240) NUMBER(15,2) CHAR(240) DATE LONG

Description and Use of Columns

Refer to the following list for the descriptions and use of each column in the PRODUCT_USER_PROFILE table: Product Must contain the product name (in this case "SQL*Plus"). You cannot enter wildcards or NULL in this column. Also notice that the product name SQL*Plus must be specified in mixed case, as shown, in order to be recognized. Must contain the username (in uppercase) of the user for whom you wish to disable the command. To disable the command for more than one user, use SQL wild cards (%) or make multiple entries. Thus, all of the following entries are valid:
s

Userid

SCOTT CLASS1 CLASS% (all users whose names start with CLASS) % (all users)

Attribute

Must contain the name (in uppercase) of the SQL, SQL*Plus, or PL/SQL command you wish to disable (for example, GET). If you are disabling a role, it must contain the character string "ROLES". You cannot enter a wildcard. See the section "Administration" later in this chapter for a list of SQL and SQL*Plus commands you can disable. See the section "Roles" in this chapter for information on how to disable a role.

Security

E-3

PRODUCT_USER_PROFILE Table

Scope

SQL*Plus ignores this column. It is recommended that you enter NULL in this column. Other products may store specific file restrictions or other data in this column. SQL*Plus ignores this column. It is recommended that you enter NULL in this column. Other products may store numeric values in this column. Must contain the character string "DISABLED" to disable a SQL, SQL*Plus, or PL/SQL command. If you are disabling a role, it must contain the name of the role you wish to disable. You cannot use a wildcard. See "Roles" below for information on how to disable a role. SQL*Plus ignores this column. It is recommended that you enter NULL in this column. Other products may store DATE values in this column. SQL*Plus ignores this column. It is recommended that you enter NULL in this column. Other products may store LONG values in this column.

Numeric_Value

Char_Value

Date_Value

Long_Value

Administration
The DBA username SYSTEM owns and has all privileges on PRODUCT_USER_ PROFILE. (When SYSTEM logs in, SQL*Plus does not read PRODUCT_USER_ PROFILE. Therefore, no restrictions apply to user SYSTEM.) Other Oracle usernames should have only SELECT access to this table, which allows a view of restrictions of that username and those restrictions assigned to PUBLIC. The command file PUPBLD, when run, grants SELECT access on PRODUCT_USER_ PROFILE to PUBLIC.

Disabling SQL*Plus, SQL, and PL/SQL Commands

To disable a SQL or SQL*Plus command for a given user, insert a row containing the users username in the Userid column, the command name in the Attribute column, and DISABLED in the Char_Value column.

E-4 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

PRODUCT_USER_PROFILE Table

The Scope, Numeric_Value, and Date_Value columns should contain NULL. For example:
PRODUCT ------SQL*Plus SQL*Plus SQL*Plus SQL*Plus USERID ATTRIBUTE SCOPE -----SCOTT % % % --------- ----HOST INSERT UPDATE DELETE NUMBERIC VALUE -------CHAR VALUE -----DISABLED DISABLED DISABLED DISABLED DATE VALUE -----

To reenable commands, delete the row containing the restriction. You can disable the following SQL*Plus commands:
s

COPY EDIT EXECUTE EXIT GET HOST (or your operating systems alias for HOST, such as $on VMS, and ! on UNIX) QUIT PASSWORD RUN SAVE SET (see note below) SPOOL START

Note: Disabling the SQL*Plus SET command will also disable the SQL SET ROLE and SET TRANSACTION commands. Disabling the SQL*Plus START command will also disable the SQL*Plus @ and @@ commands.

Security

E-5

PRODUCT_USER_PROFILE Table

You can also disable the following SQL commands:

s

ALTER ANALYZE AUDIT CONNECT CREATE DELETE DROP GRANT INSERT LOCK NOAUDIT RENAME REVOKE SELECT SET ROLE SET TRANSACTION TRUNCATE UPDATE

You can also disable the following PL/SQL commands:

s

BEGIN DECLARE

Note: Disabling BEGIN and DECLARE does not prevent the use of the SQL*Plus EXECUTE command. EXECUTE must be disabled separately.

E-6 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

PRODUCT_USER_PROFILE Table

Disabling SET ROLE

From SQL*Plus, users can submit any SQL command. In certain situations, this can cause security problems. Unless you take proper precautions, a user could use SET ROLE to access privileges obtained via an application role. With these privileges, they might issue SQL statements from SQL*Plus that could wrongly change database tables. To prevent application users from accessing application roles in SQL*Plus, you can use PRODUCT_USER_PROFILE to disable the SET ROLE command. This allows a SQL*Plus user only those privileges associated with the roles enabled when they started SQL*Plus. For more information about the creation and usage of user roles, see your Oracle8i SQL Reference and Oracle8i Administrators Guide.

Disabling Roles
To disable a role for a given user, insert a row in PRODUCT_USER_PROFILE containing the users username in the Userid column, "ROLES" in the Attribute column, and the role name in the Char_Value column.
Note: When you enter "PUBLIC" or "%" for the Userid column, you disable the role for all users. You should only use "%" or "PUBLIC" for roles which are granted to "PUBLIC". If you try to disable a role that has not been granted to a user, none of the roles for that user are disabled.

The Scope, Numeric_Value, and Date_Value columns should contain NULL. For example:
PRODUCT ------SQL*Plus SQL*Plus USERID ATTRIBUTE SCOPE ------ --------- ----SCOTT ROLES PUBLIC ROLES NUMBERIC VALUE -------CHAR VALUE -----ROLE1 ROLE2 DATE VALUE -----

During login, these table rows are translated into the command
SET ROLE ALL EXCEPT ROLE1, ROLE2

To ensure that the user does not use the SET ROLE command to change their roles after login, you can disable the SET ROLE command. See "Disabling SET ROLE" earlier in this appendix. To reenable roles, delete the row containing the restriction.

Security

E-7

Roles

Roles
To provide for the security of your database tables in Oracle8i using SQL commands, you can create and control access to roles. By creating a role and then controlling who has access to it, you can ensure that only certain users have access to particular database privileges.

Overview
Roles are created and used with the SQL CREATE, GRANT, and SET commands:
s

To create a role, you use the CREATE command. You can create roles with or without passwords. To grant access to roles, you use the GRANT command. In this way, you can control who has access to the privileges associated with the role. To access roles, you use the SET ROLE command. If you created the role with a password, the user must know the password in order to access the role.

For more information about roles, see your Oracle8i SQL Reference, your Oracle8i Administrators Guide, and your Oracle8i Concepts manual.

E-8 SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

F
SQL*Plus Commands from Earlier Releases
This appendix covers earlier versions of some SQL*Plus commands. These older commands still function within SQL*Plus, but SQL*Plus provides newer commands that have improved functionality.

SQL*Plus Commands from Earlier Releases

F-1

BTITLE (old form)

BTITLE (old form)

Purpose
Displays a title at the bottom of each report page.

Syntax
BTI[TLE] text

Usage Notes
The old form of BTITLE offers formatting features more limited than those of the new form, but provides compatibility with UFI (a predecessor of SQL*Plus). The old form defines the bottom title as an empty line followed by a line with centered text. Refer to TTITLE (old form) in this appendix for more details.

COLUMN DEFAULT
Purpose
Resets the display attributes for a given column to default values.

Syntax
COL[UMN] {column|expr} DEF[AULT]

Usage Notes
Has the same effect as COLUMN CLEAR.

DOCUMENT
Purpose
Begins a block of documentation in a command file.

Syntax
DOC[UMENT]

F-2

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

SET BUFFER

Usage Notes
For information on the current method of inserting comments in a command file, refer to the section "Placing Comments in Command Files" under "Saving Commands for Later Use" in Chapter 3 and to the REMARK command in the "Command Reference" in Chapter 8. After you type DOCUMENT and enter [Return], SQL*Plus displays the prompt DOC> in place of SQL> until you end the documentation. The "pound" character (#) on a line by itself ends the documentation. If you have set DOCUMENT to OFF, SQL*Plus suppresses the display of the block of documentation created by the DOCUMENT command. (See "SET DOCUMENT" later in this appendix.)

NEWPAGE
Purpose
Advances spooled output n lines beyond the beginning of the next page.

Syntax
NEWPAGE [1|n]

Usage Notes
Refer to the NEWPAGE variable of the SET command in Chapter 8 for information on the current method for advancing spooled output.

SET BUFFER
Purpose
Makes the specified buffer the current buffer.

Syntax
SET BUF[FER] {buffer|SQL}

Usage Notes
Initially, the SQL buffer is the current buffer. SQL*Plus does not require the use of multiple buffers; the SQL buffer alone should meet your needs.

SQL*Plus Commands from Earlier Releases

F-3

SET CLOSECURSOR

If the buffer name you enter does not already exist, SET BUFFER defines (creates and names) the buffer. SQL*Plus deletes the buffer and its contents when you exit SQL*Plus. Running a query automatically makes the SQL buffer the current buffer. To copy text from one buffer to another, use the GET and SAVE commands. To clear text from the current buffer, use CLEAR BUFFER. To clear text from the SQL buffer while using a different buffer, use CLEAR SQL.

SET CLOSECURSOR
Purpose
Sets the cursor usage behavior.

Syntax
SET CLOSECUR[SOR] {OFF|ON}

Usage Notes
On or OFF sets whether or not the cursor will close and reopen after each SQL statement. This feature may be useful in some circumstances to release resources in the database server.

SET DOCUMENT
Purpose
Displays or suppresses blocks of documentation created by the DOCUMENT command.

Syntax
SET DOC[UMENT] {OFF|ON}

Usage Notes
SET DOCUMENT ON causes blocks of documentation to be echoed to the screen. Set DOCUMENT OFF suppresses the display of blocks of documentation. See DOCUMENT in this appendix for information on the DOCUMENT command.

F-4

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

SET SPACE

SET MAXDATA
Purpose
Sets the maximum total row width that SQL*Plus can process.

Syntax
SET MAXD[ATA] n

Usage Notes
In SQL*Plus, the maximum row width is unlimited. Any values you set using SET MAXDATA are ignored by SQL*Plus.

SET SCAN
Purpose
Controls scanning for the presence of substitution variables and parameters. OFF suppresses processing of substitution variables and parameters; ON allows normal processing.

Syntax
SET SCAN {OFF|ON}

Usage Notes
ON functions in the same manner as SET DEFINE ON.

SET SPACE
Purpose
Sets the number of spaces between columns in output. The maximum value of n is 10.

Syntax
SET SPACE {1|n}

SQL*Plus Commands from Earlier Releases

F-5

SET TRUNCATE

Usage Notes
The SET SPACE 0 and SET COLSEP " commands have the same effect. This command is obsoleted by SET COLSEP, but you can still use it for backward compatibility. You may prefer to use COLSEP because the SHOW command recognizes COLSEP and does not recognize SPACE.

SET TRUNCATE
Purpose
Controls whether SQL*Plus truncates or wraps a data item that is too long for the current line width.

Syntax
SET TRU[NCATE] {OFF|ON}

Usage Notes
ON functions in the same manner as SET WRAP OFF, and vice versa. You may prefer to use WRAP because the SHOW command recognizes WRAP and does not recognize TRUNCATE.

SHOW LABEL
Purpose
Shows the security level for the current session.

Syntax
SHO[W] LABEL

F-6

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

TTITLE (old form)

TTITLE (old form)

Purpose
Displays a title at the top of each report page.

Syntax
TTI[TLE] text

Usage Notes
The old form of TTITLE offers formatting features more limited than those of the new form, but provides compatibility with UFI (a predecessor of SQL*Plus). The old form defines the top title as a line with the date left-aligned and the page number right-aligned, followed by a line with centered text and then a blank line. The text you enter defines the title TTITLE will display. SQL*Plus centers text based on the size of a line as determined by SET LINESIZE. A separator character (|) begins a new line; two line separator characters in a row (||) insert a blank line. You can change the line separator character with SET HEADSEP. You can control the formatting of page numbers in the old forms of TTITLE and BTITLE by defining a variable named "_page". The default value of _page is the formatting string "page &P4". To alter the format, you can DEFINE _page with a new formatting string as follows:
SQL> SET ESCAPE / SQL> DEFINE _page = Page /&P2

This formatting string will print the word "page" with an initial capital letter and format the page number to a width of two. You can substitute any text for "page" and any number for the width. You must set escape so that SQL*Plus does not interpret the ampersand (&) as a substitution variable. See the ESCAPE variable of the SET command in Chapter 8 for more information on setting the escape character. SQL*Plus interprets TTITLE in the old form if a valid new-form clause does not immediately follow the command name. If you want to use CENTER with TTITLE and put more than one word on a line, you should use the new form of TTITLE. For more information see the TTITLE command in Chapter 8.

SQL*Plus Commands from Earlier Releases

F-7

TTITLE (old form)

Example
To use the old form of TTITLE to set a top title with a left-aligned date and right-aligned page number on one line followed by SALES DEPARTMENT on the next line and PERSONNEL REPORT on a third line, enter
SQL> TTITLE SALES DEPARTMENT|PERSONNEL REPORT

F-8

SQL*Plus Users Guide and Reference

Glossary
account An authorized user of an operating system or a product (such as Oracle database server or Oracle Forms). Depending on the operating system, may be referred to as ID, User ID, login, and so on. Accounts are often created and controlled by a system administrator. alias In SQL, a temporary name assigned to a table, view, column, or value within a SQL statement, used to refer to that item later in the same statement or in associated SQL*Plus commands. alignment The way in which data is positioned in a field. It may be positioned to the left, right, center, flush/left, flush/right, or flush/center of the defined width of a field. anonymous block A PL/SQL program unit that has no name and does not require the explicit presence of the BEGIN and END keywords to enclose the executable statements. archived redo log Recovery structure where online redo log files are archived before being reused. ARCHIVELOG Redo log mode where the filled online redo log files are archived before they are reused in the cycle. In ARCHIVELOG mode, the database can be completely recovered from both instance and disk failure. The database can also be backed up

while it is open and available for use. However, additional administrative operations are required to maintain the archived redo log. See also archived redo log. argument A data item following the command file name in a START command. The argument supplies a value for a parameter in the command file. array processing Processing performed on multiple rows of data rather than one row at a time. In some Oracle utilities such as SQL*Plus, Export/Import, and the precompilers, users can set the size of the array; increasing the array size often improves performance. ASCII A convention for using digital data to represent printable characters. ASCII is an acronym for American Standard Code for Information Interchange. autocommit A feature unique to SQL*Plus that enables SQL*Plus to automatically commit changes to the database after every successful execution of a SQL command or PL/SQL block. Setting the AUTOCOMMIT variable of the SET command to ON enables this feature. Setting the AUTOCOMMIT variable to n enables this feature after every n successful INSERT, UPDATE or DELETE commands or PL/SQL blocks. background process A non-interactive process that runs in an operating system environment and performs some service or action. Certain Oracle database server products use background processes for different tasks, such as performing and coordinating tasks on behalf of concurrent users of the database, processing and delivering electronic messages, and managing printing services. bind reference A reference to a parameter used to replace a single literal value (for example, a character string, number, or date) appearing anywhere in a PL/SQL construct or a SQL SELECT statement. For a bind reference, you must precede the parameter name with a colon (:). bind variable A variable in a SQL statement that must be replaced with a valid value, or the address of a value, in order for the statement to successfully execute.

Glossary-2

bit The smallest unit of data. A bit only has two possible values, 0 or 1. Bits can be combined into groups of eight called bytes; each byte represents a single character of data. See also byte. block In PL/SQL, a group of SQL and PL/SQL commands related to each other through procedural logic. body A report region that contains the bulk of the report (text, graphics, data, and computations). break An event, such as a change in the value of an expression, that occurs while SQL*Plus processes a query or report. You can direct SQL*Plus to perform various operations, such as printing subtotals, whenever specified breaks occur. break column A column in a report that causes a break when its value changes and for which the user has defined break operations. break group A group containing one or more break columns. break hierarchy The order in which SQL*Plus checks for the occurrence of breaks and triggers the corresponding break operations. break order Indicates the order in which to display a break columns data. Valid options are Ascending and Descending. break report A report that divides rows of a table into "sets", based on a common value in the break column.

Glossary-3

buffer An area where the users SQL statements or PL/SQL blocks are temporarily stored. The SQL buffer is the default buffer. You can edit or execute commands from multiple buffers; however, SQL*Plus does not require the use of multiple buffers. byte A group of eight sequential bits that represents a letter, number, or symbol (that is, a character). Treated as a unit of data by a computer. CHAR datatype An Oracle datatype provided for ANSI/ISO compatibility. A CHAR column is a fixed-length column and can contain any printable characters, such as A, 3, &, or blanks, and can have from 1 to 2000 characters or can be null. character A single location on a computer system capable of holding one alphabetic character or numeric digit. One or more characters are held in a field. One or more fields make up a record, and one or more records may be held in a file or database table. character string A group of sequential letters, numerals, or symbols, usually comprising a word or name, or portion thereof. clause A part of a SQL statement that does not constitute the full statement; for example, a "WHERE clause". client A user, software application, or computer that requests the services, data, or processing of another application or computer (the "server"). In a two-task environment, the client is the user process. In a network environment, the client is the local user process and the server may be local or remote. CLOB datatype A standard Oracle datatype. The CLOB datatype is used to store single-byte character large object data, and can store up to 4 gigabytes of character data.

Glossary-4

column A vertical space in a database table that represents a particular domain of data. A column has a column name and a specific datatype. For example, in a table of employee information, all of the employees dates of hire would constitute one column. A record group column represents a database column. column expression An expression in a SELECT statement that defines which database column(s) are retrieved. It may be a column name or a valid SQL expression referencing a column name. column heading A heading created for each column appearing in a report. command An instruction to or request of a program, application, operating system, or other software, to perform a particular task. Commands may be single words or may require additional phrases, variously called arguments, options, parameters, and qualifiers. Unlike statements, commands execute as soon as you enter them. ACCEPT, CLEAR, and COPY are examples of commands in SQL*Plus. command file A file containing a sequence of commands that you can otherwise enter interactively. The file is saved for convenience and re-execution. Command files are often called by operating-system specific names. In SQL*Plus, you can execute the command file with the START, @ or @@ commands. command line A line on a computer display on which typed in commands appear. An example of a command line is the area next to the DOS prompt on a personal computer. See also prompt. command prompt The text, by default SQL>, with which SQL*Plus requests your next command. comment A language construct for the inclusion of explanatory text in a program, the execution of which remains unaffected.

Glossary-5

commit To make permanent changes to data (inserts, updates, deletes) in the database. Before changes are committed, both the old and new data exist so that changes can be stored or the data can be restored to its prior state. computation Used to perform runtime calculations on data fetched from the database. These calculations are a superset of the kinds of calculations that can be done directly with a SELECT statement. See also formula column. computed column See computation. configuration In Net8, the set of instructions for preparing network communications, as outlined in the Net8 documentation. configuration files Files that are used to identify and characterize the components of a network. Configuration is largely a process of naming network components and identifying relationships among those components. connect To identify yourself to Oracle by entering your username and password in order to gain access to the database. In SQL*Plus, the CONNECT command allows you to log off Oracle and then log back on with a specified username. connect string The set of parameters, including a protocol, that Net8 uses to connect to a specific Oracle instance on the network. current line In an editor, such as the SQL*Plus editor, the line in the current buffer that editing commands will currently affect. database A set of operating system files, treated as a unit, in which an Oracle database server stores a set of data dictionary tables and user tables. A database requires three types of files: database files, redo log files, and control files.

Glossary-6

database administrator (DBA) (1) A person responsible for the operation and maintenance of an Oracle database server or a database application. The database administrator monitors its use in order to customize it to meet the needs of the local community of users. (2) An Oracle username that has been given DBA privileges and can perform database administration functions. Usually the two meanings coincide. There may be more than one DBA per site. database instance failure Failure that occurs when a problem arises that prevents an Oracle database instance (SGA and background processes) from continuing to work. Instance failure may result from a hardware problem such as power outage, or a software problem, such as operating system crash. When an instance failure occurs, the data in the buffers of the SGA is not written to the datafiles. database link An object stored in the local database that identifies a remote database, a communication path to the remote database, and optionally, a username and password for it. Once defined, a database link can be used to perform queries on tables in the remote database. Also called DBlink. In SQL*Plus, you can reference a database link in a DESCRIBE or COPY command. database object Something created and stored in a database. Tables, views, synonyms, indexes, sequences, clusters, and columns are all examples of database objects. database server The node or computer at which the ORACLE Server kernel runs. The database server holds the database, runs the ORACLE Server kernel, is not a MS-DOS PC or Macintosh (but could be an OS/2 PC), and runs a multitask operating system. database specification An alphanumeric code that identifies a database, used to specify the database in Net8 operations and to define a database link. In SQL*Plus, you can reference a database specification in a COPY, CONNECT, or SQLPLUS command. database string A string of Net8 parameters used to indicate the network prefix, the host system you want to connect to, and the system ID of the database on the host system.

Glossary-7

Data Control Language (DCL) The category of SQL statements that control access to the data and to the database. Examples are the GRANT and REVOKE statements. Occasionally DCL statements are grouped with DML statements. Data Definition Language (DDL) The category of SQL statements that define or delete database objects such as tables or views. Examples are the CREATE, ALTER, and DROP statements. data dictionary A comprehensive set of tables and views automatically created and updated by the Oracle database server, which contains administrative information about users, data storage, and privileges. It is installed when Oracle is initially installed and is a central source of information for the Oracle database server itself and for all users of Oracle. The tables are automatically maintained by Oracle. It is sometimes referred to as the catalog. Data Manipulation Language (DML) The category of SQL statements that query and update the database data. Common DML statements are SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE. Occasionally DCL statements are grouped with DML statements. data security The mechanisms that control the access and use of the database at the object level. For example, data security includes access to a specific schema object and the specific types of actions allowed for each user on the object (for example, user SCOTT can issue SELECT and INSERT statements but not DELETE statements using the EMP table). It also includes the actions, if any, that are audited for each schema object. datatype (1) A standard form of data. The Oracle datatypes are CHAR, NCHAR, VARCHAR2, NVARCHAR2, DATE, NUMBER, LONG, CLOB, NCLOB, RAW, and LONG RAW; however, the Oracle database server recognizes and converts other standard datatypes. (2) A named set of fixed attributes that can be associated with an item as a property. Data typing provides a way to define the behavior of data.

Glossary-8

DATE datatype A standard Oracle datatype used to store date and time data. Standard date format is DD-MMM-YY, as in 23-NOV-98. A DATE column may contain a date and time between January 1, 4712 BC to December 31, 4712 AD. DBA See database administrator (DBA). DCL See Data Control Language (DCL). DDL See Data Definition Language (DDL). default A clause or option value that SQL*Plus uses if you do not specify an alternative. default database See local database. directory On some operating systems, a named storage space for a group of files. It is actually one file that lists a set of files on a particular device. dismounted database A database that is not mounted by any instance, and thus cannot be opened and is not currently available for use. display format See format. display width The number of characters or spaces allowed to display the values for an output field. DML See Data Manipulation Language (DML).

Glossary-9

DUAL table A standard Oracle database table named DUAL, which contains exactly one row. The DUAL table is useful for applications that require a small "dummy" table (the data is irrelevant) to guarantee a known result, such as "true." editor A program that creates or modifies files. end user The person for whom a system is being developed; for example, an airline reservations clerk is an end user of an airline reservations system. See also SQL*Plus. error message A message from a computer program (for example, SQL*Plus) informing you of a potential problem preventing program or command execution. expression A formula, such as SALARY + COMMISSION, used to calculate a new value from existing values. An expression can be made up of column names, functions, operators, and constants. Formulas are found in commands or SQL statements. extension On some operating systems, the second part of the full file specification. Several standard file extensions are used to indicate the type or purpose of the file, as in file extensions of SQL, LOG, LIS, EXE, BAT, and DIR. Called file type on some operating systems. file A collection of data treated as a unit, such as a list, document, index, note, set of procedures, and so on. Generally used to refer to data stored on magnetic tapes or disks. See also filename, extension, and file type. filename The name component of a file specification. A filename is assigned by either the user or the system when the file itself is created. See also extension and file type. file type On some operating systems, the part of the filename that usually denotes the use or purpose of the file. See extension.

Glossary-10

format Columns contain information in one of four types; users can specify how they want a query to format information it retrieves from character, number, date, or long columns. For example, they can choose to have information of type date appear as 23/11/98, or Monday Twenty-third November 1998, or any other valid date format. format model A clause element that controls the appearance of a value in a report column. You specify predefined format models in the COLUMN, TTITLE, and BTITLE commands FORMAT clauses. You can also use format models for DATE columns in SQL date conversion functions, such as TO_DATE. form feed A control character that, when executed, causes the printer to skip to the top of a new sheet of paper (top of form). When SQL*Plus displays a form feed on most terminals, the form feed clears the screen. formula column Manually-created column that gets its data from a PL/SQL procedure, function, or expression, user exit, SQL statement, or any combination of these. function A PL/SQL subprogram that executes an operation and returns a value at the completion of the operation. A function can be either built-in or user-named. Contrast with procedure. heading In SQL*Plus, text that names an output column, appearing above the column. See also column heading. host computer The computer from which you run SQL*Plus. instance The background processes and memory area required to access an Oracle database. A database system requires one instance and one database. An Oracle database server consists of an SGA and a set of Oracle database server system processes. instance failure See database instance failure.

Glossary-11

instance recovery Recovery of an instance in the event of software or hardware failure, so that the database is again available to users. If the instance terminates abnormally, then the instance recovery automatically occurs at the next instance startup. Julian date An algorithm for expressing a date in integer form, using the SQL function JDATE. Julian dates allow additional arithmetic functions to be performed on dates. justification See alignment. label Defines the label to be printed for the computed value in the COMPUTE command. The maximum length of a COMPUTE label is 500 characters. LGWR See Log Writer (LGWR). local database The database that SQL*Plus connects to when you start SQL*Plus, ordinarily a database on your host computer. Also called a default database. See also remote database. log in (or log on) To perform a sequence of actions at a terminal that establishes a users communication with the operating system and sets up default characteristics for the users terminal session. log off (or log out) To terminate interactive communication with the operating system, and end a terminal session. Log Writer (LGWR) A background process used by an Oracle instance. LGWR writes redo log entries to disk. Redo log data is generated in the redo log buffer of the system global area. As transactions commit and the log buffer fills, LGWR writes redo log entries into an online redo log file.

Glossary-12

logon string A user-specified command line, used to run an application that is connected to either a local or remote database. The logon string either explicitly includes a connect string or implicitly uses a default connect string. LONG datatype One of the standard Oracle datatypes. A LONG column can contain any printable characters such as A, 3, &, or a blank, and can have any length from 0 to 2 gigabytes. mounted database A database associated with an Oracle instance. The database may be opened or closed. A database must be both mounted an opened to be accessed by users. A database that has been mounted but not opened can be accessed by DBAs for some maintenance purposes. multi-threaded server Allows many user processes to share a small number of server processes, minimizing the number of server processes and maximizing the utilization of available system resources. NCHAR datatype A standard Oracle datatype. The NCHAR datatype specifies a fixed-width national character set character string, and can have a maximum column size up to 2000 bytes. NCLOB datatype A standard Oracle datatype. The NCLOB datatype is used to store fixed-width national character set character (NCHAR) data, and can store up to 4 gigabytes of character text data. Net8 Oracle's remote data access software that enables both client-server and server-server communications across any network. Net8 supports distributed processing and distributed database capability. Net8 runs over and interconnects many communications protocols. Net8 is backward compatible with SQL*Net version 2.

Glossary-13

network A group of two or more computers linked together through hardware and software to allow the sharing of data and/or peripherals. null A value that means, "a value is not applicable" or "the value is unknown". Nulls are not equal to any specific value, even to each other. Comparisons with nulls are always false. NULL value The absence of a value. NUMBER datatype A standard Oracle datatype. A NUMBER column can contain a number, with or without a decimal point and a sign, and can have from 1 to 105 decimal digits (only 38 digits are significant). NVARCHAR2 datatype A standard Oracle datatype. The NVARCHAR2 datatype specifies a variable-length NCHAR string. NVARCHAR2 width specifications refer to the number of characters if the national character set is fixed-width, and to the number of bytes if the national character set is varying-width. The maximum column size allowed is 4000 bytes. object An object is an instance of an object type. In Oracle8, objects can be persistent (i.e. stored in the database) or transient (i.e. PL/SQL or Oracle Call Interface (OCI) variables). See also object type. object-relational model A database model that combines the key aspects of the relational and object data models into a single system. Oracle8 is an object-relational database system. object type A user-defined type that models a structure and behavior of an object. Equivalent to the concept of a class in different programming languages. In Oracle8, object types have public interfaces with attributes and methods. Object types are also known as abstract data types.

Glossary-14

online redo log (1) Redo log files that have not been archived, but are either available to the instance for recording database activity or are filled and waiting to be archived or reused. (2) A set of two or more online redo log files that record all committed changes made to the database. open database A database that has been mounted and opened by an instance and is available for access by users. If a database is open, users can access the information it contains. See also mounted database. operating system The system software that manages a computers resources, performing basic tasks such as allocating memory and allowing computer components to communicate. Oracle Forms A non-procedural tool for creating, maintaining, and running full-screen, interactive applications (called "forms") in order to see and change data in an Oracle database. A fourth-generation language for creating interactive screens for use in block-mode, character-mode or bit mapped environments. It has a define time and a runtime component. Oracle RDBMS The relational database management system (RDBMS) developed by Oracle Corporation. Components of the RDBMS include the kernel and various utilities for use by database administrators and database users. Oracle Server The relational database management system (RDBMS) sold by Oracle Corporation. Components of Oracle Server include the kernel and various utilities for use by DBAs and database users. output Results of a report after it is run. Output can be displayed on a screen, stored in a file, or printed on paper. output file File to which the computer transfers data.

Glossary-15

packages A method of encapsulating and storing related procedures, functions, and other package constructs together as a unit in the database. While packages provide the database administrator or application developer organizational benefits, they also offer increased functionality and database performance. page A screen of displayed data or a sheet of printed data in a report. parallel server Some hardware architectures (for example, loosely coupled processors) allow multiple computers to share access to data, software, or peripheral devices. With systems that have the parallel server option, Oracle can take advantage of such hardware platforms by running multiple database instances that share a single physical database. In appropriate applications, the Oracle Parallel Server allows access to a single database by the users on multiple machines with increased database performance. parameter A substitution variable consisting of an ampersand followed by a numeral (&1, &2, and so on.). You use parameters in a command file and pass values into them through the arguments of the START command. password A secondary identification word (or string of alphanumeric characters) associated with a username. A password is used for data security and known only to its owner. Passwords are entered in conjunction with an operating system login ID, Oracle username, or account name in order to connect to an operating system or software application (such as the Oracle database). Whereas the username or ID is public, the secret password ensures that only the owner of the username can use that name, or access that data. PL/SQL The Oracle procedural language extension of SQL. PL/SQL combines the ease and flexibility of SQL with the procedural functionality of a structured programming language, such as IF...THEN, WHILE, and LOOP. Even when PL/SQL is not stored in the database, applications can send blocks of PL/SQL to the database rather than individual SQL statements, thereby reducing network traffic.

Glossary-16

procedure A set of SQL and PL/SQL statements grouped together as an executable unit to perform a very specific task. Procedures and functions are nearly identical; the only difference between the two is that functions always return a single value to the caller, while procedures do not return a value to the caller. process (1) A thread of control in an operating system; that is, a mechanism in an operating system that can execute a series of steps. Some operating systems use the terms job or task. A process normally has its own private memory area in which it runs. prompt (1) A message from a computer program that instructs you to enter data or take some other action. (2) Word(s) used by the system as a cue to assist a users response. Such messages generally ask the user to respond by typing some information in the adjacent field. See also command line. query A SQL SELECT statement that retrieves data, in any combination, expression, or order. Queries are read-only operations; they do not change any data, they only retrieve data. Queries are often considered to be DML statements. query results The data retrieved by a query. RAW datatype A standard Oracle datatype, a RAW data column may contain data in any form, including binary. You can use RAW columns for storing binary (non-character) data. RDBMS (Relational Database Management System) An Oracle7 (and earlier) term. Refers to the software used to create and maintain the system, as well as the actual data stored in the database. See also Relational Database Management System (RDBMS), Server, Oracle Server and Oracle RDBMS. record A synonym for row; one row of data in a database table, having values for one or more columns.

Glossary-17

redo log A sequential log of all changes made to the data. The redo log is written and used in the event of a failure that prevents changes from being written to disk. The redo log consists of two or more redo log files. redo log file A file containing records of all changes made to the database. These files are used for recovery purposes. See also redo log. Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) An Oracle7 (and earlier) term. A computer program designed to store and retrieve shared data. In a relational system, data is stored in tables consisting of one or more rows, each containing the same set of columns. Oracle is a relational database management system. Other types of database systems are called hierarchical or network database systems. remark In SQL*Plus, a comment you can insert into a command file with the REMARK command. remote computer A computer on a network other than the local computer. remote database A database other than your default database, which may reside on a remote computer; in particular, one that you reference in the CONNECT, COPY, and SQLPLUS commands. report (1) The results of a query. (2) Any output, but especially output that has been formatted for quick reading, in particular, output from SQL*Plus. reserved word (1) A word that has a special meaning in a particular software or operating system. (2) In SQL, a set of words reserved for use in SQL statements; you cannot use a reserved word as the name of a database object. roles Named groups of related privileges that are granted to users or other roles.

Glossary-18

rollback To discard pending changes made to the data in the current transaction using the SQL ROLLBACK command. You can roll back a portion of a transaction by identifying a savepoint. row (1) Synonym for record; one row of data in a database table, having values for one or more columns. Also called tuple. (2) One set of field values in the output of a query. See also column. schema A collection of logical structures of data, or schema objects. A schema is owned by a database user and has the same name as that user. security level The combination of a hierarchical classification and a set of non-hierarchical compartments that represent the sensitivity of information. select To fetch rows from one or more database tables using a query (the SQL statement SELECT). SELECT list The list of items that follow the keyword SELECT in a query. These items may include column names, SQL functions, constants, pseudo-columns, calculations on columns, and aliases. The number of columns in the result of the query will match the number of items in the SELECT list. SELECT statement A SQL statement that specifies which rows and columns to fetch from one or more tables or views. See also SQL statement. Server Oracle software that handles the functions required for concurrent, shared data access to an Oracle database. The server portion receives and processes SQL and PL/SQL statements originating from client applications. The computer that manages the server portion must be optimized for its duties.

Glossary-19

session The time after a username connects to an Oracle database and before disconnecting, and the events that happen in that time. SET command variable See system variable. SGA See also System Global Area (SGA). spooling Sending or saving output to a disk storage area. Often used in order to print or transfer files. The SQL*Plus SPOOL command controls spooling. SQL (Structured Query Language) The internationally accepted standard for relational systems, covering not only query but also data definition, manipulation, security and some aspects of referential integrity. See also Data Manipulation Language (DML), Data Definition Language (DDL), and Data Control Language (DCL). SQL buffer The default buffer containing your most recently entered SQL command or PL/SQL block. SQL*Plus commands are not stored in the SQL buffer. SQL command See SQL statement. SQL script A file containing SQL statements that you can run in SQL*Plus to perform database administration quickly and easily. SQL statement A complete command or statement written in the SQL language. Synonymous with statement (SQL). SQL*Loader An Oracle tool used to load data from operating system files into Oracle database tables.

Glossary-20

SQL*Net Net8's precursor. An Oracle product that works with the Oracle Server and enables two or more computers that run the Oracle RDBMS or Oracle tools such as SQL*Forms to exchange data through a network. SQL*Net supports distributed processing and distributed database capability. SQL*Net runs over and interconnects many communications protocols. SQL*Plus An interactive SQL-based language for data manipulation, data definition and the definition of access rights for an Oracle database. Often used as an end-user reporting tool. statement (SQL) A SQL statement, and analogous to a complete sentence, as opposed to a phrase. Portions of SQL statements or commands are called expressions, predicates, or clauses. See also SQL statement. string Any sequence of words or characters on a line. substitution variable In SQL*Plus, a variable name or numeral preceded by one or two ampersands (&). Substitution variables are used in a command file to represent values to be provided when the command file is run. subtotal In a report, a total of values in a number column, taken over a group of rows that have the same value in a break field. See also summary. summary Summaries, or summary columns, are used to compute subtotals, grand totals, running totals, and other summarizations of the data in a report. summary line A line in a report containing totals, averages, maximums, or other computed values. You create summary lines through the BREAK and COMPUTE commands. syntax The orderly system by which commands, qualifiers, and parameters are combined to form valid command strings.

Glossary-21

SYS username See also SYSTEM username. SYSDBA Privilege that contains all system privileges with the ADMIN OPTION and the SYSOPER system privilege. See also SYSOPER. SYSOPER Privilege that allows a DBA to perform operations such as STARTUP, SHUTDOWN, ARCHIVE LOG and RECOVER. See also SYSDBA. system administrator A person responsible for operation and maintenance of the operating system of a computer. system editor The text editor provided by the operating system. System Global Area (SGA) A shared storage area that contains information required by user processes and background processes, such as data and control information for one Oracle instance. The SGA is allocated when an Oracle instance is started, and is deallocated when the instance shuts down. SYSTEM username One of two standard DBA usernames automatically created with each database (the other is SYS). The Oracle user SYSTEM is created with the password MANAGER. The SYSTEM username is the preferred username for DBAs to use when performing database maintenance. system variable A variable that indicates status or environment, which is given a default value by Oracle or SQL*Plus. Examples are LINESIZE and PAGESIZE. Use the SQL*Plus commands SHOW and SET to see and alter system variables. table The basic unit of storage in a relational database management system. A table represents entities and relationships, and consists of one or more units of information (rows), each of which contains the same kinds of values (columns).

Glossary-22

Each column is given a column name, a datatype (such as CHAR, NCHAR, VARCHAR2, NVARCHAR2, DATE, or NUMBER), and a width (the width may be predetermined by the datatype, as in DATE). Once a table is created, valid rows of data can be inserted into it. Table information can then be queried, deleted, or updated. To enforce defined business rules on a tables data, integrity constraints and triggers can also be defined for a table. table alias A temporary substitute name for a table, defined in a query and only good during that query. If used, an alias is set in the FROM clause of a SELECT statement and may appear in the SELECT list. See also alias. text editor A program run under your host computers operating system that you use to create and edit host system files and SQL*Plus command files containing SQL commands, SQL*Plus commands, and/or PL/SQL blocks. timer An internal storage area created by the TIMING command. title One or more lines that appears at the top or bottom of each report page. You establish and format titles through the TTITLE and BTITLE commands. transaction A logical unit of work that comprises one or more SQL statements executed by a single user. According to the ANSI/ISO SQL standard, with which Oracle is compatible, a transaction begins with the users first executable SQL statement. A transaction ends when it is explicitly committed or rolled back by the user. truncate To discard or lose one or more characters from the beginning or end of a value, whether intentionally or unintentionally. type A column contains information in one of four types: character, date, number or long. The operations users can perform on the contents of a column depend on the type of information it contains. See also format.

Glossary-23

USERID A command line argument that allows you to specify your Oracle username and password with an optional Net8 address. username The name by which a user is known to the Oracle database server and to other users. Every username is associated with a private password, and both must be entered to connect to an Oracle database. See also account. user variable A variable defined and set by you explicitly with the DEFINE command or implicitly with an argument to the START command. VARCHAR An Oracle Corporation datatype. Specifically, this datatype functions identically to the Oracle VARCHAR2 datatype (see definition below). However, Oracle Corporation recommends that you use VARCHAR2 instead of VARCHAR because Oracle Corporation may change the functionality of VARCHAR in the future. VARCHAR2 An Oracle Corporation datatype. Specifically, it is a variable-length, alpha-numeric string with a maximum length of 4000 characters. If data entered for a column of type VARCHAR2 is less than 4000 no spaces will be padded; the data is stored with a length as entered. If data entered is more than 4000, an error occurs. variable A named object that holds a single value. SQL*Plus uses bind substitution, system, and user variables. width The width of a column, parameter, or layout object. Width is measured in characters; a space is a character. wrapping A reporting or output feature in which a portion of text is moved to a new line when the entire text does not fit on one line.

Glossary-24

Index
-- (comment delimiter), 3-12 - (hyphen) continuing a long SQL*Plus command, 2-12, 8-1 - (hyphen) clause, 7-3 . (period), 2-10 / (slash) command, 8-10 entered at buffer line-number prompt, 2-8, 8-10 entered at command prompt, 2-10, 8-10 executing current PL/SQL block, 2-11 executing current SQL command, 2-10 similar to RUN, 2-10, 8-10, 8-97 / (slash), default logon, 7-3, 8-49 # Pound sign, 8-36 $ number format, 4-5 & (ampersand) substitution variables, 3-20 * (asterisk) in DEL command, 3-2, 8-56 in LIST command, 3-2, 8-77 /*...*/ (comment delimiters), 3-12 : (colon) bind variables, 3-30 :BindVariable clause EXIT command, 8-69 ; (semicolon), 2-7 -? clause, 7-3 @ ("at" sign) in CONNECT command, 6-3, 8-49 in COPY command, 6-5, 8-51 in SQLPLUS command, 3-15, 6-3, 7-2 @ ("at" sign) command, 3-14, 3-18, 8-6 arguments, 8-6 command file, 3-15, 8-6 passing parameters to a command file, 8-6 similar to START, 3-15, 8-7, 8-131 @@ (double "at" sign) command, 3-18, 8-8 command file, 8-8 similar to START, 8-8, 8-131 [Backspace] key, 2-2 [Cancel] key, 2-2, 2-15 [Interrupt] key, 2-3 [Pause] key, 2-2, 2-17 [Resume] key, 2-2 [Return] key, 2-2 _EDITOR, in EDIT command, 3-7, 8-66 ~ Infinity sign, 8-36 -~ Negative infinity sign, 8-36 0, number format, 4-5 9, number format, 4-5

A
ABORT mode, 8-127 ACCEPT command, 3-27, 8-11 and DEFINE command, 8-54 CHAR clause, 8-11 customizing prompts for value, 3-28 DATE clause, 8-11 DEFAULT clause, 8-12 FORMAT clause, 8-11 HIDE clause, 8-12 NOPROMPT clause, 8-12 NUMBER clause, 3-29 PROMPT clause, 3-28, 8-12 Access, denying and granting, E-2 ALIAS clause, 8-33 in ATTRIBUTE command, 8-19 ALL clause, 8-123

Index-1

ALTER command disabling, E-6 Ampersands (&) in parameters, 3-25, 8-6, 8-130 substitution variables, 3-20 ANALYZE command disabling, E-6 APPEND clause in COPY command, 6-7, 8-52 in SAVE command, 3-16, 8-98 APPEND command, 3-2, 3-6, 8-13 APPINFO variable, 8-101 ARCH background process, 8-16 ARCHIVE LOG command, 5-4, 8-15 ARCHIVE LOG mode, 5-4 Arguments, in START command, 3-25, 8-130 ARRAYSIZE variable, 8-102 relationship to COPY command, 6-8, 8-53 Attribute display characteristics, 8-19 ATTRIBUTE command, 8-19 ALIAS clause, 8-19 and CLEAR COLUMN command, 8-20 CLEAR clause, 8-20 clearing columns, 8-30, 8-33 controlling an attributes display charcteristics, 8-20 entering multiple, 8-20 FORMAT clause, 8-20 LIKE clause, 8-20 listing all attributes display characteristics, 8-19 listing an attributes display characteristics, 8-19 OFF clause, 8-20 ON clause, 8-20 restoring column display attributes, 8-20 suppressing column display attributes, 8-20 AUDIT command disabling, E-6 AUTOCOMMIT variable, 2-14, 8-102 AUTOMATIC clause, 8-85 AUTOPRINT variable, 8-103 AUTORECOVERY variable, 8-103 AUTOTRACE variable, 3-35 AVG function, 4-17

B
Background processes startup after abnormal termination, 8-127 Batch mode, 3-17, 8-70 BEGIN command, 2-10 disabling, E-6 Bind variables, 3-30 creating, 8-144 displaying, 8-82 displaying automatically, 8-103, 8-145 in PL/SQL blocks, 8-145 in SQL statements, 8-145 in the COPY command, 8-145 REFCURSOR, 3-32 Blank line in PL/SQL blocks, 2-10 in SQL commands, 2-8 Blank lines preserving in SQL commands, 8-111 Blocks, PL/SQL, 1-2 continuing, 2-10 editing in buffer, 3-2 editing with host system editor, 3-7, 8-66 entering and executing, 2-10 listing current in buffer, 3-3 run from SQL buffer, 2-10 saving current, 3-8, 8-98 setting character used to end, 8-104 stored in SQL buffer, 2-10 storing in command files, 3-8 timing statistics, 8-113 within SQL commands, 2-9 BLOCKTERMINATOR variable, 8-104 BOLD clause, 8-94, 8-140 Break columns, 4-11, 8-21 inserting space when value changes, 4-13 specifying multiple, 4-14 suppressing duplicate values in, 4-12 BREAK command, 4-11, 8-21 and SQL ORDER BY clause, 4-11, 4-12, 4-14, 8-22 clearing BREAKS, 4-16 displaying column values in titles, 4-30 DUPLICATES clause, 8-24

Index-2

inserting space after every row, 4-14 inserting space when break column changes, 4-13 listing current break definition, 4-16, 8-24 ON column clause, 4-12, 8-21 ON expr clause, 8-23 ON REPORT clause, 4-20, 8-23 ON ROW clause, 4-14, 8-23 printing "grand" and "sub" summaries, 4-21 printing summary lines at ends of reports, 4-20 removing definition, 8-30 SKIP clause, 4-14, 8-23 SKIP PAGE clause, 4-13, 4-14, 8-24 specifying multiple break columns, 4-14, 8-22 storing current date in variable for titles, 4-32 suppressing duplicate values, 4-12 used in conjunction with COMPUTE, 4-16, 8-21, 8-22, 8-23, 8-45 used in conjunction with SET COLSEP, 8-105 used to format a REFCURSOR variable, 8-146 Break definition listing current, 4-16, 8-24 removing current, 4-16, 8-30 BREAKS clause, 4-16, 8-30 BTITLE clause, 8-124 BTITLE command, 4-23, 8-26 aligning title elements, 8-140 BOLD clause, 8-140 CENTER clause, 8-140 COL clause, 8-140 FORMAT clause, 8-141 indenting titles, 8-140 LEFT clause, 8-140 most often used clauses, 4-23 OFF clause, 8-140 old form, F-2 printing blank lines before bottom title, 4-27 referencing column value variable, 8-38 RIGHT clause, 8-140 SKIP clause, 8-140 suppressing current definition, 8-140 TAB clause, 8-140 TTITLE command, 8-26 Buffer, 2-10 appending text to a line in, 3-6, 8-13

delete a single line, 3-2 delete the current line, 3-2 delete the last line, 3-2 deleting a range of lines, 3-2, 8-56 deleting a single line, 8-56 deleting all lines, 3-2, 8-30, 8-56 deleting lines from, 3-7, 8-56 deleting the current line, 8-56 deleting the last line, 8-56 executing contents, 2-10, 8-10, 8-97 inserting new line in, 3-5, 8-75 listing a range of lines, 3-3, 8-77 listing a single line, 3-2, 8-77 listing all lines, 3-2, 8-77 listing contents, 3-3, 8-77 listing the current line, 3-2, 8-77 listing the last line, 3-3, 8-77 loading contents into host system editor, 8-66 saving contents, 3-8, 8-98 BUFFER clause, 3-2, 3-9, 8-30 BUFFER variable, F-3

3-7,

C
CANCEL clause, 8-87 CENTER clause, 4-24, 4-26, 8-94, 8-140 CHANGE command, 3-2, 3-4, 8-27 CHAR clause, 8-11 VARIABLE command, 8-144 CHAR columns changing format, 4-7, 8-34 default format, 4-6, 8-34 CLEAR clause, 4-9, 8-33 in ATTRIBUTE command, 8-20 CLEAR command, 8-30 BREAKS clause, 4-16, 8-30 BUFFER clause, 3-2, 3-9, 8-30 COLUMNS clause, 4-9, 8-30 COMPUTES clause, 4-22, 8-30 SCREEN clause, 3-30, 8-30 SQL clause, 8-31 TIMING clause, 8-31 CLOB clause VARIABLE command, 8-145

Index-3

CLOB columns changing format, 4-7, 8-34 default format, 8-34 setting maximum width, 8-109 setting retrieval position, 8-109 setting retrieval size, 8-109 CMDSEP variable, 8-104 COL clause, 4-24, 4-27, 8-94, 8-140 Colons (:) bind variables, 3-30 COLSEP variable, 8-104 COLUMN command, 4-2, 8-32 ALIAS clause, 8-33 and BREAK command, 8-23 and DEFINE command, 8-54 CLEAR clause, 4-9, 8-33 DEFAULT clause, F-2 displaying column values in bottom titles, 4-31, 8-38 displaying column values in top titles, 4-30, 8-37 entering multiple, 8-39 FOLD_AFTER clause, 8-33 FOLD_BEFORE clause, 8-33 FORMAT clause, 4-5, 4-7, 8-34 formatting columns, 4-7 formatting NUMBER columns, 4-5, 8-34 HEADING clause, 4-2, 8-36 HEADSEP character, 8-36 JUSTIFY clause, 8-37 LIKE clause, 4-8, 8-37 listing a columns display attributes, 4-9, 8-32 listing all columns display attributes, 8-32 listing all columnsdisplayattributes', 4-9 NEW_VALUE clause, 4-30, 4-32, 8-37 NEWLINE clause, 8-37 NOPRINT clause, 4-30, 8-38 NULL clause, 8-38 OFF clause, 4-10, 8-38 OLD_VALUE clause, 4-31, 8-38 ON clause, 4-10, 8-38 PRINT clause, 8-38 resetting a column to default display, 4-9, 8-33 restoring column display attributes, 4-10, 8-38

storing current date in variable for titles, 4-32, 8-40 suppressing column display attributes, 4-10, 8-38 TRUNCATED clause, 4-8, 8-38 used to format a REFCURSOR variable, 8-146 WORD_WRAPPED clause, 4-8, 4-10, 8-38 WRAPPED clause, 4-8, 8-38 Column headings aligning, 8-37 changing, 4-2, 8-36 changing character used to underline, 4-3, 8-113 changing to two or more words, 4-3, 8-36 displaying on more than one line, 4-3, 8-36 suppressing printing in a report, 8-107 when truncated, 8-34 when truncated for CHAR and LONG columns, 4-7 when truncated for DATE columns, 4-7 when truncated for NUMBER columns, 4-4 Column separator, 8-104 Columns assigning aliases, 8-33 computing summary lines, 4-16, 8-43 copying display attributes, 4-8, 8-20, 8-37 copying values between tables, 6-4, 6-9, 8-51 displaying values in bottom titles, 4-31, 8-38 displaying values in top titles, 4-30, 8-37 formatting CHAR, VARCHAR, LONG, and DATE, 8-34 formatting in reports, 4-2, 8-32 formatting MLSLABEL, RAW MLSLABEL, ROWLABEL, 8-34 formatting NUMBER, 4-5, 8-34 listing display attributes for all, 4-9, 8-32 listing display attributes for one, 4-9, 8-32 names in destination table when copying, 6-5, 8-51 printing line after values that overflow, 4-10, 8-110 resetting a column to default display, 4-9, 8-33 resetting all columns to default display, 4-9, 8-30 restoring display attributes, 4-10, 8-20, 8-38 setting printing to off or on, 4-30, 8-38

Index-4

starting new lines, 8-37 storing values in variables, 4-30, 8-37 suppressing display attributes, 4-10, 8-20, 8-38 truncating display for all when value overflows, 4-8, 8-114 truncating display for one when value overflows, 4-8, 8-38 wrapping display for all when value overflows, 4-8, 8-114 wrapping display for one when value overflows, 4-8, 8-38 wrapping whole words for one, 4-10 COLUMNS clause, 4-9, 8-30 Comma, number format, 4-5 Command file extension, 8-98, 8-112, 8-136 Command files, 3-8 aborting and exiting with a return code, 3-17, 8-151, 8-153 allowing end-user input, 3-19 creating with a system editor, 3-11 creating with INPUT and SAVE, 3-9 creating with SAVE, 3-8, 8-98 editing with GET and SAVE, 3-16 editing with host system editor, 3-16, 8-66 in @ ("at" sign) command, 3-14, 8-6 in @@ (double "at" sign) command, 8-8 in EDIT command, 3-16, 8-66 in GET command, 3-13, 8-71 in SAVE command, 3-8, 3-10, 8-98 in SQLPLUS command, 3-15, 7-2 in START command, 3-14, 8-130 including comments in, 3-11, 8-90 including more than one PL/SQL block, 3-10, 3-11 including more than one SQL command, 3-10, 3-11 listing names with HOST command, 3-9 nesting, 3-15 passing parameters to, 3-25, 8-6, 8-130 registering, 8-101 retrieving, 3-13, 8-71 running, 3-14, 8-6, 8-130 running a series in sequence, 3-15 running as you start SQL*Plus, 3-15, 7-2 running in batch mode, 3-17, 8-70

running nested, 8-8 saving contents of buffer in, 3-8, 8-98 Command prompt host operating system, 2-3 SQL*Plus, 2-4 Commands, 1-2 case, 2-5 collecting timing statistics on, 2-16, 8-137 disabling, E-4 host operating system, running from SQL*Plus, 2-16, 8-74 listing current in buffer, 8-77 re-enabling, E-5 spaces, 2-5 SQL continuing on additional lines, 2-7 editing in buffer, 3-2 editing with host system editor, 3-7, 8-66 ending, 2-8 entering and executing, 2-6 entering without executing, 2-8 executing current, 2-10, 8-10, 8-97 following syntax, 2-7 list of major, D-1 listing current in buffer, 3-3 saving current, 3-8, 8-98 setting character used to end and run, 8-112 SQL*Plus abbreviations, 2-11 command summary, 8-2 continuing on additional lines, 2-12, 8-1 editing at command prompt, 3-2 ending, 2-13, 8-1 entering and executing, 2-11 entering during SQL command entry, 8-112 stopping while running, 2-15 storing in command files, 3-8 syntax conventions, 1-4 tabs, 2-5 types of, 2-5 variables that affect running, 2-13 writing interactive, 3-19 Comments including in command files, 3-11, 8-90 using -- to create, 3-12

Index-5

using /*...*/ to create, 3-12 using REMARK to create, 3-11, 8-90 COMMIT clause, 8-69 WHENEVER OSERROR, 8-150 WHENEVER SQLERROR, 8-152 COMMIT command, 2-14 COMPATIBILITY clause in LOGIN.SQL, 3-17 COMPATIBILITY variable, 8-105 COMPUTE command, 4-11, 8-43 AVG function, 4-17 computing a summary on different columns, 4-21 COUNT function, 4-17 LABEL clause, 4-17, 4-20, 8-44 listing all definitions, 4-22, 8-45 MAXIMUM function, 4-17 maximum LABEL length, 8-44 MINIMUM function, 4-17 NUMBER function, 4-17 OF clause, 4-16 ON column clause, 4-16, 8-44 ON expr clause, 8-44 ON REPORT clause, 4-20, 8-44 ON ROW clause, 8-44 printing "grand" and "sub" summaries, 4-21 printing multiple summaries on same column, 4-21 printing summary lines at ends of reports, 4-20 printing summary lines on a break, 4-16 referencing a SELECT expression in OF, 8-44 referencing a SELECT expression in ON, 8-45 removing definitions, 4-23, 8-30 STD function, 4-17 SUM function, 4-17 used to format a REFCURSOR variable, 8-146 VARIANCE function, 4-17 COMPUTES clause, 4-22, 8-30 CONCAT variable, 3-25, 8-105 Concurrency instances, multiple, 8-133 CONNECT command changing password, 8-79 SYSDBA clause, 8-50

CONNECT command (SQL) disabling, E-6 CONNECT command (SQL*Plus), 6-2, 6-3, 8-49 and @ ("at" sign), 6-3, 8-49 changing password, 8-49, 8-50 service name, 6-3 username/password, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4, 8-49 CONTINUE clause WHENEVER OSERROR, 8-150 WHENEVER SQLERROR, 8-152 Continuing a long SQL*Plus command, 2-12, 8-1 Conventions, command syntax, 1-4 COPY command, 6-4, 8-51 and @ ("at" sign), 6-5, 8-51 and ARRAYSIZE variable, 6-8, 8-53 and COPYCOMMIT variable, 6-8, 8-53 and LONG variable, 6-8, 8-53 APPEND clause, 6-7, 8-52 copying data between databases, 6-4 copying data between tables on one database, 6-9 CREATE clause, 6-7, 8-52 creating a table, 6-6, 6-7, 8-52 destination table, 6-5, 8-51 determining actions, 6-5 determining source rows and columns, 6-6, 8-52 disabling, E-5 FROM clause, 6-5, 8-52 INSERT clause, 6-7, 8-52 inserting data in a table, 6-7, 8-52 interpreting messages, 6-8 mandatory net service name, 8-51 naming the source table with SELECT, 6-6, 8-52 query, 6-6, 8-52 referring to another users table, 6-8 REPLACE clause, 6-6, 8-52 replacing data in a table, 6-6, 8-52 sample command, 6-5, 6-6 service name, 6-5, 6-7, 6-9 specifying column names for destination, 8-51 specifying the data to copy, 6-6, 8-52 TO clause, 6-5, 8-52 username/password, 6-5, 6-7, 6-9, 8-51, 8-52 USING clause, 6-6, 8-52 when a commit is performed, 8-53

Index-6

Copy command specifying column names for destination, 6-5 COPYCOMMIT variable, 8-105 relationship to COPY command, 6-8, 8-53 COPYTYPECHECK variable, 8-105 COUNT function, 4-17 CREATE clause in COPY command, 6-7, 8-52 CREATE command disabling, E-6 entering PL/SQL, 2-9 Creating flat files, 4-36 Creating the PRODUCT_USER_PROFILE table, E-2 Cursor Variables, 8-145

D
Database mounting, 8-132 opening, 8-132 Database administrator, 1-7, 5-2 Database changes, saving automatically, 2-14, 8-102 DATABASE clause, 8-86 Database files recovering, 8-85 Database name at startup, 8-132 Databases and RECOVERY command, 8-85 connecting to default, 6-2, 8-49 connecting to remote, 6-3, 8-49 copying data between, 6-4, 8-51 copying data between tables on a single, 6-9 disconnecting without leaving SQL*Plus, 6-2, 8-65 mounting, 5-3 opening, 5-3 recovering, 5-5, 8-85 shutting down, 5-2, 5-3 starting, 5-2 DATAFILE clause, 8-87 DATE clause, 8-11

DATE columns changing format, 4-7, 8-34, 8-41 default format, 4-6 Date, storing current in variable for titles, 4-32, 8-37, 8-40 DB2, 8-105 DBA mode, 8-132 DBA privilege, 8-132 DBMS_APPLICATION_INFO package, 8-101 DECLARE command disabling, E-6 DECLARE command (PL/SQL), 2-10 DEFAULT clause, 8-12, F-2 DEFINE command, 3-19, 8-54 and host system editor, 3-7, 8-55 CHAR values, 8-54 substitution variables, 3-23, 8-54 DEFINE variable, 3-25, 8-105 DEL command, 3-2, 3-7, 8-56 using an asterisk, 3-2, 8-56 DELETE command disabling, E-6 DEMOBLD, 1-8 DEMODROP, 1-8 DEPT table, 1-6 DESCRIBE command (SQL*Plus), 2-16, 8-58 net service name, 8-58 PL/SQL properties listed by, 8-59 table properties listed by, 8-58 DISABLED keyword, disabling commands, E-4 Disabling PL/SQL commands, E-6 SQL commands, E-4 SQL*Plus commands, E-4 DISCONNECT command, 6-2, 8-65 DOCUMENT command, F-2 REMARK as newer version of, F-3 DOCUMENT variable, F-4 DROP command disabling, E-6 DUPLICATES clause, 8-24

Index-7

E
ECHO variable, 3-14, 8-106 EDIT command, 3-7, 8-66 creating command files with, 3-11 defining _EDITOR, 3-7, 8-66 disabling, E-5 modifying command files, 3-16, 8-66 setting default file name, 8-106 EDITFILE variable, 8-106 EMBEDDED variable, 8-106 EMP table, 1-6 Empty line, displaying, 8-81 Enhancement list, Release 8.1, B-2 Error messages, interpreting, 2-18 Errors, making line containing current, 3-4 Escape characters, definition of, 8-106 ESCAPE variable, 3-25, 8-106 EXCLUSIVE clause, 8-133 EXECUTE command, 8-68 disabling, E-5 Executing a CREATE command, 2-9 Execution statistics including in report, 8-103 EXIT clause WHENEVER OSERROR, 8-150 WHENEVER SQLERROR, 8-152 EXIT command, 2-4, 8-69 :BindVariable clause, 8-69 COMMIT clause, 8-69 disabling, E-5 FAILURE clause, 8-69 in a command file, 8-131 ROLLBACK clause, 8-69 WARNING clause, 8-69 Exit, conditional, 8-150, 8-152 Extension, 8-98, 8-112, 8-136

File names in @ ("at" sign) command, 8-6 in @@ (double "at" sign) command, 8-8 in EDIT command, 8-66 in GET command, 8-71 in SAVE command, 3-8, 8-98 in SPOOL command, 4-35, 8-129 in SQLPLUS command, 7-2 in START command, 8-130 Files command files, 3-8 flat, 4-36 FLAGGER variable, 8-107 Flat file, 4-36 FLUSH variable, 8-107 FOLD_AFTER clause, 8-33 FOLD_BEFORE clause, 8-33 Footers aligning elements, 8-94 displaying at bottom of page, 8-91 displaying system-maintained values, 8-93 formatting elements, 8-94 indenting, 8-94 listing current definition, 8-91 setting at the end of reports, 4-23 suppressing definition, 8-94 FORCE clause, 8-132 FORMAT clause, 8-11 in ATTRIBUTE command, 8-20 in COLUMN command, 4-5, 4-7, 8-34 in REPHEADER and REPFOOTER commands, 8-94 in TTITLE and BTITLE commands, 4-29, 8-141 Format models, number, 4-5, 8-36 Formfeed, to begin a new page, 4-33, 8-109 FROM clause, 8-86 FROM clause (SQL*Plus), 6-5, 8-52

F
FAILURE clause, 8-69 FEEDBACK variable, 8-107 File extension, 8-98, 8-112, 8-136 File extensions, 3-18

G
GET command, 3-13, 8-71 disabling, E-5 LIST clause, 8-71 modifying command files, NOLIST clause, 8-71

3-16

Index-8

retrieving command files, 3-13, 8-71 GLOGIN.SQL, 3-17, 3-36, 3-40, 7-3 GRANT command, E-2 disabling, E-6

H
Headers aligning elements, 4-26 displaying at top of page, 8-93 displaying system-maintained values, 8-93 setting at the start of reports, 4-23 suppressing, 4-25 HEADING clause, 4-2, 8-36 HEADING variable, 8-107 Headings aligning elements, 8-94 column headings, 8-107 formatting elements, 8-94 indenting, 8-94 listing current definition, 8-95 suppressing definition, 8-94 HEADSEP variable, 8-108 use in COLUMN command, 4-3, 8-37 Help command, 8-73 Help, online, 2-6, 7-5, 8-73 HIDE clause, 8-12 HOST command, 2-16, 8-74 disabling, E-5 listing command file names with, 3-9 Host operating system command prompt, 2-3 editor, 3-7, 8-66 file, loading into buffer, 8-71 running commands from SQL*Plus, 2-16, 8-74 Hyphen continuing a long SQL*Plus command, 2-12, 8-1

INIT.ORA file Parameter file, 8-132 Input accepting [Return], 3-30, 8-81 accepting values from the user, 3-27, 8-11 INPUT command, 3-2, 3-5, 8-75 entering several lines, 8-75 using with SAVE to create command files, 3-9 INSERT clause, 6-7, 8-52 INSERT command disabling, E-6 INSTANCE variable, 8-108 Instances multiple, sharing a database, 8-133 shutting down, 8-127 starting, 8-132

J
JDeveloper Suite, 1-3 JUSTIFY clause, 8-37

K
Keyboard, significance of keys on, Keys [Backspace] key, 2-2 [Cancel] key, 2-2 [Interrupt] key, 2-3 [Pause] key, 2-2 [Resume] key, 2-2 [Return] key, 2-2 2-2

L
Labels in COMPUTE command, 4-17, 8-44 LEFT clause, 4-24, 4-26, 8-94, 8-140 LIKE clause, 4-8, 8-20, 8-37 Limits, SQL*Plus, C-1 Line numbers, for SQL commands, 2-6 Lines adding at beginning of buffer, 8-75 adding at end of buffer, 8-75 adding new after current, 3-5, 8-75

I
IMMEDIATE mode, 8-127 Infinity sign (~), 8-36 Initialization parameters displaying, 8-124

Index-9

appending text to, 3-6, 8-13 changing width, 4-33, 8-108 deleting all in buffer, 8-56 deleting from buffer, 3-7, 8-56 determining which is current, 3-4 editing current, 3-4 listing all in buffer, 3-2, 8-77 removing blanks at end, 8-113 LINESIZE variable, 4-26, 4-33, 8-108 LIST clause, 8-15, 8-71 LIST command, 3-2, 8-77 determining current line, 3-4, 8-77 making last line current, 3-4, 8-77 using an asterisk, 3-2, 8-77 LNO clause, 8-124 LOBOFFSET variable, 8-109 LOCK TABLE command disabling, E-6 LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST parameter, 8-15 LOGFILE clause, 8-87 Logging off conditionally, 8-150, 8-152 Oracle, 6-2, 8-65 SQL*Plus, 2-4, 8-69 Logging on Oracle, 6-2, 6-3, 8-49 SQL*Plus, 2-4, 7-2 LOGIN.SQL, 3-17, 7-4 including SET commands, 3-17 sample commands to include, 3-17 storing current date in variable for titles, 4-32 LONG columns changing format, 4-7, 8-34 default format, 8-34 setting maximum width, 8-109 setting retrieval size, 8-109 LONG variable, 8-109 effect on COPY command, 6-8, 8-53 LONGCHUNKSIZE variable, 4-7, 8-34, 8-109

MINIMUM function, 4-17 MOUNT clause, 8-132 Mounting shared databases, 8-133 Mounting a database, 8-132

N
NCHAR clause VARIABLE command, 8-144 NCHAR columns changing format, 4-7, 8-34 default format, 4-6, 8-34 NCLOB clause VARIABLE command, 8-145 NCLOB columns changing format, 4-7, 8-34 default format, 8-34 setting maximum width, 8-109 setting retrieval position, 8-109 setting retrieval size, 8-109 Negative infinity sign (-~), 8-36 Net service names in DESCRIBE command, 8-58 Net8 protocol, 6-3 NEW_VALUE clause, 4-30, 8-37 storing current date in variable for titles, 8-37, 8-40 NEWLINE clause, 8-37 NEWPAGE command, F-3 NEWPAGE variable, 4-33, 8-109 NEXT clause, 8-16 NLS_DATE_FORMAT, 8-11, 8-41 NOAUDIT command disabling, E-6 NOLIST clause, 8-71 /NOLOG option, 7-3 NOMOUNT clause, 8-133 NONE clause WHENEVER OSERROR, 8-150 WHENEVER SQLERROR, 8-152 NOPARALLEL clause, 8-88 NOPRINT clause, 4-17, 4-30, 8-38 NOPROMPT clause, 8-12 NORMAL mode, 8-127

4-32,

M
MAXIMUM function, 4-17 Media recovery, 8-133 Message, sending to screen, 3-27, 8-83

Index-10

NULL clause, 8-38 Null values setting text displayed, 8-38, 8-109 NULL variable, 8-109 NUMBER clause, 3-29, 8-11 VARIABLE command, 8-144 NUMBER columns changing format, 4-5, 8-34 default format, 4-4, 8-36 Number formats $, 4-5 0, 4-5 9, 4-5 comma, 4-5 setting default, 8-109 NUMBER function, 4-17 NUMFORMAT clause in LOGIN.SQL, 3-17 NUMFORMAT variable, 8-109 NUMWIDTH variable, 8-109 effect on NUMBER column format, 4-4, 8-36 NVARCHAR2 columns changing format, 4-7, 8-34 default format, 4-6, 8-34

O
Objects describing, 8-106 OF clause, 4-16 OFF clause in ATTRIBUTE command, 8-20 in COLUMN command, 4-10, 8-38 in REPHEADER and REPFOOTER commands, 8-94 in SPOOL command, 4-35, 8-129 in TTITLE and BTITLE commands, 4-30, 8-140 OLD_VALUE clause, 4-31, 8-38 ON clause in ATTRIBUTE command, 8-20 in COLUMN command, 4-10, 8-38 in TTITLE and BTITLE commands, 4-30 ON column clause in BREAK command, 4-12, 8-21 in COMPUTE command, 4-16, 8-44

ON expr clause in BREAK command, 8-23 in COMPUTE command, 8-44 ON REPORT clause in BREAK command, 4-20, 8-23 in COMPUTE command, 4-20, 8-44 ON ROW clause in BREAK command, 4-14, 8-23 in COMPUTE command, 8-44 Online help, 2-6, 7-5, 8-73 OPEN clause, 8-132 Opening a database, 8-132 Oracle Application Server, 1-3 Oracle Designer, 1-3 Oracle Developer, 1-3 Oracle Discoverer, 1-3 Oracle Enterprise Developer Suite, 1-3 Oracle Express, 1-4 Oracle Media Objects, 1-4 Oracle Mobile Agents, 1-4 Oracle Programmer, 1-3 Oracle Reports, 1-3 Oracle Workflow, 1-3 ORDER BY clause displaying column values in titles, 4-30 displaying values together in output, 4-11 OUT clause, 4-36, 8-129 Output formatting white space in, 8-113 pausing during display, 2-17, 8-110 query results, 1-2

P
PAGE clause, 8-93 Page number, including in titles, 4-15, 4-28 Pages changing length, 4-33, 8-110 default dimensions, 4-32 matching dimensions to screen or paper size, 4-33 setting dimensions, 4-32 PAGESIZE variable, 2-7, 4-33, 8-110 PAGESIZEclause in LOGIN.SQL, 3-17

Index-11

PARALLEL clause, 8-133 PARALLEL DEGREE clause, 8-87 PARALLEL DEGREE DEFAULT clause, 8-87 PARALLEL INSTANCES clause, 8-88 PARALLEL INSTANCES DEFAULT clause, 8-88 Parameter files (INIT.ORA files) specifying alternate, 8-132 Parameters, 3-25, 8-6, 8-130 PARAMETERS clause, 8-124 Password, 1-7 changing with the PASSWORD command, 8-79 in CONNECT command, 6-2, 6-3, 8-49 in COPY command, 6-5, 6-7, 6-9, 8-51 in SQLPLUS command, 2-4, 6-4, 7-2 PASSWORD command, 8-49, 8-79 disabling, E-5 Paths, creating Installation and Users Guide, 8-53 PAUSE command, 3-30, 8-81 in LOGIN.SQL, 3-17 PAUSE variable, 2-17, 8-110 Performance of SQL statements, 3-35 Performance, over dial-up lines, 8-113 Period (.) terminating PL/SQL blocks, 2-10 PLAN_TABLE table, 3-36 PL/SQL, 1-2, 2-10 blocks, PL/SQL, 2-10 executing, 8-68 formatting output in SQL*Plus, 8-145 listing definitions, 2-17 mode in SQL*Plus, 2-9 within SQL commands, 2-9 PLUSTRACE role, 3-36 PNO clause, 8-125 Pound sign (#), 8-36 PRINT clause, 8-38 PRINT command, 8-82 Printing bind variables automatically, 8-103 REFCURSOR variables, 8-146 SPOOL command, 8-129 PRODUCT_USER_PROFILE table, E-2 PROMPT clause, 3-28, 8-12

PROMPT command, 3-27, 8-83 customizing prompts for value, 3-28 Prompts for value bypassing with parameters, 3-25 customizing, 3-28 through ACCEPT, 3-27 through substitution variables, 3-21 PUPBLD.SQL, E-2

Q
Queries, 1-2 displaying number of records retrieved, 8-107 in COPY command, 6-6, 8-52 Query execution path including in report, 8-103 Query results, 1-2 displaying on-screen, 2-7 sending to a printer, 4-36, 8-129 storing in a file, 4-35, 8-129 QUIT command, 8-69 disabling, E-5 in a command file, 8-131 2-7,

R
Record separators, printing, 4-10, 8-110 RECOVER clause, 8-133 RECOVER command, 8-85 AUTOMATIC clause, 8-85 CANCEL clause, 8-87 CONTINUE clause, 8-87 DATABASE clause, 8-86 DATAFILE clause, 8-87 FROM clause, 8-86 LOGFILE clause, 8-87 NOPARALLEL clause, 8-88 PARALLEL DEGREE clause, 8-87 PARALLEL DEGREE DEFAULT clause, PARALLEL INSTANCES clause, 8-88 PARALLEL INSTANCES DEFAULT clause, 8-88 STANDBY DATABASE clause, 8-86 STANDBY DATAFILE clause, 8-87

8-87

Index-12

STANDBY TABLESPACE clause, 8-87 TABLESPACE clause, 8-87 UNTIL CANCEL clause, 8-86 UNTIL CHANGE clause, 8-86 UNTIL CONTROLFILE clause, 8-87 UNTIL TIME clause, 8-86 USING BACKUP CONTROL FILE clause, Recovery RECOVER command, 8-85 RECOVERY command and database recovery, 5-5 RECSEP variable, 4-10, 8-110 RECSEPCHAR variable, 4-10, 8-110 Redo Log Files ARCHIVE LOG command, 8-15 REFCURSOR bind variables, 3-32 in a stored function, 3-32 REFCURSOR clause VARIABLE command, 8-145 RELEASE clause, 8-125 REMARK command, 3-11, 8-90 RENAME command disabling, E-6 REPFOOTER clause, 8-125 REPFOOTER command, 4-23, 8-91 aligning footer elements, 8-94 BOLD clause, 8-94 CENTER clause, 8-94 COL clause, 8-94 FORMAT clause, 8-94 indenting report footers, 8-94 LEFT clause, 8-94 most often used clauses, 4-23 OFF clause, 8-94 RIGHT clause, 8-94 SKIP clause, 8-94 suppressing current definition, 8-94 TAB clause, 8-94 REPHEADER clause, 8-125 REPHEADER command, 4-23, 8-93 aligning header elements, 4-26 aligning heading elements, 8-94 BOLD clause, 8-94 CENTER clause, 4-24, 8-94 COL clause, 4-24, 8-94

8-86

FORMAT clause, 8-94 indenting headings, 8-94 LEFT clause, 4-24, 8-94 most often used clauses, 4-23 OFF clause, 8-94 PAGE clause, 8-93 RIGHT clause, 4-24, 8-94 SKIP clause, 4-24, 8-94 suppressing current definition, 8-94 TAB clause, 8-94 REPLACE clause in COPY command, 6-6, 8-52 in SAVE command, 3-16, 8-98 Report breaks BREAK command, 8-21 Report columns Columns, 8-33 Report titles Titles, 8-139 Reports, 1-2 clarifying with spacing and summary lines, creating bottom titles, 4-23, 8-26 creating footers, 8-91 creating headers, 8-93 creating headers and footers, 4-23 creating master/detail, 4-30, 8-37, 8-38 creating top titles, 4-23, 8-139 displaying, 8-103 formatting column headings, 4-2, 8-32 formatting columns, 4-4, 4-6, 8-32 starting on a new page, 8-106 RESTRICT clause, 8-132 RETRY clause, 8-133 Return code, specifying, 3-17, 8-70, 8-153 REVOKE command, E-2 disabling, E-6 RIGHT clause, 4-24, 4-26, 8-94, 8-140 Roles, E-8 disabling, E-7 re-enabling, E-7 ROLLBACK clause, 8-69 WHENEVER OSERROR, 8-150 WHENEVER SQLERROR, 8-152

4-11

Index-13

Rows performing computations on, 4-16, 8-43 setting number retrieved at one time, 8-102 setting the number after which COPY commits, 8-105 RUN command, 2-10, 8-97 disabling, E-5 executing current PL/SQL block, 2-11 executing current SQL command or PL/SQL block, 2-10 making last line current, 3-4 similar to / (slash) command, 2-10, 8-97

S
Sample tables, 1-5 access to, 1-8 DEMOBLD, 1-8 DEMODROP, 1-8 SAVE command, 3-8, 8-98 APPEND clause, 3-16, 8-98 disabling, E-5 modifying command files, 3-16 REPLACE clause, 3-16, 8-98 storing commands in command files, 3-8, 8-98 using with INPUT to create command files, 3-10 Saving environment attributes, 8-136 SCAN variable, F-5 SCREEN clause, 3-30, 8-30 Screen, clearing, 3-30, 8-30 Search paths Installation and Users Guide, 8-53 Security changing password, 8-79 PRODUCT_USER_PROFILE table, E-2 SELECT command and BREAK command, 4-11, 8-22, 8-23 and COLUMN command, 8-33 and COMPUTE command, 4-11 and COPY command, 6-6, 8-52 and DEFINE command, 8-54 and ORDER BY clause, 4-11 disabling, E-6 storing current date in variable for titles, 4-32

SELECT statement formatting results, 3-32 Semicolon (;) in PL/SQL blocks, 2-10 in SQL commands, 2-7, 2-8 in SQL*Plus commands, 2-13, 8-1 not needed when inputting a command file, 3-10 not stored in buffer, 3-3 SERVEROUTPUT variable, 8-111 Service Name in COPY command, 6-9 Service name in CONNECT command, 6-3 in COPY command, 6-5, 6-7 in SQLPLUS command, 6-3 Service names in SQLPLUS command, 7-3 SET AUTOTRACE, 3-35 SET clause, 8-136 SET command, 2-13, 3-18, 8-100 APPINFO variable, 8-101 ARRAYSIZE variable, 6-8, 8-102 AUTOCOMMIT variable, 2-14, 8-102 AUTOPRINT variable, 8-103, 8-145 AUTORECOVERY variable, 8-103 BLOCKTERMINATOR variable, 8-104 BUFFER variable, F-3 CMDSEP variable, 8-104 COLSEP variable, 4-36, 8-104 COMPATIBILITY clause, 3-17 COMPATIBILITY variable, 8-105 CONCAT variable, 3-25, 8-105 COPYCOMMIT variable, 6-8, 8-105 COPYTYPECHECK variable, 8-105 DEFINE clause, 3-25 DEFINE variable, 8-105 DESCRIBE variable, 8-106 disabling, E-5 DOCUMENT variable, F-4 ECHO variable, 3-14, 8-106 EDITFILE variable, 8-106 EMBEDDED variable, 8-106 ESCAPE variable, 3-25, 8-106 FEEDBACK variable, 8-107

Index-14

FLAGGER variable, 8-107 FLUSH variable, 8-107 HEADING variable, 8-107 HEADSEP variable, 4-3, 8-108 INSTANCE variable, 8-108 LINESIZE variable, 4-26, 4-33, 8-108 LOBOFFSET variable, 8-109 LOGSOURCE variable, 8-109 LONG variable, 6-8, 8-109 LONGCHUNKSIZE variable, 8-109 MAXDATA variable, F-5 NEWPAGE variable, 4-33, 8-109 NULL variable, 8-109 NUMFORMAT clause, 3-17 NUMFORMAT variable, 8-109 NUMWIDTH variable, 4-4, 8-36, 8-109 PAGESIZE clause, 3-17 PAGESIZE variable, 2-7, 4-33, 8-110 PAUSE clause, 3-17 PAUSE variable, 2-17, 8-110 RECSEP variable, 4-10, 8-110 RECSEPCHAR variable, 4-10, 8-110 SCAN variable, F-5 SERVEROUTPUT variable, 8-111 SHIFTINOUT clause, 3-18 SHIFTINOUT variable, 8-111 SPACE variable, F-5 SQLBLANKLINES variable, 8-111 SQLCASE variable, 8-112 SQLCONTINUE variable, 8-112 SQLNUMBER variable, 8-112 SQLPREFIX variable, 8-112 SQLPROMPT variable, 8-112 SQLTERMINATOR variable, 8-112 SUFFIX variable, 8-112 TAB variable, 8-113 TERMOUT variable, 4-32, 8-113 TIME clause, 3-18 TIME variable, 8-113 TIMING variable, 8-113 TRIMOUT variable, 8-113 TRIMSPOOL variable, 8-113 TRUNCATE variable, F-6 UNDERLINE variable, 4-3, 8-113 used to format a REFCURSOR variable, 8-146

VERIFY clause, 3-21 VERIFY variable, 3-25, 8-114 WRAP variable, 4-8, 8-114 SET command variables system variables, 2-13 SET ROLE command disabling, E-6 SET TRANSACTION command disabling, E-6 SGA clause, 8-125 Shared disk systems mounting shared, 8-133 Shared mode database, 8-133 SHIFTINOUT clause in LOGIN.SQL, 3-18 SHIFTINOUT variable, 8-111 SHOW clause, 8-137 SHOW command, 2-14, 8-123 ALL clause, 8-123 BTITLE clause, 8-124 ERRORS clause, 8-124 listing current page dimensions, 4-35 LNO clause, 8-124 PNO clause, 8-125 RELEASE clause, 8-125 REPFOOTER clause, 8-125 REPHEADER clause, 8-125 SPOOL clause, 8-125 SQLCODE clause, 8-125 TTITLE clause, 8-125 USER clause, 8-125 SHOWMODE variable, 8-111 SHUTDOWN command, 8-127 ABORT variable, 8-127 IMMEDIATE variable, 8-127 NORMAL variable, 8-127 TRANSACTIONAL variable, 8-127 -SILENT clause, 7-2 Site Profile, 7-3 SKIP clause in BREAK command, 4-13, 4-14, 8-23 in REPHEADER and REPFOOTER commands, 8-94 in TTITLE and BTITLE commands, 4-26, 8-140

Index-15

in TTITLE, BTITLE, REPHEADER and REPFOOTER commands, 4-24 used to place blank lines before bottom title, 4-27 SKIP PAGE clause, 4-13, 4-14, 8-24 Slash (/) command, 8-10 using with files loaded with GET command, 8-71 SPACE variable, F-5 SPOOL clause, 8-125 SPOOL command, 4-35, 8-129 disabling, E-5 file name, 4-35, 8-129 OFF clause, 4-35, 8-129 OUT clause, 4-36, 8-129 turning spooling off, 4-35, 8-129 SQL buffer, 2-10 SQL clause, 8-31 SQL commands, list of major, D-1 SQL database language, 1-2 SQL DML statements reporting on, 8-103 SQL*Plus basic concepts, 1-2 command prompt, 2-4 command summary, 8-2 database administration, 5-2 exiting, 2-4, 8-69 exiting conditionally, 8-150, 8-152 limits, C-1 LOGIN.SQL, 3-17 overview, 1-2 running commands in batch mode, 3-17, 8-70 setting up environment, 3-17 shortcuts to starting, 2-4 starting, 2-3, 7-2 what you need to run, 1-7 who can use, 1-3 SQLBLANKLINES variable, 8-111 SQLCASE variable, 8-112 SQLCODE clause, 8-125 SQLCONTINUE variable, 8-112 SQLNUMBER variable, 8-112 SQLPLUS command, 2-3, 7-2 - (hyphen) clause, 7-3

-? clause, 7-3 and @ ("at" sign), 3-15, 6-3, 7-2 and EXIT FAILURE, 7-4 connecting to a remote database, 6-3 display syntax, 7-3 /NOLOG clause, 7-3 running command files, 3-15 service name, 6-3, 6-4, 7-3 -SILENT clause, 7-2 unsuccessful connection, 7-4 username/password, 2-4, 7-2 SQL.PNO, referencing in report titles, 4-28 SQLPREFIX variable, 8-112 SQLPROMPT variable, 8-112 SQL.SQLCODE using in EXIT command, 8-69 SQLTERMINATOR variable, 8-74, 8-112 STANDBY DATAFILE clause, 8-87 STANDBY TABLESPACE clause, 8-87 START clause, 8-16, 8-137 START command, 3-14, 8-130 arguments, 3-25, 8-130 command file, 3-14, 8-130 disabling, E-5 passing parameters to a command file, 3-25, 8-130 similar to @ ("at" sign) command, 3-15, 8-7, 8-131 similar to @@ (double "at" sign) command, 8-8, 8-131 Starting SQL*Plus, 2-3 shortcuts, 2-4 STARTUP command, 8-132 EXCLUSIVE clause, 8-133 FORCE clause, 8-132 MOUNT clause, 8-132 NOMOUNT clause, 8-133 OPEN clause, 8-132 PARALLEL clause, 8-133 PFILE clause, 8-132 RECOVER clause, 8-133 RESTRICT clause, 8-132 RETRY clause, 8-133 SHARED clause, 8-133 specifying a database, 8-133

Index-16

Statistics, 3-35 STD function, 4-17 STOP clause, 8-16, 8-137 STORE command, 3-18, 8-136 SET clause, 8-136 Stored functions, 3-32 Stored procedures creating, 2-9 Substitution variables, 3-20 appending characters immediately after, 3-23 avoiding unnecessary prompts for value, 3-23 concatenation character, 8-105 DEFINE command, 3-23, 8-54 prefixing, 8-105 restrictions, 3-25 single and double ampersands, 3-23 system variables used with, 3-25 undefined, 3-21 where and how to use, 3-21 SUFFIX variable, 8-112 used with @ ("at" sign) command, 8-6 used with EDIT command, 8-66 used with GET command, 8-71 used with SAVE command, 8-98 used with START command, 8-130 SUM function, 4-17 Summary lines computing and printing, 4-16, 8-43 computing and printing at ends of reports, 4-20 computing same type on different columns, 4-21 printing "grand" and "sub" summaries (totals), 4-21 printing multiple on same break column, 4-21 Syntax conventions, 1-4 COPY command, 6-5 Syntax rules SQL commands, 2-7 SQL*Plus commands, 2-12 SYSDATE, 4-32 SYSDBA clause, 8-50 SYSOPER clause, 8-50 System variables, 2-13, 8-114 changing current settings, 8-100

listing current settings, 2-14, 8-123 listing old and new values, 8-111 storing and restoring, 3-18 used with substitution variables, 3-25 System-maintained values displaying in headers and footers, 8-93 displaying in titles, 4-28, 8-139 formatting in titles, 4-29

T
TAB clause, 8-94, 8-140 TAB variable, 8-113 Tables, 1-2 access to sample, 1-8 controlling destination when copying, 6-6, 8-52 copying values between, 6-4, 6-9, 8-51 DEPT, 1-6 EMP, 1-6 listing column definitions, 2-16, 8-58 referring to another users when copying, 6-8 sample, 1-5 TABLESPACE clause, 8-87 Tablespaces recovering, 8-85 TERMOUT variable, 8-113 storing current date in variable for titles, 4-32 using with SPOOL command, 8-129 Text adding to current line with APPEND, 3-6, 8-13 changing old to new with CHANGE, 3-4, 8-28 clearing from buffer, 3-2, 8-30 Text editor, host operating system, 3-7, 8-66 TIME clause in LOGIN.SQL, 3-18 TIME variable, 8-113 TIMING clause, 8-31 TIMING command, 2-16, 8-137 deleting all areas created by, 8-31 deleting current area, 8-137 SHOW clause, 8-137 START clause, 8-137 STOP clause, 8-137 TIMING variable, 8-113

Index-17

Titles aligning elements, 4-26, 8-140 displaying at bottom of page, 4-23, 8-26 displaying at top of page, 4-23, 8-139 displaying column values, 4-30, 8-37, 8-38 displaying current date, 4-32, 8-37, 8-40 displaying page number, 4-28, 8-142 displaying system-maintained values, 4-28, 8-139 formatting elements, 8-141 formatting system-maintained values in, 4-29 indenting, 4-27, 8-140 listing current definition, 4-30, 8-26, 8-141 restoring definition, 4-30 setting at start or end of report, 4-23 setting lines from top of page to top title, 4-33, 8-109 setting lines from top title to end of page, 8-110 setting top and bottom, 4-23, 8-26, 8-139 spacing between last row and bottom title, 4-26 suppressing definition, 4-30, 8-140 TO clause, 6-5, 8-52 Tracing Statements, 3-35 for performance statistics, 3-37 for query execution path, 3-37 using a database link, 3-40 with parallel query option, 3-41 TRIMOUT variable, 8-113 TRIMSPOOL variable, 8-113 TRUNCATE command disabling, E-6 TRUNCATE variable, F-6 TRUNCATED clause, 4-8, 8-38 TTITLE clause, 8-125 TTITLE command, 4-23, 8-139 aligning title elements, 4-26, 8-140 BOLD clause, 8-140 CENTER clause, 4-24, 4-26, 8-140 COL clause, 4-24, 4-27, 8-140 FORMAT clause, 4-29, 8-141 indenting titles, 4-27, 8-140 LEFT clause, 4-24, 4-26, 8-140 listing current definition, 4-30, 8-141 most often used clauses, 4-23 OFF clause, 4-30, 8-140

old form, F-7 ON clause, 4-30 referencing column value variable, 4-30, 8-37 restoring current definition, 4-30 RIGHT clause, 4-24, 4-26, 8-140 SKIP clause, 4-24, 4-26, 8-140 suppressing current definition, 4-30, 8-140 TAB clause, 8-140 Tuning, 3-35

U
UNDEFINE command, 3-20, 8-143 and DEFINE command, 8-54 UNDERLINE variable, 4-3, 8-113 UNTIL CANCEL clause, 8-86 UNTIL CHANGE clause, 8-86 UNTIL CONTROLFILE clause, 8-87 UNTIL TIME clause, 8-86 UPDATE command disabling, E-6 USER clause, 8-125 User Profile, 3-17, 7-4 User variables, 3-19 defining, 3-19, 8-54 deleting, 3-20, 8-143 displaying in headers and footers, 8-93 displaying in titles, 8-139 in ACCEPT command, 3-27, 8-11 listing definition of one, 3-20, 8-54 listing definitions of all, 3-20, 8-54 Username, 1-7 connecting under different, 6-2, 8-49 in CONNECT command, 6-2, 6-3, 8-49 in COPY command, 6-5, 6-7, 6-9, 8-51 in SQLPLUS command, 2-4, 6-4, 7-2 USING BACKUP CONTROL FILE clause, 8-86 USING clause, 6-6, 8-52

V
V$SESSION virtual table, 8-102 V$SQLAREA virtual table, 8-102 VARCHAR columns changing format, 4-7

Index-18

default format, 4-6, 8-34 VARCHAR2 clause VARIABLE command, 8-144 VARCHAR2 columns changing format, 4-7, 8-34 default format, 4-6 VARIABLE command, 8-144 CHAR clause, 8-144 CLOB clause, 8-145 NCHAR clause, 8-144 NCLOB clause, 8-145 NUMBER clause, 8-144 REFCURSOR clause, 8-145 VARCHAR2 clause, 8-144 variable clause, 8-144 Variables bind variables, 3-30 substitution variables, 3-20 system variables, 2-13 user variables, 8-54 VARIANCE function, 4-17 VERIFY clause, 3-21 VERIFY variable, 3-25, 8-114

W
WARNING clause, 8-69 WHENEVER OSERROR command, 8-150 COMMIT clause, 8-150 CONTINUE clause, 8-150 EXIT clause, 8-150 NONE clause, 8-150 ROLLBACK clause, 8-150 WHENEVER SQLERROR command, 3-17, 8-152 COMMIT clause, 8-152 CONTINUE clause, 8-152 EXIT clause, 8-152 NONE clause, 8-152 ROLLBACK clause, 8-152 WORD_WRAPPED clause, 4-8, 4-10, 8-38 WRAP variable, 4-8, 8-114 WRAPPED clause, 4-8, 8-38

Index-19

Index-20