Oracle SQL Plus The Definitive Guide- P49 doc

Issue the command with only a variable name, and SQL*Plus will display the current contents of that variable, if it exists.. The DEL command is an editing command used to delete the curr

The DEFINE command allows you to create a user variable (or substitution variable), and to assign it a value DEFINE may also be used to list the value of a particular variable, or of all variables DEFINE is discussed in Chapter 4

DEF[INE] [variable_name [= text]]

where:

DEF[INE]

Is the command, which may be abbreviated to DEF Entering DEFINE by itself causes SQL*Plus to display list of all currently defined user variables

varable_name

Is the name of the variable you want to create Issue the command with only a variable name, and SQL*Plus will

display the current contents of that variable, if it exists

text

Is the text you want to assign to that variable This may optionally be enclosed by single or double quotes, which you should use any time the value contains spaces or any other nonalphabetic character

Del

The DEL command is an editing command used to delete the current line from the buffer:

DEL [{b¦*¦LAST}[ {e¦*¦LAST}]]

where:

DEL

Is the command, which may not be abbreviated

b Is a line number representing the beginning of a range of lines to delete If no ending line number is specified, then

only this one line will be deleted

e Is a line number representing the end of a range of lines to delete.

* The asterisk refers to the current line number It may be used in place of a line number to mark either the beginning or

the end (or both) of a range of lines to be deleted

LAST

LAST functions similarly to *, but refers to the last line in the buffer

DEL, and all the other editing commands, are described in Chapter 2

The DESCRIBE command is used to display information about a table, a view, an Oracle8 object type, a stored

package, a stored procedure, or a stored function When used against a table or view, DESCRIBE returns a list of

columns, including datatypes and lengths When used against an Oracle8 object type or a stored package, DESCRIBE returns a list of procedures, functions, and variables that are accessible from outside the package or type Parameters for each function, procedure, and method are listed as well When used against a stored procedure or function, DESCRIBE returns a list of parameters In the case of a function, DESCRIBE displays the return type as well DESCRIBE is

discussed in Chapter 6, Exploring Your Database.

DESC [RIBE] [schema ] object_name[@database_link_name]

where:

DESC[RIBE]

Is the command, which may be abbreviated to DESC

schema

Is the name of the object's owner This defaults to your username

object_name

Is the name of the object, often a table or a view, that you want to describe You can describe any of the following: a table, a view, a stored procedure, a stored function, a stored package, or an Oracle8 object type

database_link_name

Is the name of a database link pointing to the database where the object exists You only need to use this if the object you want to describe exists in a database other than the one to which you are currently connected Your DBA can help create a database link if you need one

Disconnect

The DISCONNECT command closes your database connection without terminating SQL*Plus DISCONNECT is discussed in Chapter 2

DISC [ONNECT]

where:

DISC[ONNECT]

May be abbreviated to DISC

The EDIT command allows you to invoke an external editor to edit the contents of the buffer, or to edit the contents of

an operating system file:

ED[IT] [filename]

where:

ED[IT]

Is the command, which may be abbreviated to ED The EDIT command with no parameters allows you to edit the current contents of the buffer

filename

Specifies an external file to edit instead of the buffer The filename may include a path and an extension

EDIT, and all the other editing commands, are described in Chapter 2

Execute

The EXECUTE command allows you to execute a single PL/SQL statement, and is discussed in Chapter 2

EXEC[UTE] statement

where:

EXEC[UTE]

May be abbreviated to EXEC

statement

Is the PL/SQL statement you want to execute

Exit

The EXIT command is used to terminate a SQL*Plus session and return to the operating system:

EXIT [SUCCESS¦FAILURE¦WARNING¦value¦user_variable¦:

bind_variable] [COMMIT¦ROLLBACK]

where:

SUCCESS

Returns a success status The exact value of success is operating-systemdependent This is the default setting, and

applies if no other return value is specified

WARNING

Returns a warning status The exact value of a warning is operating-systemdependent

FAILURE

Returns a failure status The value of a failure is operating-system-dependent

value

Returns an arbitrary value as the status

user_variable

Returns the value of the specified user variable as the status You can also specify SQL.SQLCODE here, to return the status of the most recently executed SQL statement

:bind_variable

Returns the value of the specified bind variable as the status

COMMIT

Causes SQL*Plus to automatically commit before exiting

ROLLBACK

Causes SQL*Plus to automatically roll back any opentransaction before exiting

Get

The GET command reads an SQL statement from a file and loads it into the buffer

GET filename [LIS[T]¦NOL[IST]]

where:

GET

Is the command

filename

Is the name of the file containing the SQL statement you want to load This can be any filename, including path and extension, that your operating system recognizes

LI[ST]

Causes SQL*Plus to display the buffer after loading the file This is the default

NOL[IST]

Causes SQL*Plus to load the file without displaying it

GET, and all the other editing commands, are described in Chapter 2

Use the HELP command to get help on SQL*Plus commands, SQL commands, PL/ SQL statements, and other topics HELP is described in Chapter 2

HELP [topic]

where:

HELP

May not be abbreviated

topic

Is the help topic you want to read about Most SQL commands, SQL*Plus commands and PL/SQL statements are valid help topics There are others as well Entering HELP MENU will get you a complete list of valid topics

Host

The HOST command allows you to execute an operating-system command or invoke the command interpreter so you can execute several such commands

HO[ST] [os_command]

where:

HO[ST]

Is the command, which may be abbreviated to HO Issuing HOST without specifying a command will get you a

command prompt from which you may enter several commands Under Windows 95 and NT, for example, a DOS window will be opened

os_command

Is the operating-system command you wish to execute SQL*Plus will execute this one command for you, and then you will be returned to the SQL*Plus prompt

Input

Inserts one or more lines of text into the buffer The lines are inserted after the current line

I[NPUT] [text]

where:

I[NPUT]

Is the command, which may be abbreviated to I When you issue the INSERT command with no text after it, SQL*Plus puts you in insert mode, allowing you

To type as many lines as you like These are all inserted into the buffer following the current line Press ENTER on

a blank line to terminate insert mode

text

Is the text you want to insert Use this if you are only inserting one line

INPUT, and all the other editing commands, are described in Chapter 2

List

The LIST command is an editing command used to list the current line from the buffer

L[IST] [{b¦*¦LAST}[ {e¦*¦LAST}]]

where:

L[IST]

Is the command, which may be abbreviated to L LIST by itself will cause SQL*Plus to display all lines in the buffer

b Is a line number representing the beginning of a range of lines to list If no ending line number is specified, only this

one line will be listed

e Is a line number representing the end of a range of lines to list.

* The asterisk refers to the current line number It may be used in place of a line number to mark either the beginning or

the end (or both) of a range of lines to be list

LAST

LAST functions similarly to *, but refers to the last line in the buffer

LIST, and all the other editing commands, are described in Chapter 2

Password

The PASSWORD command allows you to change your Oracle password using SQL*Plus, and is described in Chapter 2

PASSW[ORD] [username]

where:

PASSW[ORD]

May be abbreviated to PASSW

username

Is the user whose password you want to change Usually only database administrators (DBAs) can change passwords for other users You do not need to supply a username if you are changing your own password

The PAUSE command is most commonly used from script files, and prompts the user to press the ENTER key before the script can continue:

PAU [SE] [pause_message]

where:

PAU[SE]

Is the command, which may be abbreviated to PAU

pause_message

Is an optional message you want displayed to the user It's generally a good idea to include a message telling the user to press ENTER, lest they think the system has locked up on them

Print

The PRINT command is used to display the value of a bind variable One of its most useful applications is to retrieve and print data from a REFCURSOR variable which has been opened within a PL/SQL block or returned from a PL/SQL procedure PRINT is discussed in Chapter 7

PRI [NT] [bind_variable_name]

where:

PRI[NT]

Is the command, which may be abbreviated to PRI

bind_variable_name

Is the name of the bind variable you want to print If you omit a name, the values of all bind variables are printed

Prompt

The PROMPT command is used to display a message for the user to see See Chapter 4 for more information

PRO [MPT] text_to_be_displayed

where:

PRO[MPT]

Is the command, which may be abbreviated to PRO

text_to_be_displayed

Is whatever text you want displayed to the user This should not be a quoted string If you include quotes, they will appear in the output

Quit

The QUIT command functions the same way as the EXIT command It terminates a SQL*Plus session and returns you

to the operating system

QUIT [SUCCESS¦FAILURE¦WARNING¦value¦user_variable¦:bind_variable]

[COMMIT ¦ROLLBACK]

where:

SUCCESS

Returns a success status The exact value of success is operating-systemdependent This is the default setting, and it applies if no other return value is specified

WARNING

Returns a warning status The exact value of a warning is operating-systemdependent

FAILURE

Returns a failure status The value of failure is operating-system-dependent

value

Returns an arbitrary value as the status

user_variable

Returns the value of the specified user variable as the status You can also specify SQL.SQLCODE here, to return the status of the most recently executed SQL statement

:bind_variable

Returns the value of the specified bind variable as the status

COMMIT

Causes SQL*Plus to automatically commit before exiting

ROLLBACK

Causes SQL*Plus to automatically roll back any open transaction before exiting

The RECOVER command initiates media recovery on a database, a tablespace, or a datafile Chapter 10 provides an explanation

of how recovery works You must be connected as SYSDBA, SYSOPER, or INTERNAL in order to use this command.

RECOVER [DATABASE [[UNTIL {CANCEL¦CHANCE system_change_number¦TIME date_time}

[USING BACKUP CONTROLFILE]

[PARALLEL([DECODE {num_of_procs¦DEFAULT}

¦INSTANCES {num_of_inst¦DEFAULT}])

¦NOPARALLEL]

TABLESPACE tablespace_name [,tablespace_name]

[PARALLEL([DEGREE {num_of_procs¦DEFAULT}

¦INSTANCES {num_of_inst¦DEFAULT}])

¦NOPARALEELE]

¦DATAFILE datafile_name [,datafile_name]

[PARALLEL(DEGREE {num_of_procs¦DEFAULT}

¦INSTANCES {num_Of_inst¦DEFAULT}])

¦NOPARALELL]

where:

RECOVER DATABASE

Initiates media recovery on the entire database The database must be mounted, but not open.

RECOVER TABLESPACE tablespace_name

Initiates media recovery on the specified tablespace or list of tablespaces A maximum of 16 tablespaces may be recovered with one command The tablespace(s) must be offline, but the database must be mounted and open.

RECOVER DATAFILE datafile_name

Initiates media recovery on the specified datafile or list of datafiles Unlike with tablespaces, there is no limit on the number of datafiles you can recover with one command The datafiles to be recovered must be offline As long as none of the datafiles are part of the SYSTEM tablespace, the database may remain open.

UNTIL CANCEL

Allows you to recover one log file at a time, with the opportunity to cancel after each log file has been processed.

UNTIL CHANGE system_change_number

Performs an incomplete recovery based on the system change number Each transaction in an Oracle database has an assigned

number The UNTIL CHANGE option causes all transactions to be recovered up through the one preceding the system change

number you specify The transaction with the specified number is not recovered.

UNTIL TIME date_time

Similar to UNTIL CHANGE, but performs a time-based recovery All transactions that were completed prior to the time specified are recovered

USING BACKUP CONTROLFILE

Causes recovery to use a backup control file

PARALLEL

Causes recovery to be done in parallel

NOPARALLEL

Prevents recovery from being done in parallel

DEGREE {num_of_procs\DEFAULT}

Controls the number of recovery processes running in parallel for each instance You may specify a number or use the keyword DEFAULT DEFAULT causes the number of processes to equal twice the number of datafiles being recovered

INSTANCES {num_of_procs \DEFAULT}

Controls the number of instances that may be used in a parallel recovery You may specify a number or use the keyword DEFAULT The number of instances used when DEFAULT is specified is operating system-specific

Remark

The REMARK command is used to place comments in a SQL*Plus script See Chapter 4 In addition to REMARK, comments may set off with /**/, or by preceding each comment line with a double hyphen ( )

REM[ARK] comment_text

where:

REM[ARK]

Is the command, which may be abbreviated to REM

comment_text

Is your comment

Repfooter

The REPFOOTER command defines a report footer Report footers print on the last page of a report, after the last detail line and before the bottom title See Chapter 3 for more information

REPF[OOTER] [OFF¦ON]¦

[COL x¦

S[KIP] x¦