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Oracle SQL*Plus FAQ

$Date: 18-Dec-2002 $
$Revision: 1.66 $
$Author: Frank Naudé $

Topics

What is SQL*Plus and where does it come from?

How does one use the SQL*Plus utility?
What commands can be executed from SQL*Plus?
What are the basic SQL*Plus commands?
What is AFIEDT.BUF?
I'm unable to edit files using ED/EDIT. What is wrong?
How does one enable the SQL*Plus HELP facility?
What is the difference between ? and HELP?
What is the difference between @ and @@?
What is the difference between & and &&?
What is the difference between ! and HOST?
Can one run commands when SQL*Plus starts up?
Can one set the SQL*Plus command prompt to something more useful?
How does one disable interactive prompting in SQL*Plus?
How does one trap errors in SQL*Plus?
How does one trace SQL statements in SQL*Plus?
How can one prevent SQL*Plus connection warning messages?
Can one prevent users from executing devious commands?
How does one restore session state in SQL*Plus?
How can one disable SQL*Plus formatting?
Can one pass operating system parameters to SQL*Plus?
Something's wrong with my CLOB/ NCLOB/ LONG column. Where is my
data?
How does one copy data from one database to another in SQL*Plus?
Where can one get more info about SQL*Plus?
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What is SQL*Plus and where does it come from?

SQL*Plus is a command line SQL and PL/SQL language interface and reporting tool that
ships with the Oracle Database Client and Server. It can be used interactively or driven
from scripts. SQL*Plus is frequently used by DBAs and Developers to interact with the
Oracle database.
If you are familiar with other databases, sqlplus is equivalent to "sql" in Ingres, "isql" in
Sybase and SQLServer, "db2" in IBM DB2, "psql" in PostgresQL, and "mysql" in
MySQL.
SQL*Plus's predecessor was called UFI (User Friendly Interface). UFI was included in
the first releases of Oracle, its interface was extremely primitive and, in today's terms,
anything but user friendly.
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How does one use the SQL*Plus utility?

Start using SQL*Plus by executing the "sqlplus" command-line utility. Valid options are:
userid/password@db -- Connection details
/nolog -- Do not login to Oracle. You will need to do it yourself.
-s or -silent -- start sqlplus in silent mode. Not recommended for beginners!
@myscript -- Start executing script called "myscript.sql"
Look at this example session:
sqlplus /nolog
SQL> connect scott/tiger
SQL> select * from tab;
SQL> disconnect
SQL> exit
Please note that one must prepare the environment before starting sqlplus. Linux/ Unix
example:
$ . oraenv
ORACLE_SID = [orcl] ? orcl
$ sqlplus scott/tiger
Windows Example:
Click on "Start" -> "Run" and enter "cmd"
C:> set ORACLE_SID=orcl
C:> sqlplus scott/tiger
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What commands can be executed from SQL*Plus?

One can enter three kinds of commands from the SQL*Plus command prompt:

1. SQL*Plus commands - SQL*Plus commands are used to set options for

SQL*Plus, format reports, edit files, edit the command buffer, and so on.
SQL*Plus commands do not interact with the database. These commands do not
have to be terminated with a semicolon (;), as is the case with SQL commands.
The rest of this page is dedicated to SQL*Plus commands, eg.

SHOW USER
 2. SQL commands - for more information see the Oracle SQL FAQ. Eg:

SELECT * FROM TAB;

3. PL/SQL blocks - for more information see the Oracle PLSQL FAQ. Eg:
4. BEGIN
5. DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Hello World!');
6. END;
7. /
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What are the basic SQL*Plus commands?

The following SQL*Plus commands are available:

ACCEPT Get input from the user
DEFINE Declare a variable (short: DEF)
DESCRIBE Lists the attributes of tables and other objects (short: DESC)
EDIT Places you in an editor so you can edit a SQL command (short: ED)
EXIT or
Disconnect from the database and terminate SQL*Plus
QUIT
GET Retrieves a SQL file and places it into the SQL buffer
HOST Issue an operating system command (short: !)
Displays the last command executed/ command in the SQL buffer
LIST
(short: L)
PROMPT Display a text string on the screen. Eg prompt Hello World!!!
RUN List and Run the command stored in the SQL buffer (short: /)
Saves command in the SQL buffer to a file. Eg "save x" will create
SAVE
a script file called x.sql
SET Modify the SQL*Plus environment eg. SET PAGESIZE 23
Show environment settings (short: SHO). Eg SHOW ALL, SHO
SHOW
PAGESIZE etc.
Send output to a file. Eg "spool x" will save STDOUT to a file
SPOOL
called x.lst
START Run a SQL script file (short: @)
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What is AFIEDT.BUF?

AFIEDT.BUF is the SQL*Plus default edit save file. When you issue the command "ed"
or "edit" without arguments, the last SQL or PL/SQL command will be saved to a file
called AFIEDT.BUF and opened in the default editor.
In the prehistoric days when SQL*Plus was called UFI, the file name was "ufiedt.buf",
short for UFI editing buffer. When new features were added to UFI, it was the initially
named Advanced UFI and the filename was changed to "aufiedt.buf" and then to
"afiedt.buf". They presumably needed to keep the name short for compatibility with some
of the odd operating systems that Oracle supported in those days. The name "Advanced
UFI" was never used officially, as the name was changed to SQL*Plus before this version
was released.
You can overwrite the default edit save file's name like this:
SET EDITFILE "afiedt.buf"
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I'm unable to edit files using ED/EDIT. What is wrong?

One can edit SQL scripts and the command buffer (the last command entered) with the
EDIT (or ED) command. However, sometimes one needs select a editor before using this
command. Examples:
DEFINE _EDITOR=vi -- Use the Unix vi-editor
DEFINE _EDITOR=notepad -- Use the Notepad on Windows
TIP: Add this command in your login.sql or glogin.sql scripts so it executes every time
you start sqlplus.
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How does one enable the SQL*Plus HELP facility?

To enable HELP for SQl*Plus, run the supplied "helpins" script in

$ORACLE_HOME/bin. The "helpins" command will prompt you for the SYSTEM
password and load the help data into the SYSTEM schema.
Alternatively you can load the help facility manually like this:
cd $ORACLE_HOME/sqlplus/admin/help
sqlplus system/manager @helpdrop.sql # Drop the HELP table
sqlplus system/manager @helpbld.sql # Create the HELP table
sqlplus system/manager @helpus.sql # Load data into the HELP table
If the HELP command is not supported on your operating system, you can access the help
table with a simple script like this:
File help.sql:

select info
from system.help
where upper(topic)=upper('&1')
/
Whenever you need help, you can now run the help.sql script:
@help SELECT
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What is the difference between ? and HELP?

There is no difference. Both "?" and HELP will read the SYSTEM.HELP table (if
available) and shows help text on the screen.
To use the help facility, type HELP followed by the command you need to learn more
about. For example, to get help on the SELECT statement, type:
 HELP SELECT
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What is the difference between @ and @@?

The @ (at symbol) is equivalent to the START command and is used to run SQL*Plus
command scripts.
A single @ symbol runs a script in the current directory (or one specified with a full or
relative path, or one that is found in you SQLPATH or ORACLE_PATH).
@@ will start a sqlplus script that is in the same directory as the script that called it
(relative to the directory of the current script). This is normally used for nested command
files.
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What is the difference between & and &&?

"&" is used to create a temporary substitution variable and will prompt you for a value
every time it is referenced.
"&&" is used to create a permanent substitution variable as with the DEFINE command
and the OLD_VALUE or NEW_VALUE clauses of a COLUMN statement. Once you
have entered a value it will use that value every time the variable is referenced.
Eg: SQL> SELECT * FROM TAB WHERE TNAME LIKE '%&TABLE_NAME.%';
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What is the difference between ! and HOST?

Both "!" and "HOST" will execute operating system commands as child processes of
SQL*Plus. The difference is that "HOST" will perform variable substitution (& and &&
symbols), whereas "!" will not. (Note: use "$" under MVS, VMS, and Windows
environments, not "!")
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Can one run commands when SQL*Plus starts up?

When SQL*Plus starts up, it will look for a global login script called glogin.sql in the
$ORACLE_HOME/sqlplus/admin directory. If found, this script will be executed.
Thereafter, sqlplus will try to find a local login script called login.sql. It will look for the
login.sql script in the directory where you start sqlplus from, alternatively it will search
the directories listed in the SQLPATH environment variable for such a script. When
found, sqlplus will execute it.
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Can one set the SQL*Plus command prompt to something more useful?

One can change the default 'SQL> ' prompt by changing the SQLPROMPT setting. For
example:
 SET SQLPROMPT 'Enter SQLPlus Command> '
The following example script changes the prompt to include the connected username and
database:
undefine usr db
col usr new_value usr
col db new_value db

set termout off

select lower(user) usr,
substr(global_name, 1, instr(global_name, '.')-1) db
from global_name
/
set termout on

set sqlprompt '&&usr.@&&db.> '

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How does one disable interactive prompting in SQL*Plus?

If you run a script that contains "&" symbols SQL*Plus thinks that you want to prompt
the user for a value. To turn this off:
SET ESCAPE ON
SET ESCAPE "\"
SELECT 'You \& me' FROM DUAL;
or
SET DEFINE ?
SELECT 'You & me' FROM DUAL;
Note: You can disable substitution variable prompting altogether by issuing the SET
DEFINE OFF command.
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How does one trap errors in SQL*Plus?

Use the "WHENEVER SQLERROR ..." command to trap SQL and PL/SQL errors, and
the "WHENEVER OSERROR ..." to trap operating system errors. Eg:
SQL> WHENEVER OSERROR EXIT 9
SQL> WHENEVER SQLERROR EXIT SQL.SQLCODE
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How does one trace SQL statements in SQL*Plus?

1. Run the PLUSTRCE.SQL script from the SYS database user. This script is
located in the $ORACLE_HOME/sqlplus/admin directory.
2. Create a PLAN_TABLE table by running the UTLXPLAN.SQL script. This script
is in $ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/admin.
 3. Use the "SET AUTOTRACE ON" command to trace SQL execution. This will
print the result of your query, an explain plan and high level trace information.
Look at this example:
4. SQL> set autotrace on
5. SQL> select * from dual;
6.
7. D
8. -
9. X
10.
11. Execution Plan
12. ----------------------------------------------------------
13. 0 SELECT STATEMENT Optimizer=CHOOSE
14. 1 0 TABLE ACCESS (FULL) OF 'DUAL'
15.
16. Statistics
17. ----------------------------------------------------------
18. 0 recursive calls
19. 2 db block gets
20. 1 consistent gets
21. 0 physical reads
22. 0 redo size
23. 181 bytes sent via SQL*Net to client
24. 256 bytes received via SQL*Net from client
25. 3 SQL*Net roundtrips to/from client
26. 0 sorts (memory)
27. 0 sorts (disk)
28. 1 rows processed
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How can one prevent SQL*Plus connection warning messages?

When I go to SQl*Plus, I get the following errors:

Error accessing PRODUCT_USER_PROFILE

Warning: Product user profile information not loaded!
You may need to run PUPBLD.SQL as SYSTEM
This messages will stop appearing when you create the PRODUCT_USER_PROFILE
table in the SYSTEM schema. This is performed by the PUPBLD.SQL script.
Go to the $ORACLE_HOME/sqlplus/admin directory, connect as SYSTEM and run
@PUPBLD.SQL from the sql prompt.
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Can one prevent users from executing devious commands?

Yes, command authorization is verified against the
SYSTEM.PRODUCT_USER_PROFILE table. This table is created by the
PUPBLD.SQL script. Note that this table is not used when someone signs on as user
SYSTEM.
Eg. to disable all users whose names starts with OPS$ from executing the CONNECT
command:
SQL> INSERT INTO SYSTEM.PRODUCT_USER_PROFILE
VALUES ('SQL*Plus', 'OPS$%', 'CONNECT', NULL, NULL,
'DISABLED', NULL, NULL);
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How does one restore session state in SQL*Plus?

Use the "STORE SET" command to write current settings (SHOW ALL) to a file. This
file can later be executed to restore all settings. Look at the following example (Oracle8
and above):
SQL> STORE SET filename REPLACE
SQL> (do whatever you like)
SQL> @filename
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How can one disable SQL*Plus formatting?

SQL*Plus tries to format data from the database into a humanly readable format. This
formatting can be disabled by issuing the following SET commands:
SET ECHO OFF
SET NEWPAGE 0
SET SPACE 0
SET PAGESIZE 0
SET FEEDBACK OFF
SET HEADING OFF
SET TRIMSPOOL ON
These settings can also be abbreviated and entered on one line, eg.:
SET ECHO OFF NEWP 0 SPA 0 PAGES 0 FEED OFF HEAD OFF TRIMS
ON
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Can one pass operating system parameters to SQL*Plus?

One can pass operating system variables to sqlplus using this syntax:
sqlplus username/password @cmdfile.sql var1 var2 var3
Parameter var1 will be mapped to SQL*Plus variable &1, var2 to &2, etc. Look at this
example:
sqlplus scott/tiger @x.sql '"test parameter"' dual
Where x.sql consists of:
select '&1' from &2;
 exit 5;
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Something's wrong with my CLOB/ NCLOB/ LONG column. Where is my data?

SQL*Plus by default only shows the first 80 bytes of any LONG, CLOB and NCLOB
datatypes. The data is there, but since sqlplus is a command-line tool it tries not to print
out too much data. You can override this to tell sqlplus exactly how many bytes you want
to see:

SET LONG 32000

SELECT text FROM user_views WHERE rownum = 1;
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How does one copy data from one database to another in SQL*Plus?

The SQL*Plus COPY command is one of the fastest ways of copying data between
databases and schemas. This is also one of the few methods that will handle LONG
columns correctly. Look at this example:
COPY FROM SCOTT/TIGER@LOCAL_DB TO
SCOTT/TIGER@REMOTE_DB -
CREATE IMAGE_TABLE USING -
SELECT IMAGE_NO, IMAGE -
FROM IMAGES;
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Where can one get more info about SQL*Plus?

• Oracle: SQL*Plus Tutorial

• ORACLE SQL*Plus: An Introduction and Tutorial

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