Oracle SQL*Loader: The Definitive Guide: The Definitive Guide

by Jonathan Gennick, Sanjay Mishra

Overview

SQL*Loader is a ubiquitous tool in the Oracle world. It has been shipped with Oracle since at least Version 6 and continues to be supported and enhanced with each new version of Oracle, including Oracle8 and Oracle8i. The job of SQL*Loader is to load data from flat files into an Oracle database. It's optimized for loading large volumes of data, and is flexible enough to handle virtually any input format. Almost every Oracle user has to use SQL*Loader at one time or another, and DBAs are frequently called upon to load data for the users in their organization. Despite SQL*Loader's wide availability and usage, few DBAs and developers know how to get the most out of it. Oracle SQL*Loader: The Definitive Guide has everything you need to know to put SQL*Loader to its best use: an introduction to SQL*Loader, a reference to all of its syntax options, and most importantly, step-by-step instructions for all the SQL*Loader tasks you'd want to perform—and maybe some you didn't realize you COULD perform. You'll learn how to construct the necessary control files and load from different types of files containing different types of data (e.g., fixed-width data, delimited data, and data of various datatypes). You'll also learn how to validate data, load it selectively, transform it as it is loaded, and recover after failure. This book explains how to optimize SQL*Loader performance by adjusting the transaction size and using the new direct path option. It also covers the newest SQL*Loader features—the loading of large object (LOB) columns and the new object types (nested tables, varying arrays, and object tables). Oracle SQL*Loader: The Definitive Guide is an indispensable resource for anyone who is new to SQL*Loader; a task-oriented learning tool for those who are already using it; and a quick reference for every user. If you want to take best advantage of an essential Oracle tool, you need this book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781565929487
Publisher:	O'Reilly Media, Incorporated
Publication date:	04/01/2001
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.19(h) x 0.74(d)

About the Author

Jonathan Gennick is an O'Reilly & Associates editor specializing in database and programming titles. Prior to joining O'Reilly, Jonathan amassed some 17 years of programming and database management experience. During the latter part of his career he specialized in relational database programming, and more recently in database management. Jonathan got his start with relational database systems in 1990, first working with Ingres, and later with Digital's Rdb software. During that period he developed a fondness for SQL, and for the challenge of applying SQL creatively in ways that leveraged it's set-oriented capabilities. In 1994 Jonathan made the leap to Oracle, and is now often found writing about it. Recent projects include Oracle SQL*Loader (O'Reilly & Associates, 2001); Oracle SQL*Plus Pocket Reference (O'Reilly & Associates, 2000); Oracle SQL*Plus: The Definitive Guide (O'Reilly & Associates, 1999); More recently, Jonathan has made forays into other database products, coauthoring Transact-SQL Cookbook (O'Reilly & Associates, 2002) and editing Practical PostgreSQL (O'Reilly & Associates, 2002). Jonathan is certified as an Oracle DBA and is a member of MENSA and the Oracle Technology Network. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Information and Computer Science, with a Business Administration minor, from Andrews Universityin Berrien Springs, Michigan. Jonathan currently resides in Munising, Michigan with his wife Donna and their two children: Jenny and Jeff. Jonathan may be contacted by email at [e-mail], and you can learn more about him personally by visiting his website at http://gennick.com.

Sanjay Mishra is a certified Oracle database administrator with more than ten years of IT experience. He has been involved in the design, architecture, and implementation of many mission-critical and decision support databases. He has worked extensively in the areas of database architecture, database management, backup / recovery, performance tuning, Oracle Parallel Server, and parallel execution. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, and a Master of Engineering degree in Systems Science and Automation. He is the coauthor of Oracle Parallel Processing and Oracle SQL Loader: The Definitive Guide (both published by O'Reilly & Associates). Presently, he works as a database architect at Dallas Based i2 Technologies, and can be reached at [e-mail].

Table of Contents

Copyright; Dedication; Preface; Why We Wrote This Book; Audience for This Book; Platform and Version; Structure of This Book; Conventions Used in This Book; Comments and Questions; Acknowledgments; Chapter 1: Introduction to SQL*Loader; 1.1 The SQL*Loader Environment; 1.2 A Short SQL*Loader Example; 1.3 SQL*Loader's Capabilities; 1.4 Issues when Loading Data; 1.5 Invoking SQL*Loader; Chapter 2: The Mysterious Control File; 2.1 Syntax Rules; 2.2 The LOAD Statement; 2.3 Command-Line Parameters in the Control File; 2.4 Placing Data in the Control File; Chapter 3: Fields and Datatypes; 3.1 Field Specifications; 3.2 Datatypes; Chapter 4: Loading from Fixed-Width Files; 4.1 Common Datatypes Encountered; 4.2 Specifying Field Positions; 4.3 Handling Anomalous Data; 4.4 Concatenating Records; 4.5 Nesting Delimited Fields; Chapter 5: Loading Delimited Data; 5.1 Common Datatypes Encountered; 5.2 Example Data; 5.3 Using Delimiters to Identify Fields; 5.4 Common Issues with Delimited Data; 5.5 Concatenating Records; 5.6 Handling Nested Fields; Chapter 6: Recovering from Failure; 6.1 Deleting and Starting Over; 6.2 Restarting a Conventional Path Load; 6.3 Restarting a Direct Path Load; Chapter 7: Validating and Selectively Loading Data; 7.1 Handling Rejected Records; 7.2 Selectively Loading Data; Chapter 8: Transforming Data During a Load; 8.1 Using Oracle's Built-in SQL Functions; 8.2 Writing Your Own Functions; 8.3 Passing Data Through Work Tables; 8.4 Using Triggers; 8.5 Performing Character Set Conversion; Chapter 9: Transaction Size and Performance Issues; 9.1 Transaction Processing in SQL*Loader; 9.2 Commit Frequency and Load Performance; 9.3 Commit Frequency and Rollback Segments; 9.4 Performance Improvement Guidelines; Chapter 10: Direct Path Loads; 10.1 What is the Direct Path?; 10.2 Performing Direct Path Loads; 10.3 Data Saves; 10.4 Loading Data Fields Greater than 64K; 10.5 UNRECOVERABLE Loads; 10.6 Parallel Data Loading; Chapter 11: Loading Large Objects; 11.1 About Large Objects; 11.2 Considerations when Loading LOBs; 11.3 Loading Inline LOBs; 11.4 Loading LOBs from External Data Files; 11.5 Loading BFILEs; Chapter 12: Loading Objects and Collections; 12.1 Loading Object Tables and Columns; 12.2 Loading Collections; 12.3 Using NULLIF and DEFAULTIF with an Object or a Collection; Colophon;

Editorial Reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
Over the years, Oracle has steadily enhanced SQL*Loader's capabilities and performance, making it an increasingly powerful tool for loading large volumes of data. The catch? This command-line utility is tough to learn -- and Oracle's documentation is confusing. Hence, many DBAs have barely scratched the surface with it -- and that's a shame.

Oracle SQL*Loader: The Definitive Guide to the rescue. Jonathan Gennick and Sanjay Mishra have plumbed the depths of SQL*Loader and lived to tell the tale -- which they do, with clarity, precision, and plenty of examples. For example, there's in-depth coverage of "the mysterious control file" that directs SQL*Loader's behavior. There are detailed chapters on loading from fixed-width files and delimited data sources, even loading large objects and collections.

There's a full chapter on recovering from failure: how to determine what was loaded, and restart from where things went awry. You'll learn how to selectively load data; validate and transform data as it loads; and tweak SQL*Loader to improve performance. Speaking of tweaking, there's a full chapter on direct path loads, which can supercharge performance by avoiding SQL processing bottlenecks.

Don't ignore SQL*Loader. Don't dread it. Make the most of it -- with this book.(Bill Camarda)

--Bill Camarda is a consultant, writer, and web/multimedia content developer with nearly 20 years' experience in helping technology companies deploy and market advanced products and services. He served for nearly ten years as vice president of a New Jersey-based marketing company, where he supervised a wide range of graphics and web design projects. His 15 books include Special Edition Using Word 2000.

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