Preface

This document describes how to use the Oracle9i database utilities for data transfer, data maintenance, and database administration.

This preface contains these topics:

Audience

This document is for database administrators (DBAs), application programmers, security administrators, system operators, and other Oracle users who perform the following tasks:

Archive data, back up an Oracle database, or move data between Oracle databases using the Export and Import utilities
Load data into Oracle tables from operating system files using SQL*Loader or from external sources using the external tables feature
Extract and manipulate complete representations of the metadata for database objects, using the Metadata API
Maintain the internal database identifier (DBID) and the database name (DBNAME) for an operational database, using the DBNEWID utility.

To use this manual, you need a working knowledge of SQL and Oracle fundamentals, information that is contained in Oracle9i Database Concepts. In addition, SQL*Loader requires that you know how to use the file management facilities of your operating system.

Documentation Accessibility

Our goal is to make Oracle products, services, and supporting documentation accessible, with good usability, to the disabled community. To that end, our documentation includes features that make information available to users of assistive technology. This documentation is available in HTML format, and contains markup to facilitate access by the disabled community. Standards will continue to evolve over time, and Oracle Corporation is actively engaged with other market-leading technology vendors to address technical obstacles so that our documentation can be accessible to all of our customers. For additional information, visit the Oracle Accessibility Program Web site at

http://www.oracle.com/accessibility/

Accessibility of Code Examples in Documentation

JAWS, a Windows screen reader, may not always correctly read the code examples in this document. The conventions for writing code require that closing braces should appear on an otherwise empty line; however, JAWS may not always read a line of text that consists solely of a bracket or brace.

Organization

This document contains:

Part I, "Export and Import"

Chapter 1, "Export"

This chapter describes how to use Export to write data from an Oracle database into transportable files. It discusses export guidelines, export modes, interactive and command-line methods, parameter specifications, and Export object support. It also provides example Export sessions.

Chapter 2, "Import"

This chapter describes how to use Import to read data from Export files into an Oracle database. It discusses import guidelines, interactive and command-line methods, parameter specifications, and Import object support. It also provides several examples of Import sessions.

Part II, "SQL*Loader"

Chapter 3, "SQL*Loader Concepts"

This chapter introduces SQL*Loader and describes its features. It also introduces data loading concepts (including object support). It discusses input to SQL*Loader, database preparation, and output from SQL*Loader.

Chapter 4, "SQL*Loader Command-Line Reference"

This chapter describes the command-line syntax used by SQL*Loader. It discusses command-line arguments, suppressing SQL*Loader messages, sizing the bind array, and more.

Chapter 5, "SQL*Loader Control File Reference"

This chapter describes the control file syntax you use to configure SQL*Loader and to describe to SQL*Loader how to map your data to Oracle format. It provides detailed syntax diagrams and information about specifying datafiles, tables and columns, the location of data, the type and format of data to be loaded, and more.

Chapter 6, "Field List Reference"

This chapter describes the field list section of a SQL*Loader control file. The field list provides information about fields being loaded, such as position, datatype, conditions, and delimiters.

Chapter 7, "Loading Objects, LOBs, and Collections"

This chapter describes how to load column objects in various formats. It also discusses how to load object tables, REF columns, LOBs, and collections.

Chapter 8, "SQL*Loader Log File Reference"

This chapter describes the information contained in SQL*Loader log file output.

Chapter 9, "Conventional and Direct Path Loads"

This chapter describes the differences between a conventional path load and a direct path load. A direct path load is a high performance option that significantly reduces the time required to load large quantities of data.

Chapter 10, "SQL*Loader Case Studies"

This chapter presents case studies that illustrate some of the features of SQL*Loader. It demonstrates the loading of variable-length data, fixed-format records, a free-format file, multiple physical records as one logical record, multiple tables, direct path loads, and loading objects, collections, and REF columns.

Part III, "External Tables"

Chapter 11, "External Tables Concepts"

This chapter describes basic concepts about external tables.

Chapter 12, "External Tables Access Parameters"

This chapter describes the access parameters used to interface with the external tables API.

Part IV, "Other Utilities"

Chapter 13, "DBVERIFY: Offline Database Verification Utility"

This chapter describes how to use the offline database verification utility, DBVERIFY.

Chapter 14, "DBNEWID Utility"

This chapter describes how to use the DBNEWID utility to change the name or ID, or both, for a database.

Chapter 15, "Using the Metadata API"

This chapter describes the Metadata API, which you can use to extract and manipulate complete representations of the metadata for database objects.

Part V, "Appendixes"

Appendix A, "SQL*Loader Syntax Diagrams"

This appendix provides diagrams of the SQL*Loader syntax.

Appendix B, "DB2/DXT User Notes"

This appendix describes differences between the data definition language syntax of SQL*Loader and DB2 Load Utility control files. It discusses SQL*Loader extensions to the DB2 Load Utility, the DB2 RESUME option, options included for compatibility, and SQL*Loader restrictions.

Appendix C, "Backus-Naur Form Syntax"

This appendix explains the symbols and conventions of the variant of Backus-Naur Form (BNF) used in text descriptions of syntax diagrams.

Conventions

This section describes the conventions used in the text and code examples of this documentation set. It describes:

Conventions in Text

We use various conventions in text to help you more quickly identify special terms. The following table describes those conventions and provides examples of their use.

Convention	Meaning	Example
Bold	Bold typeface indicates terms that are defined in the text or terms that appear in a glossary, or both.	When you specify this clause, you create an index-organized table.
Italics	Italic typeface indicates book titles or emphasis.	Oracle9i Database Concepts Ensure that the recovery catalog and target database do not reside on the same disk.
`UPPERCASE monospace (fixed-width) font`	Uppercase monospace typeface indicates elements supplied by the system. Such elements include parameters, privileges, datatypes, RMAN keywords, SQL keywords, SQL*Plus or utility commands, packages and methods, as well as system-supplied column names, database objects and structures, usernames, and roles.	You can specify this clause only for a `NUMBER` column. You can back up the database by using the `BACKUP` command. Query the `TABLE_NAME` column in the `USER_TABLES` data dictionary view. Use the `DBMS_STATS`.`GENERATE_STATS` procedure.
`lowercase monospace (fixed-width) font`	Lowercase monospace typeface indicates executables, filenames, directory names, and sample user-supplied elements. Such elements include computer and database names, net service names, and connect identifiers, as well as user-supplied database objects and structures, column names, packages and classes, usernames and roles, program units, and parameter values. Note: Some programmatic elements use a mixture of UPPERCASE and lowercase. Enter these elements as shown.	Enter `sqlplus` to open SQL*Plus. The password is specified in the `orapwd` file. Back up the datafiles and control files in the `/disk1/oracle/dbs` directory. The `department_id`, `department_name`, and `location_id` columns are in the `hr.departments` table. Set the `QUERY_REWRITE_ENABLED` initialization parameter to `true.` Connect as `oe` user. The `JRepUtil` class implements these methods.
`lowercase italic monospace (fixed-width) font`	Lowercase monospace italic font represents placeholders or variables.	You can specify the `parallel_clause`. Run `U``old_release``.SQL` where `old_release` refers to the release you installed prior to upgrading.

Conventions in Code Examples

Code examples illustrate SQL, PL/SQL, SQL*Plus, or other command-line statements. They are displayed in a monospace (fixed-width) font and separated from normal text as shown in this example:

SELECT username FROM dba_users WHERE username = 'MIGRATE';

The following table describes typographic conventions used in code examples and provides examples of their use.

Convention	Meaning	Example
[ ]	Brackets enclose one or more optional items. Do not enter the brackets.	`DECIMAL (``digits` `[ ,` `precision` `])`
{ }	Braces enclose two or more items, one of which is required. Do not enter the braces.	`{ENABLE \| DISABLE}`
\|	A vertical bar represents a choice of two or more options within brackets or braces. Enter one of the options. Do not enter the vertical bar.	`{ENABLE \| DISABLE}` `[COMPRESS \| NOCOMPRESS]`
`...`	Horizontal ellipsis points indicate either: That we have omitted parts of the code that are not directly related to the example That you can repeat a portion of the code	`CREATE TABLE ... AS` `subquery``;` `SELECT` `col1``,` `col2``, ... ,` `coln` `FROM employees;`
. . .	Vertical ellipsis points indicate that we have omitted several lines of code not directly related to the example.	SQL> SELECT NAME FROM V$DATAFILE; NAME ------------------------------------ /fsl/dbs/tbs_01.dbf /fs1/dbs/tbs_02.dbf . . . /fsl/dbs/tbs_09.dbf 9 rows selected.
Other notation	You must enter symbols other than brackets, braces, vertical bars, and ellipsis points as shown.	`acctbal NUMBER(11,2);` `acct CONSTANT NUMBER(4) := 3;`
`Italics`	Italicized text indicates placeholders or variables for which you must supply particular values.	`CONNECT SYSTEM/``system_password` `DB_NAME =` `database_name`
`UPPERCASE`	Uppercase typeface indicates elements supplied by the system. We show these terms in uppercase in order to distinguish them from terms you define. Unless terms appear in brackets, enter them in the order and with the spelling shown. However, because these terms are not case sensitive, you can enter them in lowercase.	`SELECT last_name, employee_id FROM employees;` `SELECT * FROM USER_TABLES;` `DROP TABLE hr.employees;`
`lowercase`	Lowercase typeface indicates programmatic elements that you supply. For example, lowercase indicates names of tables, columns, or files. Note: Some programmatic elements use a mixture of UPPERCASE and lowercase. Enter these elements as shown.	`SELECT last_name, employee_id FROM employees;` `sqlplus hr/hr` `CREATE USER mjones IDENTIFIED BY ty3MU9;`