Oracle SQL*Plus Pocket Reference, 3rd Edition

Introduction

The Oracle SQL*Plus Pocket Reference is a quick reference guide to SQL*Plus and to frequently used SQL statements. The purpose of this book is to help you find the syntax of specific language elements, including those in Oracle Database 10g. It is not a self-contained user guide; basic knowledge of SQL*Plus and SQL is assumed. For more detail and for tutorial information about SQL and SQL*Plus, see my book Oracle SQL*Plus: The Definitive Guide (O’Reilly). Mastering Oracle SQL by Sanjay Mishra and Alan Beaulieu (O’Reilly) is a good resource if you need advanced help with SQL. My own SQL Pocket Guide (O’Reilly) is, I hope, a good resource for those working with SQL on multiple platforms.

SQL sections within this book include the following:

• Selecting Data

• Modeling Data

• Inserting Data

• Updating Data

• Deleting Data

• Merging Data (Oracle9i and Higher)

• Transaction Management

The rest of the book is devoted to SQL*Plus.

Acknowledgments

Deborah Russell, Darl Kuhn, Ken Jacobs, John Haydu, and Alison Holloway all played a part in making this book a reality. For their assistance and support, I’m most grateful.

Conventions

UPPERCASE

Indicates SQL*Plus, SQL, or PL/SQL keywords

lowercase

Indicates user-defined items such as table names

Italic

Indicates filenames, URLs, usernames, passwords, emphasis, and introduction of new terms

Constant width

Used for code examples

Constant width italic

Indicates an element of syntax you need to supply in a SQL*Plus command or SQL statement

Constant width bold

Indicates user ...