Structure of This Book
This book is divided into eleven chapters and two appendixes. The chapters are task-oriented and show you how you can use SQL*Plus to perform common tasks such as printing a report, or extracting data to a file. The appendixes contain reference material, such as a list of all SQL*Plus commands.
Chapter 1, goes into more detail about what SQL*Plus really is and why you should master it. It gives you a taste of the many different tasks SQL*Plus can be used for. A short history of SQL*Plus is included, as well as a description of the database used for many of the examples in this book, particularly the reporting examples.
Chapter 2, shows you how to start SQL*Plus, enter, execute, and edit commands. This is basic information you need to know.
Chapter 3, explains the reporting features of SQL*Plus, and also presents a step-by-step method for creating a report that has worked very well for me.
Chapter 4, explains the basic scripting capabilities of SQL*Plus. Primarily, this chapter shows how SQL*Plus substitution variables work, and how you can use them to your advantage. In addition, it covers the subject of getting input from a user, and shows you how to control the output the user sees as the script is executed.
Chapter 5, shows how you can use SQL*Plus to extract data from an Oracle database and place it into a text file suitable for loading into another program such as a spreadsheet. This text file may be delimited, by commas, for example, or it may consist ...