Chapter 6. SQL*Plus
SQL*Plus is Oracle's primary command-line interface to the database. It allows you to execute SQL statements and PL/SQL blocks and to format output. It also gives you a certain amount of operational control. SQL*Plus has been available since the earliest versions of Oracle (when it was called the User Friendly Interface (UFI)). SQL*Plus can execute the following types of statements:
SQL statements (DDL and DML) corresponding to the ANSI SQL standard and Oracle extensions
PL/SQL statements, a proprietary SQL language extension from Oracle
SQL*Plus statements, proprietary formatting and operational statements from Oracle
In simple terms, this means that SQL*Plus works with source statements directly, without the need for separate compilation. SQL statements are sent to the Oracle server (locally or via Net8 or SQL*Net), where they are parsed and executed. PL/SQL blocks are also sent to the Oracle server, where they are compiled and executed. SQL*Plus statements are executed directly by the running copy of SQL*Plus.
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