What is SQL*Loader?

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What is SQL*Loader?

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SQL*Loader is an Oracle utility that is used to load data from external data files into tables of an Oracle database. It has a powerful data-parsing engine that puts little limitation on the format of the data in the data file. SQL*Loader provides the most efficient way of loading large amounts of data in an Oracle database. SQL*Loader can be used to perform the following tasks:

Load data from a disk, tape, or named pipe.

Load data from multiple data files during the same load session.

Load data into multiple tables during the same load session.

Specify the character set of the data.

Manipulate the data by using SQL functions before loading it.

Generate unique sequential key values in the specified columns of a table.

Use the operating system's file system to access the data files.

Load data selectively, i.e., the records can be loaded on the basis of their values.

Generate sophisticated error reports, which greatly help in troubleshooting.

Use either conventional or direct path loading. While conventional path loading is very flexible, direct path loading provides superior loading performance.

Use secondary data files for loading data of LOB and collection datatypes.

Load complex object-relational data.

A typical SQL*Loader session takes a control file and one or more data files as input. The control file controls the behavior of SQL*Loader. The data files contain the data that is to be loaded in an Oracle database. The SQL*Loader creates a log file, bad file, and possibly a discard file as output.

The log file contains a detailed summary of the load operation, including a description of errors that occurred during the load operation. The bad file contains records that were rejected either by SQL*Loader or by the Oracle database server. The discard file contains records that were filtered out (not inserted in any table in the database) by SQL*Loader because they did not match any record-selection criterion specified in the control file.

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