Oracle SQL* Plus Pocket Reference

SQL*Plus is available at every Oracle site--from the largest data warehouse to the smallest single-user system--and it's a critical tool for virtually every Oracle user. Despite its wide use, few developers and DBAs know how powerful a tool SQL*Plus can be.

This pocket reference provides quick reference information that will help you use SQL*Plus, Oracle's interactive query tool. It summarizes all of the SQL*Plus syntax, including the syntax for the Oracle9i release. This book boils down the most vital information from Gennick's best-selling book, "Oracle SQL8Plus: The Definitive Guide", into an accessible summary and works as a vital companion to the larger book. It concisely describes interacting with SQL*Plus, selecting data, formatting reports with SQL*Plus, and tuning SQL queries. It also contains quick references to the SQL*Plus commands and format elements.

The new 2nd edition of our Oracle SQL*Plus Pocket Reference includes many new features for Oracle9i (e.g., COALESCE function, searched CASE expressions, new table join syntax, partition operations, MERGE statement, and syntax changes in existing SQL*Plus statements such as ACCEPT, DESRIBE, HELP, and SET) It also adds sections on basic SQL (a much-requested feature): INSERT, DELETE, UPDATE, SELECT, and transaction management. The pocket reference size is especially appropriate for this particular subject, since Oracle SQL*Plus is used on every possible platform, it's particularly convenient to be able to carry a small book around from office computer to home computer to laptop.

Contents

• Starting SQL*Plus
• Entering Commands
• Strings in SQL*Plus Commands
• Specifying Filenames
• Naming Variables

• The SELECT Statement
• Null Values
• CASE Expressions
• Table Joins (Oracle8i)
• Table Joins (Oracle9i)
• Summary Queries
• Unions
• Partition Operations

• Inserting One Row
• Inserting the Results of a Query
• Multitable Inserts (Oracle9i)

• Simple Updates
• Noncorrelated Subqueries in the SET Clause
• Correlated Subqueries in the SET Clause

• Simple Deletes
• Deleting All Rows (TRUNCATE)
• Deleting Duplicate Rows

• SET TRANSACTION
• SAVEPOINT
• COMMIT
• ROLLBACK

• Column Headings
• Column Formats
• Page Width and Length
• Page Headers and Footers
• Page Breaks
• Report Breaks

• Creating the Plan Table
• Explaining a Query
• Querying the Plan Table
• Using Optimizer Hints

• Formatting Numbers
• Formatting Character Strings
• Formatting Dates