Oracle SQL LOADER

Introduction of SQL LOADER:-

SQL LOADER is an Oracle utility used to load data from the given data-file into table or tables created in the database. The data-file which has the records those need to be loaded. SQL*Loader takes data file, as well as a control file, to insert data into the table. When a Control file is executed, it may create 3 files called log file, bad file, and discard file.

Log file will be created for sure in any case (Pass or fail).

Bad file would only be created if any record validation fails and Discard file would be created only WHEN condition fails (If Control file has the WHEN condition).

Log file tells you the number of logical records already read from the input data-file and the state of the tables and indexes. This information can be used to resume the load where it left off.

Bad file gives you the records that were rejected because of formatting errors or because they caused Oracle/validation errors .

Discard file specifies the records that do not meet any of the loading criteria like when any of the WHEN clauses specified in the control file. These records differ from rejected records.

CONTROL file will have the path and name of the DATA-FILE. If both the CONTROL and DATA files are present in the same directory then you do not need to give any path of the data-file (Name of the file will be enough).

SQL LOADER utility can be used from any Operating system like Windows, UNIX or Linux etc.

Types of the Data File Structure:

They are two different types format structure of the data-file.

1) Fixed Record Format

2) Variable Record Format.

Variable Record Format:-

Variable Record Format would like below where the data fields are separated by a delimiter.

Note: The Delimiter can be anything you like. In this case it is "|"

NAME1|0001|9999|08-JAN-08|10

NAME1112|0033|989|08-FEB-08|20

NAME1231|0021|9999|08-SEP-08|30

NAME45601|0041|9999|08-AUG-08|40

NAME23451|0051|9999|08-JUL-08|30

NAME56541|0023|9999|08-JAN-08|40

Structure of a Control File:

Sample CONTROL/CTL file for loading a variable record data file.

OPTIONS (SKIP = 2) --The first 2 rows will be skipped in data file.

LOAD DATA -- It’s kind of the BEGIN statement in CTL file.

INFILE '$FILE' -- Specify the data file path and name

APPEND -- Type of loading (INSERT, APPEND, REPLACE, TRUNCATE

INTO TABLE ‘Your Table Name’ -- the table to be loaded into

FIELDS TERMINATED BY '|' -- Symbol (|) which used to separate the col’s

OPTIONALLY ENCLOSED BY '"' --Values of the data fields may be enclosed (")

TRAILING NULLCOLS -- columns that are not present in the record treated as null

(

COL1 “TRIM (:COL1)", -- Can use all SQL functions on columns

COL2 DECIMAL EXTERNAL,

COL3 DECIMAL EXTERNAL,

COL4 "TO_CHAR(:COL,'DD-MON-YY')", --Date format can be given

COL5 CONSTANT "AOT" -- Can specify constant value instead of getting value from datafile

)

OPTION statement precedes the LOAD DATA statement. The OPTIONS parameter allows you to specify runtime arguments in the control file, rather than on the command line. The following arguments can be specified using the OPTIONS parameter.

SKIP = n -- Number of logical records to skip (Default 0)

LOAD = n -- Number of logical records to load (Default all)

ERRORS = n -- Number of errors to allow (Default 50)

ROWS = n -- Number of rows in conventional path bind array or between direct path data saves (Default: Conventional Path 64, direct path all)

BINDSIZE = n -- Size of conventional path bind array in bytes (System-dependent

default)

SILENT = {FEEDBACK | ERRORS | DISCARDS | ALL} -- Suppress messages during run (header, feedback, errors, discards, partitions, all)

DIRECT = {TRUE | FALSE} --Use direct path (Default FALSE)

PARALLEL = {TRUE | FALSE} -- Perform parallel load (Default FALSE)

LOAD DATA statement is required at the beginning of the control file.

INFILE: INFILE keyword is used to specify location and name of the data-file.

INFILE * specifies that the data is found in the control file and not in an external file. You will find the data in the same CONTROL file.

INFILE '$FILE', can be used to send the file path and filename as a parameter when registered as a concurrent program in the Oracle Application.

INFILE '/home/demo/phani/file01.txt' specifies the file-path and the filename.

Example: - For the data-file is an external file.

LOAD DATA

INFILE ' /home/demo/phani/file01.txt'

INTO TABLE XX_EMP

FIELDS TERMINATED BY ","

(NAME, ENUM, SAL, JDATE, DEPTNO)

Example: - For the data-file is in the Control file.

LOAD DATA

INFILE *

INTO TABLE xx_emp

FIELDS TERMINATED BY "|"

( NAME, ENUM, SAL, JDATE,DEPTNO )

BEGINDATA

Apps88|0001|9999|08-JAN-08|10

Oracle|0033|989|08-FEB-08|20

Raju|0021|9999|08-SEP-08|30

Applications|0041|9999|08-AUG-08|40

Example: - For the file name and path is sent as a parameter when registered as a concurrent

program

LOAD DATA

INFILE '$FILE'

INTO TABLE SCOTT.XX_EMP

FIELDS TERMINATED BY ","

(NAME, ENUM, SAL, JDATE, DEPTNO)

TYPE OF LOADING:

INSERT -- If the table you are loading is empty, INSERT can be used.

APPEND -- If data already exists in the table, SQL*Loader appends the new rows to it. If data doesn't already exist, the new rows are simply loaded.

REPLACE -- All rows in the table are deleted and the new data is loaded

TRUNCATE -- SQL*Loader uses the SQL TRUNCATE command.

INTO TABLE is required to identify the table to be loaded and in the above example

INTO TABLE "SCOTT"."XX_EMP", SCOTT refers to the Schema and XX_EMP is the Table name.

Note: - The Schema name is not the mandatory. Since, when we run the command to run the CTL file, we will provide the login information. So, what ever the username we give in the command It will look for the object in that schema. (Schema name is nothing but the Username you are using to login into the

database).

FIELDS TERMINATED BY specifies how the data fields are terminated in the data-file. (If the file is Comma delimited or Pipe delimited etc)

OPTIONALLY ENCLOSED BY '"' specifies that data fields may also be enclosed by quotation marks.

TRAILING NULLCOLS clause tells SQL*Loader to treat any relatively positioned columns that are not present in the record as null columns.

Command to Run the SQL*Loader:-

sqlldr USERID='User_name'/'Password' CONTROL='Your control filename' LOG='Log file name'

Example:- sqlldr USERID=scott/tiger CONTROL=aottest.ctl

1) You provide the Username and password to connect to the database.

2) Control file name should be given which you want to run. In the above Example aottest.ctl control file name.

3) Log file name can be given. So that when log file is create by the command would create with same name as given. But this is not the default parameter. If log name is not given then by default name would be given by the system.

Fixed record format:-

Fixed Record Format would look like the below. In this case you give a specific position where the Control file can expect a data field.

1001 PHANI CLERK

1002 REDDY SALESMAN

1003 USER1 SALESMAN

1004 USER2 MANAGER

1005 USER3 SALESMAN

1006 USER4 MANAGER

1007 USER5 MANAGER

1008 USER6 ANALYST

1009 USER7 PRESIDENT

2010 USER8 SALESMAN

1011 USER9 CLERK

Structure of a Control file:

Sample CONTROL/CTL file for loading a Fixed Record Data file.

OPTIONS (SKIP = 2) --The first 2 rows will be skipped in data file.

LOAD DATA -- It’s kind of the BEGIN statement in CTL file.

INFILE '$FILE' -- Specify the data file path and name

APPEND -- Type of loading (INSERT, APPEND, REPLACE, TRUNCATE

INTO TABLE ‘Your Table Name’ -- the table to be loaded into

(

COL1 POSITION(01:04) INTEGER EXTERNAL,

COL2 POSITION(06:10) CHAR,

COL3 POSITION(16:24) CHAR

)

SKIP = n -- Number of logical records to skip (Default 0)

LOAD = n -- Number of logical records to load (Default all)

ERRORS = n -- Number of errors to allow (Default 50)

ROWS = n -- Number of rows in conventional path bind array or between direct path data saves (Default: Conventional Path 64, direct path all)

BINDSIZE = n -- Size of conventional path bind array in bytes (System-dependent default)

SILENT = {FEEDBACK | ERRORS | DISCARDS | ALL} -- Suppress messages during run (header, feedback, errors, discards, partitions, all)

DIRECT = {TRUE | FALSE} --Use direct path (Default FALSE)

PARALLEL = {TRUE | FALSE} -- Perform parallel load (Default FALSE)

LOAD DATA statement is required at the beginning of the control file.

INFILE: INFILE keyword is used to specify location and name of the data-file.

INFILE * specifies that the data is found in the control file and not in an external file. You will find the

data in the same CONTROL file.

INFILE '$FILE', can be used to send the file path and filename as a parameter when registered as a concurrent program in the Oracle Application.

INFILE '/home/demo/phani/file01.txt' specifies the file-path and the filename.

TYPE OF LOADING:

INSERT -- If the table you are loading is empty, INSERT can be used.

APPEND -- If data already exists in the table, SQL*Loader appends the new rows to it. If data doesn't already exist, the new rows are simply loaded.

REPLACE -- All rows in the table are deleted and the new data is loaded

TRUNCATE -- SQL*Loader uses the SQL TRUNCATE command.

INTO TABLE is required to identify the table to be loaded.

Command to Run the SQL*Loader:-

sqlldr USERID='User_name'/'Password' CONTROL='Your control filename' LOG='Log file name'

Example:- sqlldr USERID=scott/tiger CONTROL=aottest.ctl

1) You provide the Username and password to connect to the database.

2) Control file name should be given which you want to run. In the above Example aottest.ctl control file name.

It is always good to run some script successfully and tries to learn more about it, features etc. This page is design for the SQL*LOADER scripts for the Fixed format data-file.

Follow the Steps Given Below to Run the Fixed Format Data-File Script:

1) Create one Folder in your Operating System. Let the folder name ‘XYZ’

2) Download the Data-File in the XYZ folder. Click on the link given to download the Data-File: Click Here

3) Download the CONTROL in the XYZ folder. Click on the Link given to download the CONTROL file: Click Here

4) Download the CREATE Table script in the XYZ Folder. Click on the Link given to Download the create table script: Click Here

5) Execute/Run the Create Table script in your database to create the table.

6) Run the command to run the Control file. sqlldr USERID=scott/tiger CONTROL=aottest.ctl

7) Verify the log file created and also check if there is any bad or discard file created.

8) Query the table in database where you have INSERTED the records.