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Dec 17, 2015 · Learn when and why to use SET DEFINE OFF in SQL Plus scripts to avoid substitution variables. See examples, explanations and answers from Oracle experts and users.
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SQL> set define offSQL> insert into customers (customer_name) values ('Marks & Spencers Ltd');1 row created.SQL> select customer_name from customers;CUSTOMER_NAME...Learn how to use substitution variables to repeat or change values in SQL*Plus commands. Substitution variables are preceded by one or two ampersands and can be defined, referenced, or deleted with SQL*Plus commands.
Learn how to use SET DEFINE to change the prefix character for substitution variables in SQL*Plus. You can also turn variable substitution off or on with this command.
- Contents
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Using Substitution Variables
- 3 Using Bind Variables
- 4 Using System Variables
- 5 SQL*Plus Substitution Variable Commands
- 6 Substitution Variable namespace, Types, Formats and Limits
- 7 iSQL*Plus and Substitution Variables
- 8 Substitution Variable Summary
- 9 Substitution Variable Examples
- GeneratedCaptionsTabForHeroSec
[This document was on OTN for many years but wasn't flagged for saving during an infrastructure migration in 2010. It is still useful because SQL*Plus is fundamentally unchanged. However check the SQL*Plus manualfor changes and new features.] This document explains how SQL*Plus substitution variables work and where they can be used. It shows the re...
2.1 Creating, Showing and Deleting Substitution Variables
Substitution variables can be explicitly created with the DEFINE command. Defining a variable means storing a value for future use: This creates a variable called "myv" containing the text "King". Another way to create substitution variables is with the ACCEPT command. This can be used to prompt for a value: This command causes SQL*Plus to stop and prompt you to enter a character string: What you enter is stored in the variable "myv2". The DEFINE command can also be used to display known vari...
2.2 Referencing Substitution Variables
Variables can be referenced by prefixing their name with an ampersand (&): SQL*Plus lists the statement line number and line containing the substitution variable "myv" before and after substitution: Lines verifying substitution are displayed for SQL or PL/SQL statements. The lines can be hidden with SET VERIFY OFF. Verification never occurs for variables in SQL*Plus commands (e.g. SPOOL and SET). A more practical use of substitution variables is to prompt for a value before referencing the va...
2.3 Prompting for Undefined Variables
If a variable is referenced using an "&" prefix, but the variable value is not yet defined, SQL*Plus prompts you for a value: After you enter a value, SQL*Plus substitutes the variable and executes the query. The Oracle Globalization Language setting (e.g. the language component of the NLS_LANG environment variable) determines the exact language used for the "Enter value for" prompt. The prompt text cannot otherwise be changed.
Bind variables are used in SQL and PL/SQL statements for holding data or result sets. They are commonly used in SQL statements to optimize statement performance. A statement with a bind variable may be re-executed multiple times without needing to be re-parsed. Their values can be set and referenced in PL/SQL blocks. They can be referenced in SQL s...
Most system variables are the SET command options used to control the behavior of the SQL*Plus system. For example, to set the output line size from SQL*Plus: The current status of each system variable can be displayed with the SHOW command. System variables are sometimes known as SET variables. Some system variables contain values that cannot be s...
Substitution variables can be used to replace options and values in almost all SQL*Plus commands. Several of the commands have special significance for substitution variables. These are discussed below.
6.1 Substitution Variable Namespace
In a SQL*Plus session there is just one global name space for substitution variables. If you reconnect using CONNECT, or run subscripts using "@", all variables ever defined are available for use and may be overridden or undefined. When a child script finishes, all substitution variables it defined or changed are visible to the calling script. This is particularly noticeable when a subscript executed with "@" or START is given script parameters. The parameters "&1" etc. get redefined and the...
6.2 Substitution Variable Types
The substitution variable types stored by SQL*Plus are: 1. CHAR 2. NUMBER 3. BINARY_FLOAT 4. BINARY_DOUBLE The CHAR type is a generic text format similar to the database table VARCHAR2 column type. All variables created: 1. with DEFINE 2. from prompts for "&" variables 3. from script parameters are of type CHAR. This ensures that values entered are substituted verbatim with no conversion loss. Variables created by COLUMN NEW_VALUE or OLD_VALUE for the columns in Oracle number format will have...
6.3 Substitution Variable Formats
When a variable is substituted, or its value is shown by a DEFINE command, it is formatted as text before the command referencing the variable is finally executed. CHAR variables are substituted verbatim. NUMBER variables are formatted according to SET NUMWIDTH (by default) or SET NUMFORMAT (if you have explicitly set one): The display format of a number can be changed even after the variable is created. To show this, first create a NUMBER variable. You cannot use DEFINE to do this because it...
iSQL*Plus was a web based version of SQL*Plus that was was obsoleted by Oracle APEXand is no longer used. iSQL*Plus Release 10.1 interactively prompts for substitution values as the statement referencing them is executed. Each undefined variable is prompted for on its own HTML page. This is similar to command-line SQL*Plus. Sometimes it is convenie...
SQL*Plus substitution variables can be used to customize reports and can be used instead of hard-coded text. Substitution variables can interact with bind and system variables. Substitution variables that have values stored are said to be defined. 1. Substitution variables can be defined explicitly: 1.1. with ACCEPT 1.2. with DEFINE 1.3. by passing...
9.1 Setting a Substitution Variable's Value
A substitution variable can be set in several ways. The common ways are given below. 1. The DEFINE command sets an explicit value: Copy code snippetCopied to ClipboardError: Could not CopyCopied to ClipboardError: Could not CopyCopy code snippetCopied to ClipboardError: Could not CopyCopied to ClipboardError: Could not CopyCopied to ClipboardError: Could not Copydefine myv = 'King' This creates a character variable "myv" set to the value "King". 2. The ACCEPT command: Copy code snippetCopied...
9.2 Using a Substitution Variable
Once a substitution variable has a value, it can be referenced by prefixing the variable name with an ampersand (&). If the variable "myv" is already defined it can be used like:
9.3 Finding All Defined Substitution Variables
The DEFINE command with no parameters shows all defined substitution variables, their values, and their types. For example: might give:
Learn how to use the DEFINE command to create and manage substitution variables in SQL*Plus. Substitution variables can replace hard-coded text in SQL and SQL*Plus statements, and can be set to script parameters, query values, or user input.
Dec 12, 2018 · Tom & Jerry. When SQL*Plus comes to process this, it'll ask you what to replace the variable Jerry with. And insert that instead: SQL> create table t ( 2 c1 varchar2(20) 3 ); Table created. SQL> set define off. SQL> insert into t values ( 'Tom & Jerry' ); 1 row created. SQL> set define on. SQL> insert into t values ( 'Tom & Jerry' );
SET DEFINE OFF disables the parsing of commands to replace substitution variables with their values. 9.5.5 SET FLUSH OFF SET FLUSH OFF enables the operating system to buffer output.
Jul 18, 2022 · Bino Kochumol Varghese / 18 Jul 2022. The SET DEFINE command changes the prefix character used to mark substitution variables. You can use SET DEFINE to turn variable substitution off. SET DEF[INE] { OFF | ON | prefix_char} Define is a SQL*Plus client variable. It is NOT a database level setting.
