oracle foreign key primary key constraints performance tuning MTS IOT 9i block size backup rman corrupted column drop rename recovery controlfile backup clone architecture database archives export dump dmp duplicate rows extents segments fragmentation hot cold blobs migration tablespace locally managed redo undo new features rollback ora-1555 shrink free space user password link TNS tnsnames.ora listener java shutdown sequence

1. Performing a mass-load of BLOBS Administration Tips
Mass-loading BLOBS into a table
Here's a real issue I had to deal with recently, and thanks to Anurag Varma
(avdbi@hotmail.com) who's a regular poster on the comp.databases.oracle.server
newsgroup and who proffered these techniques in response to my own pleas for help, I can
now share them with you.
My table was constructed thus:
CREATE TABLE ALBUM (
PHOTOID NUMBER CONSTRAINT PHOTOID_PK PRIMARY KEY,
PHOTO BLOB);
...with a sequence and trigger to generate a unique number for each photo to be loaded:
CREATE SEQUENCE PHOTONUM;
CREATE OR REPLACE TRIGGER IDPHOTO
BEFORE INSERT ON ALBUM
FOR EACH ROW
BEGIN
SELECT PHOTONUM.NEXTVAL
INTO :NEW.PHOTOID FROM DUAL;
END;
10
So how best to load all 10000+ photos into the album table?
First, get a listing of all the files, and store it in a text file which we'll call photos.lst. Easy
enough: just type DIR /B /S D:PHOTOALBUM*.* > PHOTOS.LST in a DOS window.
Second, create a SQL Loader control file, which we'll call loadalbum.ctl, containing the
following lines:
LOAD DATA
INFILE PHOTOS.LST
INTO TABLE ALBUM
(EXT_FNAME FILLER CHAR(200),
PHOTO LOBFILE(EXT_FNAME) TERMINATED BY EOF)
Finally, run SQL Loader by typing the following command:
SQLLDR USERID=USERNAME/PASSWOIRD@TNSNAMES_ALIAS CONTROL=LOADALBUM.CTL
Copyright © Howard Rogers 2001 10/18/2001 Page 1 of 2

2. Performing a mass-load of BLOBS Administration Tips
You should find the thing now proceeds apace, and at the end of it, you should check the
SQL Loader log file for any errors that might have been encountered. That will be located
in a file called (in this case) loadalbum.log, located in the directory from which you
launched SQL Loader in the first place.
The principle lesson to be learned here is that SQL Loader is a fine tool for mass-loading
blobs into Oracle -a fact which I'd forgotten, and of which Anurag kindly reminded me.
Copyright © Howard Rogers 2001 10/18/2001 Page 2 of 2