Oracle SQL*Plus: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition

Chapter 2. Command-Line SQL*Plus

SQL*Plus comes in three flavors. It can be a command-line program that you execute from your operating-system prompt. Under Microsoft Windows, SQL*Plus can also be a command-line application wrapped inside a rudimentary, graphical user interface (GUI). I refer to that as Windows SQL*Plus, and it's only slightly different from standard, command-line SQL*Plus. Finally, beginning with Oracle9i Database, SQL*Plus can be a three-tier application, known as iSQL*Plus, that you access through a web browser.

This chapter shows you how to interact with the two command-line versions. You'll learn how to start them, how to enter and execute commands, and how to take advantage of the built-in line-editing features. iSQL*Plus is different enough to be covered separately in Chapter 3.

Starting Command-Line SQL*Plus

You'd think that starting SQL*Plus and connecting to a database would be a simple affair to explain, but it isn't. There are many permutations available for entering your username and password, and for specifying the target database. You've seen a couple of them already in Chapter 1. I won't cover every possibility in this section, only those permutations that are most useful.

Connecting to a Default Database

Perhaps the simplest way to start SQL*Plus is to issue the sqlplus command and let SQL*Plus prompt you for your username and password:

oracle@gennick02:~> sqlplus SQL*Plus: Release 10.1.0.2.0 - Production on Wed Apr 21 20:17:47 2004 Copyright (c) ...