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

Starting Windows SQL*Plus

To start the Windows GUI version of SQL*Plus, first find the icon. Figure 2-1 shows SQL*Plus for Oracle Database 10g in the Windows Start menu. It looks like a blue disk drive topped with a yellow plus sign.

Figure 2-1. The SQL*Plus icon

You'll find the SQL*Plus icon in a program group under the Start menu. The path varies slightly from one release of Oracle to the next but will usually be something along the lines of Start → All Programs → Oracle → Application Development → SQL*Plus. Figure 2-2 shows the Windows Start menu expanded to show the SQL*Plus icon.

Figure 2-2. Start menu expanded to show the SQL*Plus icon

After starting SQL*Plus, you'll see the dialog box shown in Figure 2-3. To log into your database, simply enter your database username, password, and host string into the dialog box and click OK.

Figure 2-3. SQL*Plus logon dialog box

The example in Figure 2-3 uses the net service name db01. You may use the tnsnames.ora and easy connection identifier formats (Oracle Database 10g only) for the connect string.

Tip

Make sure to enter the correct information in the logon dialog box. If you make a mistake, SQL*Plus will reprompt you for your username ...