What's New in SQL*Plus?

This section describes new features of the SQL*Plus Release 11.1 and provides pointers to additional information.

New Features in SQL*Plus Release 11.1

SQL*Plus Release 11.1 is a superset of SQL*Plus 10.2. This section describes new features introduced in SQL*Plus Release 11.1.

• SQL*Plus Error Logging

  SQL*Plus has a new SET ERRORLOGGING command to enable error logging of SQL, PL/SQL and SQL*Plus errors. Errors from interactive queries or queries contained in a script are written to a default table, SPERRORLOG, in the current schema. A user-defined table can be specified instead of the default table. When enabled, SQL*Plus error logging records the username, the time the error occurred, the script that contained the query if applicable, a user-defined identifier to enable errors from a specific session to be selected, the ORA, PLS, or SP2 error message, and the query statement that caused the error.

  SQL*Plus error logging is set OFF by default.

  See Also:

  SET ERRORL[OGGING] {ON | OFF} [TABLE [schema.]tablename] [TRUNCATE] [IDENTIFIER identifier]

• BLOB and BFILE Datatypes

  SQL*Plus now supports standard querying and printing of tables and objects containing BLOB and BFILE datatypes.

  See Also:

  Oracle Database SQL Language Reference

• Escaping Special Characters in File Names

  SQL*Plus has a new SET ESCCHAR command to enable specific characters in file names to be escaped. If not escaped, the characters @, ? and $ have significance when translated and will cause errors for the SPOOL, START, @, RUN and EDIT commands. For example, if the @ character is not escaped, it is translated as the Oracle Home directory.

  SET ESCCHAR is set OFF by default.

  See Also:

  SET ESCCHAR {@ | ? | % | $ | OFF}

• Site Profile file glogin.sql is Blank

  SQL*Plus settings previously in glogin.sql are now embedded in the executable. SQL*Plus Instant Client is now easier to install as the glogin.sql file and SQLPATH environment variable are no longer required.

  Glogin.sql is still installed and called by all sqlplus interfaces.

  See Also:

  Site Profile

• Automatic Storage Management (ASM) Connections

  SQL*Plus now supports SYSASM connections for ASM instances. Connecting to an ASM instance using CONNECT as SYSASM provides full access to all ASM resources and disk groups.

  See Also:

  Oracle Database SQL Language Reference

  CONNECT

• FAN Events in a RAC Database

  The SQLPLUS command now has a new -F argument to enable SQL*Plus to receive FAN events from a RAC database.

  See Also:

  SQLPLUS Program Syntax