SQL*Plus

SQL*Plus is the most basic Oracle Database utility, with a basic command-line interface, commonly used by users, administrators, and programmers.

SQL*Plus understands five categories of text:

Scripts can include all of these components.

An Oracle programmer in the appropriately configured software environment can launch SQL*Plus, for example, by entering:

where the Oracle user scott has the password tiger. SQL*Plus then presents a prompt with the default form of:

Interactive use can then start by entering a SQL statement (terminated by a semicolon), a PL/SQL block, or another command. For example:

The first version of SQL*Plus was called UFI ("User Friendly Interface"). UFI appeared in Oracle database releases up to Version 4.

After Oracle programmers had added new features to UFI, its name became Advanced UFI. The name "Advanced UFI" changed to "SQL*Plus" with the release of the version 5 of Oracle.

Graphical interfaces from Oracle or third parties have diminished the proportion of Oracle database end-users who depend on the SQL*Plus environment. Oracle shops typically continue to use SQL*Plus scripts for batch updating or simple reports.

Oracle Corporation's wrappers/gui-fications/replacements for SQL*Plus include:

Starting from Oracle database 11g, iSqlplus (web based) and sqlplus GUI no longer ship with Oracle database software. The command-line SQL*Plus interface continues in use, mostly for non-interactive scripting or for administrative purposes. The Server Manager Command Line -a replacement of SQL*DBA- is obsolete and SQL*plus 8i and later allows the user to issue statements like STARTUP and SHUTDOWN when connected as SYSDBA. Server Manager 7.1 introduced the command CONNECT / AS SYSDBA to replace CONNECT INTERNAL. SQL*plus 8i and later allows the use of CONNECT / AS SYSDBA

Other vendors have made their software somewhat compatible with SQL*Plus script commands or offer a SQL*Plus mode of operation. Relevant products include TOAD from Quest Software.

SQL*Plus-internal variables, accessible within an SQL*Plus session, include:

The WHENEVER command specifies an action to perform in the event of the system detecting an SQL error or an operating-system error while running a subsequent SQL*Plus command.

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