Note that the external table option uses directory objects in the database to indicate where all input data files are stored and to indicate where output files, such as bad files and discard files, are created. When the EXTERNAL_TABLE parameter is specified, any datetime data types (for example, TIMESTAMP) in a SQL*Loader control file are automatically converted to a CHAR data type and use the external tables date_format_spec clause. (For more information about creating sequences, see CREATE SEQUENCE in Oracle Database SQL Language Reference.) The results of doing the load this way will be different than if the load were done with conventional or direct path. If you use EXTERNAL_TABLE= EXECUTE and also use the SEQUENCE parameter in your SQL*Loader control file, then SQL*Loader creates a database sequence, loads the table using that sequence, and then deletes the sequence.

This means that if a SQL statement returns an error, then the remaining SQL statements required for the load will not be placed in the log file. Statements are placed in the log file as they are executed. However, if any of the SQL statements returns an error, then the attempt to load stops. The actual load can be done later without the use of SQL*Loader by executing these statements in SQL*Plus.ĮXECUTE - attempts to execute the SQL statements that are needed to do the load using external tables. These SQL statements can be edited and customized. GENERATE_ONLY - places all the SQL statements needed to do the load using external tables, as described in the control file, in the SQL*Loader log file. It means the load is performed using either conventional or direct path mode.

Hex fiend load table