Re: HELP! Default date format in SQL*Plus isn't dd-mon-yy!

Hi!
<snip>
> > It just seems to have no structure... sometimes SET needs an "=" symbol
to
> > assign a value, sometimes not. The BREAK command separates its
parameters
> > with "ON" instead of commas. When insert data into multiple tables at
one
> > time you can't use the native column names... you must specify alias'
for
> > them. To clear the format on a column it's "COLUMN CLEAR..." but to
clear
> > all columns its "CLEAR COLUMN"
> >
> > Finding any kind of help on the Oracle website is just insane. With all
the
> > icons that the Oracle install puts into my start menu it would make
sense to
> > include some kind of command reference. Oracle documentation is worse
than
> > Microsoft documentation!

> So I take it from this you have read all the documentation and
> understand that SQL*Plus and the Oracle RDBMS and the SQL language it
> supports are two different products. So to continue your MS analogy it
> would be like expecting Word commands to work in Excel.

Documentation? There's documentation? There's none that I can find, even searching the Oracle website, that is useful. I did a number of difference searches on Oracles site and couldn't find one example of how to actually set the NLS variables although there were pages of just how wonderful those variables were.

I do realize that the command consistancy isn't Oracles fault. I used to program in DBase3 and Clipper and know that the SQL language has been around a while and has been twisted and such to keep up with technology.

> And if you look in your SQL Reference manual, you would find a
> consistency among commands that perform modifications to say a session
> parameter or a table column. For example

> alter session set nls_date_format = 'mmddyyyy';
> looks a lot like
> update emp set ename = 'fred';

> Now when you look in your SQL*Plus reference manual, you will find all
> sorts of none SQL commands that do things that SQL doesn't typically
> do, like format columns and spool to files, for reporting purposes
> say. As SQL*Plus also issues SQL the command structure would have to
> be different otherwise there would be conflicts and you would be
> unable to do anything reliably.

Again, where is this manual? From school I got the introduction workbook. The only references in it are directly related to the topics taught and nothing more. I downloaded and installed the Oracle 9i PE package from Oracles site and again, I can find no documentation.

> Full documentation, requiring free registration, is available at
> http://tahiti.oracle.com

First that I've heard of this site. This look like exactly what I needed. Many thanks!

> You should actually read the SQL and SQL*Plus reference manuals before
> publishing opinions on their quality to newsgroups. Many people find
> them clear and well written and have learned to do their jobs
> effectively without resorting to publicly blaming the tools they use.

Naw... I should publish any opinion I like as this is my experience working with Oracle so far. I've sent several enquiries to the folks at Oracle and they haven't even bothered to send me a PFO message. The only reason that I'm investigating Oracle is because it is in use at a couple of companies for which I'm developing software. Maintaining a customer list of over one million, each with several services, hardware inventories and service schedules isn't something I'd trust to an Access database! : )

Anyhow, this thread is getting rather long and I should be fine with that Tahiti site. Thanks again!

Take care! Received on Fri Feb 28 2003 - 00:00:37 CST