Re: DMBS_LOB/BFILE

Why don't you use internal CLOB or NCLOB types. They are character (not hex) objects, up to 4GB as large, and support transactions. Within an Oracle database you operate them just through PL/SQL (DBMS_LOB).

See Oracle8 App Developer's Guide, Chapter 6 "Large Objects (LOBs)" for details.

Good Luck,
Eugene.

J & D Clark <ohiodreamr_at_worldnet.att.net> wrote in message news:86r28v$100$1_at_bgtnsc03.worldnet.att.net...
> I am accessing ascii text OS files via Oracle using the PL/SQL DBMS_LOB
> calls using the BFILE features. I find that the file contents are returned
> in hex, returning only 127 characters-worth of file content from the BFILE
> read.
>
> Questions:
>
> 1. What method can be used to convert the hex into ascii characters so
the
> returned info is readable? I have written a function in TCL that converts
> the hex to ascii, but it is really slow (4+ secs for a 10K file). I would
> prefer to do this inside the PL/SQL block but cannot find any conversions
in
> SQL or PL/SQL that will work on this. Multi-platform operation is a
> requirement from one source - so no compiled code.
>
> 2. What is allowing only 127 characters to be returned in the raw
datatype?
> The data type must be a raw to read the BFILE contents. The raw datatype
has
> a limit of 4GB. I have a loop which moves the pointer in the BFILE object
> 127 characters per iteration, reading until the end of the file - rather
> lame. Other suggestions?
>
> BTW - this is running using TCL V8.0 & 8.1 and Oratcl V2.5 on DEC Unix and
> NT. Oracle V8.04. The goal is to be able to access files on a server from
> any other platform using PL/SQL inside of TCL.
>
> Thanks - JohnC
>
>
Received on Fri Jan 28 2000 - 12:10:32 CST