One feature wish. (Sort of like an external table reading from a pipe)

You know how an external table must have a file in a directory? This means that there usually is some FTP process that must also be maintained as well as directories that must be explicitly set up and referenced. This usually can become a nightmare of DBA and developers trying to coordinate getting a file to Oracle successfully.

So, here is what I wrote.

1. A package that accepts a clob and writes it to a table.
2. A process that reads that clob, writes it to a directory.
3. A process that reads an external table (referencing the written file and inserts into a real table.

This then means, we can put an application front-end in front of that. The application can find the file and "ship" it to Oracle. This would remove the need to use FTP as well as referencing Oracle directories. Oracle could take care of those two things. Then, getting a file into Oracle would really be defining the external table.

What do you guys think?

P.S.

I also have this as working code and would be willing to chase down with my company to hand it over to be the starting point for a future release of the feature.

-- 
Galen Boyer