Re: uploading the contents of a spreadsheet

Demetrius Sotiriades wrote:
> Thanks,
>
> The project that I am working with is an ASP application using an
Oracle
> database as one of its backends. Both IIS and the Oracle database
are on
> servers outside my immediate network and of course there is no
> documentation. I can probably ask to have the appropriate tools
loaded on
> either machine. The first thing that I need to do is to really
inspect the
> database so that I have some idea what I am working with and the
second is
> to upload the information from the spreadsheet. From a quick glance
it
> looks like HTMLDB would allow me to do both And over the Web which
would be
> great.
>
> If I cann't use HTMLDB what tool would you recommend for these
purposes?

I think that HTMLDB would make a great tool, but it does require an Apache webserver somewhere around the place. If this precludes it for you then the most appropriate functionality to look for is called EXTERNAL TABLES in the oracle documentation, essentially it allows you to query flat files that are stored in a known location on the database server from sql or pl/sql. Your problem then becomes

Can I generate flat files from excel - easy. Can I upload them to a known location on the dbserver - should be easy Can I create the necessary objects within the database.

I'm assuming 9i or above.

Niall Litchfield
Oracle DBA
http://www.niall.litchfield.dial.pipex.com Received on Tue Apr 26 2005 - 09:08:02 CDT