Re: External tables. Security concerns.

From: Dereck L. Dietz <dietzdl_at_ameritech.net>
Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2006 00:07:13 GMT
Message-ID: <RCsFg.11088$9T3.6658@newssvr25.news.prodigy.net>

<artmt_at_hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1155927920.377304.21350_at_74g2000cwt.googlegroups.com...
> I am considering using external tables for my ETL processes.
> The DBAs are telling me that their policy is not allow any access to
> the file system via the database - due to security concerns. This
> means no external tables, no directory objects, no utl_file.
> Are their concerns valid?
> Is there a way to use these features securely?
>
> Thanks
> Art
>

The individual in charge of the database at the site I work at shot down using External Tables because he said something to the effect that they used SQL*Loader to parse the data and would use up too much CPU and were inefficient. I didn't have any concrete data to agree with or refute his statement.

He also didn't want to open up the server where the database is to "more network traffic" for us to be able to use External Tables. (This is on a database which has I/O problems due to poor configuration all around).

How (in)accurate was his statement about the External Tables? Received on Fri Aug 18 2006 - 19:07:13 CDT