sampling a table containing a LONG RAW field in a linked database using PL/SQL (ORACLE 7.3.4)

I've got to sample some tables from a remote database db1 into a local database using a PL/SQL procedure. The remote DB is reachable through a database link. Unfortunately, some of the table have a column of type LONG RAW.

I've got some PL/SQL tables containing the ids of the rows I want to fetch. Eventually, I can create a temporary table TEMP conataining the IDs I want to fetch from a given table.

[Quoted] I'd like to have a way of emulating "insert into FOO from FOO_at_db1 F, TEMP t where f.id=t.id". Usually, I do it by using the DBMS_SQL package, and give the table name as an IN parameter of my procedure, but in this case it is not possible because LONG datatype cannot be part of a subquery for an insert statement.

I know that a sql+ "COPY" statement would enable me to do this, but have to have a generic method of doing this.

Is there a way of emulating the behaviour of "COPY" using PL/SQL ?

I'm using ORACLE V7.3.4, and the DBs I want to sample can be on windows NT, AIX, and solaris.

Thanks in advance,

François-Xavier de Montgolfier

--
Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get me...