Why variance in SQL peformance - Forms 4.5 vs SQL*Plus

Could someone point me in the right direction for details on this. Why would a given query execute for 3 minutes when run through SQL*Plus and that same query run almost instantly when run through a Forms 4.5 application? This seems to be quite typical behavior.

Specifically, I'm creating a Internet based application that needs to issue a query against a massive table (a customer service history table containing over 4 million rows). The query takes so long to execute that I've given up on making the online user suffer through it. I then reverse engineered a forms 4.5 application that does the same thing - via the application you navigate to a specific customer then click a button to view their service history - almost instant access to the customer's history. I grabbed the sql statement, ran it through SQL*Plus and the same query takes minutes? What accounts for this difference in execution times? Is the Forms engine that much more efficient than the SQL*Plus engine?

Thanks in advance
Brian Received on Wed Dec 01 1999 - 13:16:42 CST