Export "exp" File Format????

I am trying to parse the output of Oracle Export File.

The intent is to be able to take a full database export and pull out all the DDL statements and group them in individual files by tables or users for stuff like Grants and creates and such. Ok so it is not ALL DDL, you get the idea.

The idea is to have a directory structure and format that would make it easy to go find the create statement for table XYX in Schema 123 easily.

This makes dropping indexes and constraints easy to allow massive loads and the added speed of creating the indexes in an unrecoverable step in one fell swoop after loads. It makes life easier.

The old approach was to go get this info from the System data dictionary.
I'm sick of rewriting that code every time oracle upgrades or changes something.

Hence the idea of simply digging everything out of Export Files. EVERYTHING needed to build or reconfigure any user, constraint or trigger should be there, right!?

The problem comes with the fact Oracle Export Files contain wierd Characters.
I have not seen the pattern of Why they are there or what they may mean, but they are not a fluke, they exist in at least 2 versions or oracle on at least 3 different platforms.

Take the first few lines for example, there is a rash of them around the date before the begin statement.
That I would ignore, the main issue comes with the fact there are a LOT of them in and around SQL code for triggers.

Does anyone know what they mean, or if I can just strip them with impunity?

Does anyone have any documentation of the structure of the export file?

It looked pretty straight-forward until I hit this issue.

Marc Received on Thu Jan 21 1999 - 15:25:23 CST