Path: news.easynews.com!newsfeed1.easynews.com!easynews.com!easynews!newsfeed.news2me.com!newsfeed.icl.net!newsfeed.fjserv.net!proxad.net!proxad.net!skynet.be!skynet.be!bnewspeer01.bru.ops.eu.uu.net!auucp0.ams.ops.eu.uu.net!bnewsifeed00.bru.ops.eu.uu.net!lnewspost00.lnd.ops.eu.uu.net!emea.uu.net!not-for-mail Newsgroups: comp.databases.oracle.server From: Norman Dunbar Subject: Flat File Processing Message-ID: Sender: Norman Dunbar Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2002 11:51:26 +0100 X-Newsreader: Microsoft (R) Exchange Internet News Service Version 5.5.2653.11 References: Lines: 40 NNTP-Posting-Host: mailhost3.lfs.co.uk X-Trace: 1034247704 reading.news.pipex.net 8508 193.129.247.6 X-Complaints-To: abuse@uk.uu.net Xref: newsfeed1.easynews.com comp.databases.oracle.server:163710 X-Received-Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2002 04:01:40 MST (news.easynews.com) Hi Billy, purely off the top of my head : I suspect that using UTL_FILE would reduce the number of contect switches between PL/SQL and C so may indeed be faster. Having said that, I don't know what it does 'under the bonnet' ! I have not done a lot of UTL_FILE processing, but what little I have done - exporting a table or two to a CSV file, seems to be pretty quick - especially when the UTL_FILE_DIRs are all not on the same discs as my data :o) In 9iR2 the UTL_FILE_DIR parameter is (sort of) obsoleted, and a DIRECTORY is used instead. This is miles better than previous versions because if you want to change where the output goes, change the directory and no code changes are required. With previous versions, you'd have to change the UTL_FILE_DIR parameter AND all the code that references it. Bummer ! Keep an eye out for a couple of upcoming FAQs over at http://www.jlcomp.demon.co.uk/faq/ind_faq.html for a couple of UTL_FILE related answers 'wot I rote' :o) Cheers, Norman. -----Original Message----- From: Billy Verreynne [mailto:vslabs@onwe.co.za] Posted At: Thursday, October 10, 2002 11:18 AM Posted To: server Conversation: Flat File Processing Subject: Flat File Processing Oracle 8.1.x and later on HP-UX/Linux/Solaris.. How effective is UTL file ito of performance?