Re: Oracle stored procedures vs Running from a flat .sql file

"computer person" <fake_address_at_nothing.com> wrote:
> Does anyone know what the advantages are to using stored procedures and
> java stored procedures over and above running from flat unix files.

flat unix files don't have flow control and exception handling? It seems to me that the two do fundamentally different things.

> I find that since our application is all stored in the database it is
> harder to understand when something goes wrong with it.

Perhaps that means it shouldn't be your job to understand when something goes wrong with it. Isn't that the developer's job?

> The traditional
> way to running a job stream is to have a unix script with steps in it.
> The way this application is set up is to run everything as one long call
> from a stored procedure.

What does 'everything' consist of?

> Anyone have experiences with this? The develepers have gone as far as
> reading and writing files using the UTIL_FILE package instead of doing
> this with a ksh. This has caused a great deal of effort for debugging at
> the unix level because they can't even tell me (as the Unix System admin)
> if there is a permission problem with the files it tries to access when
> the application fails.. It's all guess work to fix something..

Yes, UTL_FILE can be a pain in the ass. But why are they reading and writing files as a routine matter in the first place? You have a database, read and write data to it, not files. There are specifics where flat files are better than stored procedures, but in general they are not and you haven't given us any specifics.

Xho

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