Help, please. Unneeded variable replacement verbiage spooled to output file.

From: Greg <esabens_at_yahoo.com>
Date: 30 Apr 2007 13:07:43 -0700
Message-ID: <1177963663.698278.24830@e65g2000hsc.googlegroups.com>

I'm very much a newbie at SQL*Plus. I've been working on something for the last couple of days that would probably be easy for most of you, but I would certainly appreciate any help someone will give me.

I have created a query (.sql) file that I run from a batch that calls SQL*Plus. Rather than explain it, I have the query below:

---

connect gsabens/sample_at_pmed
set heading off
set trimspool on
set newpage none
set termout off
set feedback off
set pagesize 0
set linesize 500

column filename_column new_value filename column today_column new_value today
column backday_column new_value backday

SELECT
  to_char(sysdate,'yymmdd') || '.txt' filename_column,   to_char(sysdate-1,'dd-MON-yy') today_column,   case to_char(sysdate,'DY') when 'MON' then to_char(sysdate-3,'dd-MON- yy') else to_char(sysdate-1,'dd-MON-yy') end backday_column FROM dual;
spool &filename

SELECT
  x.city,
  x.state
FROM Patientmedicalrecords x
WHERE
  x.apptdate between '&backday' and '&today'; spool off
exit

---

I know that it doesn't seem useful, but I cut out 'stuff' that isn't pertinant to the question.

Anyway, this works great, except that the file that is output contains two lines at the beginning that show how the variables, backday and today, have been replaced. I'd really rather not have that showing in the export file. Following is an example of the lines I'm seeing that I don't need in the file (starting with 'old 37:' and 'new 37:'):

---

old 37: and x.apptdate between '&backday' and '&today' new 37: and x.apptdate between '27-APR-07' and '29-APR-07' WEST LAFAYETTE,IN
LAFAYETTE,IN
LAFAYETTE,IN
...
...
...
... and so on ...

---

Is there an SQL*Plus setting that I can change so that such verbiage isn't spooled? Or, are their other options that I haven't learned yet that would make setting the dates in the second query's WHERE clause easier?

Again, thank you in advance to anyone who helps!

Greg Received on Mon Apr 30 2007 - 15:07:43 CDT