Seneca College
Applied Arts & Technology
School of computer studies
BTD 310 - SQL Database Design Using Oracle
Introduction To iSQL*Plus
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Overview
Connecting to iSQL*Plus
Entering SQL and PL/SQL Statements
Other Options
iSQL*Plus Versus Client SQL*Plus
Summary
Note: Spool is not available in iSqlplus. You need to run your code in sqlplus to make a spool file.
How do you make a spool file?
Write the following syntax structure in your sql file and call it from sqlplus.
spool c:\temp\myspool.lst
 Write your code here..
Spool off
To call your sql file write;
@c:\temp\mysql.sql
Overview
The iSQL*Plus Server is a new feature available in Oracle9i that provides browser-based access
to SQL*Plus capabilities. SQL*Plus is a basic software tool that allows Oracle users to enter
and execute SQL and PL/SQL commands. Course Technology authors present usage of the
SQL*Plus client tool within a number of the Oracle series texts. However, the iSQL*Plus
interface has several differences from the client SQL*Plus tool. Therefore, this introduction
serves to introduce the browser-based interface and identify some of the execution differences
that you may encounter when using iSQL*Plus versus client SQL*Plus.
iSQL*Plus is advantageous in academic settings because no client machine setup or installation
is required. Users simply need Web browser software and an Internet connection to access the
Oracle9i database server. In addition, iSQL*Plus provides a more user-friendly interface.
The advantages of iSQL*Plus are
 Access to the Oracle 9i database from any computer connected to the Internet or intranet
 Command-line editing capabilities
 User-friendly interface
 Access to help files
 Ability to save the history of a session
 Unique identification of each iSQL*Plus session so that multiple connections are allowed
The architecture is a three-tier model comprised of
 Client tier
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o The iSQL*Plus interface is usually a Web browser; only the URL of the Oracle
HTTP server is required to connect to Oracle 9i.
 Middle tier
o iSQL*Plus Server
o Oracle Net
o Oracle HTTP Server
 Database tier
o Oracle9i
Connecting to iSQL*Plus
1. Connect to your Internet service via a network or ISP.
2. Enter your Oracle9i HTTP server's URL in the browser address area. This will be in the
format:
http://your_ machine_name.domain:7777/isqlplus.
Note www is not in the URL. The 7777 will be replaced by the port number set to listen
for connections upon installation of the iSQL*Plus server.
3. The Login screen will appear as shown in Figure 1. Enter your user name and password.
The Connection Identifier can be left blank if you are connecting to the default database.
Otherwise, the correct database connection string as included in the server’s tnsnames.ora
file will be needed.
4. Click Login.
Server URL
Enter information into
the Username and
Password fields, and
then click Login
Enter database connection
string if you're not using
the default database
Figure 1
iSQL*Plus Login screen
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Entering SQL and PL/SQL Statements
Statements can be entered in different ways, including:
 Type the statements directly into the Enter statements text area or work area.
 Copy text from a text editor and paste it into the Enter statements area.
 Use the Browse and Load Script buttons to load statements from a file.
A. Type statements into the work area:
1. Type a statement such as a SELECT directly into the Enter statements area, as shown
in Figure 2. Editing is easier than in the client SQL*Plus tool. If a mistake is made,
it can be edited right in the Enter statements area using the familiar mechanisms of
highlighting, cutting, and pasting and simply clicking where the cursor is needed to
add or change text.
Type the
statement here
Execute button
runs the contents
of the Enter
statement area
Results from executing the
SQL statement; default
formatting shows results in an
HTML table format
Figure 2
iSQL*Plus Work Screen
2. Click the Execute button to execute the statement. Note that the results or error
message appear below the Enter statements area. The statement remains available so
that modifications can be easily made and executed again.
3. If you desire to maintain a log file of your session including statements executed and
the results, cut and paste to a text editor, such as Notepad, or a word processing tool,
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such as Word. Highlighting HTML table output and copying/pasting into Word pastes
the results in a Word table.
4. If you want to save the statement in a script file to rerun at a later time, click the Save
Script button. This prompts you for a filename and location in which to save the file.
You may want to enter a file extension of .sql to identify the file as an SQL script file.
B. Copy/paste statements into the work area:
1. If you prefer to create all your statements in a text file and then test or execute them,
copying and pasting from the text editor to the work area can be easily accomplished.
The execution and modification of statements are handled in the same manner, as
discussed in the previous section.
C. Load statements from a file:
1. Click the Browse button located above the Enter statements area, as shown in Figure
3. A Choose file dialog box appears, allowing you to select the file you want to load.
This file must be a text file that contains SQL and/or PL/SQL statements.
2. Select the desired file and click Open. The file location and name will now appear in
the File or URL text box above the Enter statements area.
3. Click the Load Script button and all the text from the file will now be loaded into the
Enter statements area.
4. At this point, you can execute or modify as needed. Note that multiple statements can
be entered and executed.
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Browse for the file
located on your
local machine and
open it
The Load Script
button loads the
text into the
Enter statements
area
Figure 3
Loading script files
Other Options (shown in Figure 4)
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A. Clear Screen:
The Clear Screen button removes all statements and results from the screen, leaving the
work screen ready for new input and output.
B. Cancel:
The Cancel button interrupts the script that is executing.
New Session allows
you to log in as the
same user or new user
Help
page
Logout
terminates
that session
History contains
previously executed
statements
Figure 4
Preferences and
other settings
Work Screen components
C. Logout:
To end the session, simply click the Logout button located at the top right of the screen.
D. New Session:
If you need multiple Oracle sessions for testing or completing tasks, click the New
Session button and a new browser window will open and present the iSQL*Plus Login
screen.
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E. History:
The History screen, as shown in Figure 5, will display previously executed statements
from which you can select to load into the Enter statements area. Note that the history
list clears when the user ends the session.
Blue background
indicates this is
the active page
Previous statements
executed, most
recent at the top
Make selections of
statements to load
using check boxes
Figure 5
Using the History feature
Click the Load button
after desired statements
are selected
F. Preferences:
Interface options, as shown in Figure 6, allow the user to size the Enter statements area,
the location for output, and the number of statements to be stored in history.
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Figure 6
Interface Options screen
The Set system variables area offers a variety of settings that affect the session
environment from output line size to turning timing on. We will explore one of these
settings later in this guide in the section titled "iSQL*Plus Versus Client SQL*Plus."
The Change your password selection provides an easy way to change your Oracle
password.
G. Help:
The Help screen, as shown in Figure 7, contains a wealth of information pertaining to the
iSQL*Plus environment and command syntax. Notice the navigation and index buttons
located at the top right. The Help screen appears in a new browser window and does not
affect the current session window.
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Navigation and
index buttons
Figure 7
Help screen
iSQL*Plus Versus Client SQL*Plus
Two specific differences can cause frustration for those familiar with using the client
SQL*Plus tool, but who switch to using the iSQL*Plus tool. This section addresses the
differences in using the @ command and output formatting options of line breaks and
indenting.
A. The @ or START command:
The client SQL*Plus tool allows the execution of files located on the client machine by
using the @ or START commands. However, using the @ or START command in
iSQL*Plus specifies a script by the URL from a Web server. This is fine if you have
located script files on the Web server, but much of the time, we desire to run a file
located on our computer. To do this in iSQL*Plus, use the load script feature discussed
earlier in this guide.
B. Text output option:
Options can be used in SQL and PL/SQL statements to format output with line breaks or
indenting. These options work fine in client SQL*Plus because the output is in text
format. However, the default output of iSQL*Plus is in HTML format, which does not
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recognize the line break or indenting commands. We will look at an example of using
the CHR(10) line break option in an SQL command. If you are using any indenting
options such as in the dependency tree utility in PL/SQL, the indenting will not be
achieved unless the output is set to text format, as we will do in our line break example.
Notice the SELECT statement executed in client SQL*Plus, shown in Figure 8, processes
the line breaks in the statement.
Figure 8
Line break in client SQL*Plus
However, if we execute the same statement in iSQL*Plus, as shown in Figure 9, notice
that the line breaks are ignored.
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Figure 9
Line break not operable in iSQL*Plus
This can be resolved by modifying the preferences in the iSQL*Plus session to choose a
text output format rather than the default HTML format. Select the Preferences button at
the top right and then select the Set system variables option to make preference-setting
changes. Move down the alphabetical list of settings until you find the Markup HTML
area, as shown in Figure 10. Within this area, set the Preformat option to On. Clicking
OK and OK saves the setting and returns you to the work screen.
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Set Preformat
to On
Figure 10
Setting the Preformat preference
Now, if you execute the same SQL statement again, as shown in Figure 11, notice the
output is in text format and the line breaks are processed. If you are cutting/pasting your
results to a text editor such as Notepad, this setting is preferable because it is already in
text format.
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Figure 11
Line break operable in iSQL*Plus
Summary
iSQL*Plus provides a more user-friendly environment for entering and executing SQL
and PL/SQL statements on an Oracle9i database. In addition, it offers the ease of access
and setup by only requiring the user to have Web browser software and an Internet
connection. This guide simply introduces the use of the iSQL*Plus interface; for further
details, see the SQL*Plus User's Guide and Reference at the OTN Web site.
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