If you are using 9i, I recommend using the external table option new to 9i.
The internal table option allows you to create a table that loads the flat file using sqlldr in a behind the scenes manner. To you it looks like a table, but it is really a flat file.
For example:
create table employees_ext
(employee_id number,
first_name char(30),
last_name char(30),......)
ORGANIZATION EXTERNAL( -- External Table
TYPE oracle_loader -- Access driver
DEFAULT DIRECTORY data_dir -- Files Directory
ACCESS PARAMETERS -- Similar to SQLLDR
( RECORDS DELIMITED BY NEWLINE
FIELDS TERMINATED BY ', '
BADFILE 'bad_emp_ext'
LOGFILE 'log_emp_ext'
MISING FIELDS ARE NULL)
LOCATION ('empl.txt'))
REJCECT LIMIT UNLIMITED;
This example creates a table employees_ext. You can do select count(*) on it and any read operation that you would normally do. Note that the same sqlldr parameters are the same as the access parameters.
So, you can do stuff like:
insert into emp as (select * from employees_ext);
select count(*) into extcount from employees_ext;
select count(*) into empcount from emp;
if extcount <> empcount then
dbms.output.putline('COUNTS DO NOT MATCH');
rowback;
exit;
endif;
This is one of my personal favorite features of 9i.
-Good Luck
"Only he who attempts the absurd is capable of achieving the impossible
