SQL Loader Basics

SQL Loader: -
    userid -- ORACLE username/password          
   control -- Control file name                 
       log -- Log file name                     
       bad -- Bad file name                     
      data -- Data file name                    
   discard -- Discard file name                 
discardmax -- Number of discards to allow          (Default all)
      skip -- Number of logical records to skip    (Default 0)
      load -- Number of logical records to load    (Default all)
    errors -- Number of errors to allow            (Default 50)
      rows -- Number of rows in conventional path bind array or between
direct path data saves
               (Default: Conventional path 64, Direct path all)
  bindsize -- Size of conventional path bind array in bytes  (Default 256000)
    silent -- Suppress messages during run (header,feedback,errors,discards,partitions)
    direct -- use direct path                      (Default FALSE)
   parfile -- parameter file: name of file that contains parameter specifications
  parallel -- do parallel load                     (Default FALSE)
      file -- File to allocate extents from     
skip_unusable_indexes -- disallow/allow unusable indexes or index partitions  (Default FALSE)
skip_index_maintenance -- do not maintain indexes, mark affected indexes as unusable  (Default
FALSE)
  readsize -- Size of Read buffer                  (Default 1048576)
external_table -- use external table for load; NOT_USED, GENERATE_ONLY, EXECUTE  (Default NOT_
USED)
columnarrayrows -- Number of rows for direct path column array  (Default 5000)
streamsize -- Size of direct path stream buffer in bytes  (Default 256000)
multithreading -- use multithreading in direct path 
 resumable -- enable or disable resumable for current session  (Default FALSE)
resumable_name -- text string to help identify resumable statement
resumable_timeout -- wait time (in seconds) for RESUMABLE  (Default 7200)
date_cache -- size (in entries) of date conversion cache  (Default 1000)
Notes: -
Data Loading Methods
SQL*Loader provides two methods for loading data:
Conventional Path Load
Direct Path Load

Direct Path Load: Inserts directly in datafiles
(Parallel Loads.  Available with direct path data loads only, this option allows multiple SQL*Loader jobs to execute concurrently)
conventional path loader loads the data by using standard insert statements

GENERATE_ONLY creates a log for External Table
(EXTERNAL_TABLE instructs SQL*Loader whether or not to load data using the external tables option)
Features -
Calling Function in SQL Loader

 dname POSITION(03:16) CHAR "LDR_PCK.NAME(:dname, :deptno)",

  DESCRIPTION "'Salary: '||:SALARY||' -> '||                          
               DECODE (GET_BONUS (:DEPARTMENT), NULL, 'No bonus',
               'Bonus: '||TO_CHAR (GET_BONUS (:DEPARTMENT), 'S09D90'))",
 SALARY      "TO_NUMBER (:SALARY, '99999D99',                         
               'NLS_NUMERIC_CHARACTERS='',.''')",