A tip, a conference, an extension and a challenge

This post contains four unrelated notes.

First a small SQL*Plus tip. I really like to know with which user I am connected to which database, so in my login.sql script I used to have this section:

define gname=idle
column global_name new_value gname
select lower(user) || '@' ||
       substr(global_name,1,decode(dot,0,length(global_name),dot-1)) global_name
from (select global_name,instr(global_name,'.') dot from global_name);
set sqlprompt '&gname> '

I saw this piece of code in Tom Kyte's book Expert Oracle Database Architecture and I have used it ever since. The downside from using this adjusted prompt, is that the first line isn't properly aligned anymore with lines 2 and further, as you can see by this example:

rwijk@ORA11202> select ename
  2    from emp
  3   where deptno = 10
  4  /

ENAME
----------
CLARK
KING
MILLER

3 rows selected.

I read a tip on Oracle-L, which I now use. Instead of "set sqlprompt '&gname> '", I now use "host title &gname". This adjusts the title bar of my SQL*Plus window with the user@database information, and leaves the prompt at "SQL> ", thus leaving my SQL statements aligned while I'm still able to see my connect string all the time.

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On March 22, the Dutch Oracle usergroup OGh organizes their second APEX day. Again we have a great lineup of speakers. You can read about it here. Due to the great response, we had to scale up the event. Now there is room for 250 people instead of our originally planned 150. And be sure to bring your manager with you. He or she doesn't want to miss the APEX at work track where customers will tell how they have successfully implemented parts of their business processes with APEX. I'm especially looking forward to the Northgate story as this is a huge APEX project.

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Today there was good news for future Oracle searches on Google. On their blog they announced a Personal Blocklist Extension. Unfortunately it currently doesn't work for the Dutch version of Chrome. The following quote from the Google blog is very promising though:

If installed, the extension also sends blocked site information to Google, and we will study the resulting feedback and explore using it as a potential ranking signal for our search results.

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The Northern California Oracle Users Group (NoCOUG) has issued their Second International SQL Challenge. You can read about it here in their journal. SQL commands for creating the required data are available here. Initially, it may look like insufficient explanation is given to solve the problem, but that's part of the fun. If you like SQL and puzzles, then you should definitely give this one a go.

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