What are the different ways to import data in PL/SQL?
There are several ways to import data in PL/SQL.
- You can use the INSERT statement to directly insert data into a table, either one row at a time or multiple rows at once.
- By using the BULK COLLECT statement, you can extract multiple rows of data from one table into an array variable all at once, and then insert that array into another table.
- By using the FORALL statement, multiple rows of data can be inserted into the table at once, instead of inserting each row one by one in a loop.
- The INSERT INTO SELECT statement allows you to insert data from one table into another table and you can use a WHERE clause to select the data to insert.
- Utilize external tables: External tables are a unique type of table that do not store actual data but instead reference external data files. Data from an external table can be imported into a regular table using the CREATE TABLE AS SELECT statement.
- Utilize the Data Pump tool: Data Pump is an Oracle tool used for importing and exporting data, and it can be invoked to import data using PL/SQL scripts.