Question

Today i was executing DML statements from sql file in sqlplus, oracle 10.2, i found something weird which is actually a question “Enter value for hamburger:“. See attached

and ending of question “Enter value for XXX” kept change with intervals. i mean after few seconds i found statement “Enter value for mcdonald”….

I want to know is it normal with sqlplus ????

i have tried to execute DML statement by giving location of sql file in sqlplus.

SQL>@/tmp/myDir/dmls.sql;

An Exemplary statement from sql file is

Insert into MYSCHEMA.MYTABLE (ID,DIX_DIR_ID,DIX_AGL,DIX_XML_INLINE) values (23202,1100080319000620471,'directory','<values>
 <dir_class_title>Person</dir_class_title>
</values>
');

Answer 1

You most certainly have an ampersand in your statement.

When SQL*Plus encounters an ampersand, it tries to replace it with what it is defined to. If it is undefined, it prompts for a value:

This is a statment without ampersand:

SQL> select 'foo' from dual;
'FO
---
foo

Now, another statement with an ampersand. The value for foo is not (yet) defined, so it prompts for one:

SQL> select '&foo' from dual;
Enter value for foo: bla
old   1: select '&foo' from dual
new   1: select 'bla' from dual

'BL
---
bla

Now, foo is defined to be bar:

SQL> define foo=bar

The select statement (with &foo) returns bar:

SQL> select '&foo' from dual;
old   1: select '&foo' from dual
new   1: select 'bar' from dual

'BA
---
bar

See also DEFINE and Defining Substitution Variables

If you want to turn that behavior off, do as

SQL> set define off

Edit: changed set define= to set define off as per Adam Musch’s suggestion.