Error PL/SQL: numeric or value error: character string buffer too small

Question

HI oracle gurus,
I am new to PL/SQL,
my oracle version is oracle 11g.
i have create a procedure to insert data from flat file  to a table using UTL_FILE.
Table is
CREATE TABLE EXT_PERSON_INFO
  ID_PERSON              NUMBER(38),
  ID_BATCH             NUMBER(38),
  ID_PERSON_NBR        VARCHAR2(3 BYTE),
  ID_AREA              VARCHAR2(5 BYTE),
  NM_FINAL              VARCHAR2(20 BYTE),
  NM_START             VARCHAR2(20 BYTE),
  DT_DOB             DATE,
  ID_SERIAL               VARCHAR2(9 BYTE),
  DT_RESPONSE          DATE,
  TRANS_TYPE  VARCHAR2(2 BYTE),
  REG_RESPONSE  VARCHAR2(1 BYTE),
  TM_RX          TIMESTAMP(6)
my procedure is
CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE PROC_PERSON
IS
  f_line VARCHAR2(2000);
  f utl_file.file_type;
  f_dir  VARCHAR2(250);
  fname  VARCHAR2(50);
  F_ID_PERSON EXT_PERSON_INFO.ID_PERSON%type :=1;
  F_ID_BATCH EXT_PERSON_INFO.ID_BATCH%type :=1;
  F_ID_PERSON_NBR EXT_PERSON_INFO.ID_PERSON_NBR%type;
  F_ID_AREA EXT_PERSON_INFO.ID_AREA%type;
  F_NM_FINAL EXT_PERSON_INFO.NM_FINAL%type;
  F_NM_START EXT_PERSON_INFO.NM_START%type;
  F_DT_DOB EXT_PERSON_INFO.DT_DOB%type;
  F_ID_SERIAL EXT_PERSON_INFO.ID_SERIAL%type;
  F_DT_RESPONSE EXT_PERSON_INFO.DT_RESPONSE%type;
  F_TRANS_TYPE EXT_PERSON_INFO.TRANS_TYPE%type;
  F_REG_RESPONSE EXT_PERSON_INFO.REG_RESPONSE%type;
BEGIN
  fname := 'D:\raj\raj.txt';
  f:= utl_file.fopen('RAJ',fname,'r'); 
loop
begin
utl_file.get_line(f,f_line);
exception
when no_data_found then
exit;
end;
F_ID_PERSON := 1;
F_ID_BATCH := 1;
F_ID_PERSON_NBR :=substr(f_line,1,3);
F_NM_FINAL := substr(f_line,4,22);
F_NM_START := substr(f_line,23,34);
F_DT_DOB := substr(f_line,35,44);
F_ID_SERIAL := substr(f_line,45,48);
F_DT_RESPONSE := substr(f_line,49,58);
F_TRANS_TYPE := substr(f_line,59,60);
F_REG_RESPONSE := substr(f_line,61,61);
F_ID_AREA := substr(f_line,62,64);
insert into EXT_PERSON_INFO VALUES (F_ID_PERSON,F_ID_BATCH,F_ID_PERSON_NBR,F_ID_AREA,F_NM_FINAL,F_NM_START,F_DT_DOB,F_ID_SERIAL,F_DT_RESPONSE,F_TRANS_TYPE,F_REG_RESPONSE);
end loop;
utl_file.fclose(f);
commit;
end;
am getting error
ORA-06502: PL/SQL: numeric or value error: character string buffer too small
please help me in this regard. unable to trace the issue.
Thanks in advance
Regards,
raj

Answer 1

The error message should have included a line number for you to reference back to your code to know what line the error was occurring on.
That said, look at the documentation for SUBSTR as you are using the third parm incorrectly.  It is length, not end position.  That's your issue.