How to load jpeg images in database?

Question

I have an employees panel and it has a box to show employee's picture. Normally I double click on the box and it takes me to the folder where I have stored all employees jpeg file. I click on the one I need and then insert, it shows up on the panel and also saving the data in a table called PS_EMPLOYEE_IMAGE table.
If I want to insert number of images at one time thru the back end like sqlplus is there a way to do it? This saves me lot of time instead of entering thru the panel. Can it be done? For example fot employee1 insert jpeg1, employee2 jpeg2 etc. DO I have to use any tool to convert these jpeg files into some other data and then insert it? Is there any pl/sql package to do it?. If some one can explain me with simple explanation I really appreciate as I am not an real oracle person. Googling for this issue says it can be done but it is not very clear in steps of doing it.

Answer 1

Thanks for your help. I did exactly like what you described (see below)
1) I created a image_file.txt file as shown below
EMPLID|EFFDT|EFF_STATUS|IMAGE_FILE
100000|08-FEB-2011|A|H:\SQL_Loader\George_Test.jpg
100001|08-FEB-2011|A|H:\SQL_Loader\Eftihia_Test.jpg
2) Then created EE_Image_Tbl.ctl file as shown below.
OPTIONS (DIRECT=TRUE, SKIP=1)
UNRECOVERABLE
LOAD DATA
APPEND
INTO TABLE PS_EMPLOYEE_IMAGE
FIELDS TERMINATED BY '|'
(EMPLID
,EFFDT
,EFF_STATUS
,IMAGE_FILE FILLER CHAR(80)
,EE_IMAGE LOBFILE(IMAGE_FILE) TERMINATED BY EOF)
3) then used the sql loader (load_ee_image.sql)
$ sqlldr DH5M/ep5evs1@KDH5MI01 control=h:\sql_loader\EE_Image_Tbl.ctl log=h:\sql_loader\load_ee_image.log data=h:\sql_loader\image_file.txt
SQL> --*
SQL> commit;
Commit complete.
SQL> --*
SQL> @h:\sql_loader\load_ee_image.sql;
SQL> $ sqlldr DH5M/ep5evs1@KDH5MI01 control=h:\sql_loader\EE_Image_Tbl.ctl log=h:\sql_loader\load_ee_image.log data=h:\sql_loader\image_file.txt
SQL> --*
SQL> --*
SQL> --*
SQL> commit;
Commit complete.
SQL> --rollback;
SQL> --*
SQL> spool off
L
Number to skip: 1
Errors allowed: 50
Continuation: none specified
Path used: Direct
Load is UNRECOVERABLE; invalidation redo is produced.
Table PS_EMPLOYEE_IMAGE, loaded from every logical record.
Insert option in effect for this table: APPEND
Column Name Position Len Term Encl Datatype
EMPLID FIRST * | CHARACTER
EFFDT NEXT * | CHARACTER
EFF_STATUS NEXT * | CHARACTER
IMAGE_FILE NEXT 80 | CHARACTER
(FILLER FIELD)
EE_IMAGE DERIVED * EOF CHARACTER
Dynamic LOBFILE. Filename in field IMAGE_FILE
SQL*Loader-418: Bad datafile datatype for column EE_IMAGE
This is becasue my image datatype can be declared as LONG RAW dara type thru my application.
When I created a table with image datatype as BLOB it worked.
But I want to insert into the existing table where image is declared as LONG RAW. How to insert jpeg into this field. Do I have to convert anything? Thx.
Edited by: user5846372 on Feb 8, 2011 1:18 PM
Edited by: user5846372 on Feb 8, 2011 2:16 PM