SQL *PLUS issue

Question

I have an unusual problem in SQL PLUS. When the SQL statement is a DML things go fine - no problem, BUT when the SQL statement is a DDL (like creating a database object )the process hangs. Things get more interesting ... if I open another SQL PLUS session and check out, I find that the DDL has done its task. But the first SQL session (where I issued the DDL) is still hanging. If anyone has any idea please do let me know. Any help would be very useful
Thanks
Mustafa

Answer 1

The dot is used as like concatenation operator in sqlplus. If you need to add characters to the end of the variabel, you use a dot. If you need to add .chars then you need two dots.
With a dot
SQL> SELECT 'Say &something.not' FROM dual;
Enter value for something: something
old   1: SELECT 'Say &something.not' FROM dual
new   1: SELECT 'Say somethingnot' FROM dual
'SAYSOMETHINGNOT
Say somethingnotand without
SQL> SELECT 'Say &somethingnot' FROM dual;
Enter value for somethingnot: something
old   1: SELECT 'Say &somethingnot' FROM dual
new   1: SELECT 'Say something' FROM dual
'SAYSOMETHING
Say somethingTTFN
John