Using spool in a procedure

Question

Hi,
I've a package with 6 procedures.
In one procedure I need to load the data into a flat file. The procedure contains only one select statement.
example:
procedure pro_test as
select * from emp;
end pro_test;
Shell script is being used to call one procedure inside the package and that procedure is calling remaining procedures inside it.
connected to database using sqlplus.
Can anyone help me out how I can spool the select statement inside the procedure. Version of oracle is 11g.

Answer 1

Hi,
Why do you want to do
SELECT  *
FROM    table_name;
inside the procedure?  Why not have your script run the procedure (without the query above), and then do that query afterwards, when you can use SPOOL to put the results in a file?
If you really must write a file from a procedure, here's an example of how to use utl_file.
First, SYSTEM (or some other user with the CREATE ANY DIRECCTORY system privilege) must create a directory, and grant privileges to use it.  For example:
CREATE OR RPLEACE DIRECTORY  a_dir  AS 'C:\Foo\A_Folder';
GRANT ALL ON DIRECTORY  a_dir  TO PUBLIC;
Typically, SYSTEM does this once, and other people use it hundreds of times.
You might create a file in that directory like this:
CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE  write_dept
IS
    f  utl_file.file_type;
BEGIN
    f := utl_file.fopen ('A_DIR', 'Dept.txt', 'W');
    FOR  r  IN  (  SELECT  *
                   FROM    scott.dept
    LOOP
        utl_file.put_line ( f
                          , TO_CHAR (r.deptno, 'FM00')
                            || ' '
                            || RPAD (r.dname, 15)
                            || r.loc
    END LOOP;
    utl_file.fclose (f);
END  write_dept;
SHOW ERRORS