Using stored procedures with a timestamp parameter with Delphi and ADO

Question

Dear Oracle experts,
I have a problem concerning using a stored procedure with Delphi.
I try to use a stored procedure which hast two input parameters ( a integer and a timestamp).
The timestamp parameter is my problem since I would like to use the "to_timestamp"
Oracle-function to create the timestamp parameter to be inserted into my procedure.
If I insert the to_timestamp statement as a adodatetime I have to perform the conversion to the oracle timestamp in my application.
If I want to use the to_timestamp statement I have to use the ftstring datatype but in that case I get an error because I use a string as input for my procedure were it awaits a timestamp.
So the problem seems to be that the function call "to_timestamp" is not interpreted if it is transferred through my ADO component.
Do you know how to use a procedure with Delphi (ADO) with a function as input parameter ?
Best regards,
Daniel Wetzler
P.S. :
This is the Delphi code to use my Procedure.
FactsTempDS:=TADODataset.Create(nil);
Sproc1 := TAdoStoredProc.Create(nil);
Sproc1.Connection := TDBConnection(strlistConnectionstrings.objects[iConnectionIndex]).Connection;
Sproc1.ProcedureName := 'ECSPACKAGE.PROCFINDINITIALSWITCHSTATE';
Sproc1.Parameters.CreateParameter ('SwitchID',ftInteger,pdinput,0,0);
//Sproc1.Parameters.CreateParameter ('StartTime',ftdatetime,pdinput,50,0);
Sproc1.Parameters.CreateParameter ('StartTime',ftString,pdinput,50,0);
Sproc1.Parameters.Findparam('SwitchID').value:=SwitchID;
Sproc1.Parameters.FindParam('StartTime').Value:= 'to_timestamp(''2005/12/30 19:36:21'', ''YYYY/MM/DD HH:MI:SS'')';
Sproc1.CursorType := ctKeyset;
Sproc1.ExecuteOptions:=[];
Sproc1.Open;
Sproc1.Connection := nil;
FactsTempDS.Recordset:= sproc1.Recordset;
if FactsTempDS.RecordCount=0
then raise Exception.Create('No line switch variable found for switch '+IntToStr(SwitchID)+' before starttime. Check BDE dump filter.')

Answer 1

I have my entity manager setup in a singleton.
I'm finding it's costly to generate the emf, but if I don't close the em (enitity manager) and emf (entity manager factory) my open cursor count climbs until I exceed the max number of open cursors on the database (11g RAC)
I'm committing the connection, and uow, and closing the em at the end of each call.
But until I close the emf, the open cursors aren't released.
TransactionhistoryPkg tranPkg = new TransactionhistoryPkg(conn); //Class created over database package via JPublisher
tranPkg.transactionhistoryInsSp(insertTrans.getCardId()); // executes db package
tranPkg.closeConnection();
conn.commit();
uow.commit();
uow.getAccessor().decrementCallCount();
em.close();
Am I missing something really obvious here??
btw - I found this link helpful in troubleshooting the max cursors issue: https://support.bea.com/application_content/product_portlets/support_patterns/wls/InvestigatingORA-1000MaximumOpenCursorsExceededPattern.html