SQL*Loader is a utility used to load data from flat files into an Oracle database. Despite its wide availability and use, few Oracle users know how to get the most out of it. This book has everything you need to know about SQL*Loader: a reference to all of its syntax options and step-by-step instructions for all of the SQL*Loader tasks you'd want to perform--and maybe some you didn't realize you COULD perform. You'll learn how to construct the necessary control files, load from different types of files containing different types of data, validate data, load data selectively, transform data as it is loaded, and recover after failure. The book shows how to optimize SQL*Loader performance by adjusting the transaction size and using the new direct path option. It also covers the newest SQL*Loader features--the loading of large object (LOB) columns and the new object types (nested tables, varying arrays, and object tables).