Skip Headers
Oracle® Database SQL Language Reference
11g Release 2 (11.2)

Part Number E26088-02
Go to Documentation Home
Home
Go to Book List
Book List
Go to Table of Contents
Contents
Go to Index
Index
Go to Master Index
Master Index
Go to Feedback page
Contact Us

Go to previous page
Previous
Go to next page
Next
PDF · Mobi · ePub

TO_LOB

Syntax

Description of to_lob.gif follows
Description of the illustration to_lob.gif

Purpose

TO_LOB converts LONG or LONG RAW values in the column long_column to LOB values. You can apply this function only to a LONG or LONG RAW column, and only in the select list of a subquery in an INSERT statement.

Before using this function, you must create a LOB column to receive the converted LONG values. To convert LONG values, create a CLOB column. To convert LONG RAW values, create a BLOB column.

You cannot use the TO_LOB function to convert a LONG column to a LOB column in the subquery of a CREATE TABLE ... AS SELECT statement if you are creating an index-organized table. Instead, create the index-organized table without the LONG column, and then use the TO_LOB function in an INSERT ... AS SELECT statement.

You cannot use this function within a PL/SQL package. Instead use the TO_CLOB or TO_BLOB functions.

See Also:

  • the modify_col_properties clause of ALTER TABLE for an alternative method of converting LONG columns to LOB

  • INSERT for information on the subquery of an INSERT statement

Example

The following syntax shows how to use the TO_LOB function on your LONG data in a hypothetical table old_table:

CREATE TABLE new_table (col1, col2, ... lob_col CLOB);
INSERT INTO new_table (select o.col1, o.col2, ... TO_LOB(o.old_long_col)
   FROM old_table o;