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

Part Number E26088-02
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ALTER SESSION

Purpose

Use the ALTER SESSION statement to set or modify any of the conditions or parameters that affect your connection to the database. The statement stays in effect until you disconnect from the database.

Prerequisites

To enable and disable the SQL trace facility, you must have ALTER SESSION system privilege.

To enable or disable resumable space allocation, you must have the RESUMABLE system privilege.

You do not need any privileges to perform the other operations of this statement unless otherwise indicated.

Syntax

alter_session::=

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Description of the illustration alter_session.gif

alter_session_set_clause ::=

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Description of the illustration alter_session_set_clause.gif

Semantics

ADVISE Clause

The ADVISE clause sends advice to a remote database to force a distributed transaction. The advice appears in the ADVICE column of the DBA_2PC_PENDING view on the remote database (the values are 'C' for COMMIT, 'R' for ROLLBACK, and '  ' for NOTHING). If the transaction becomes in doubt, then the administrator of that database can use this advice to decide whether to commit or roll back the transaction.

You can send different advice to different remote databases by issuing multiple ALTER SESSION statements with the ADVISE clause in a single transaction. Each such statement sends advice to the databases referenced in the following statements in the transaction until another such statement is issued.

CLOSE DATABASE LINK Clause

Specify CLOSE DATABASE LINK to close the database link dblink. When you issue a statement that uses a database link, Oracle Database creates a session for you on the remote database using that link. The connection remains open until you end your local session or until the number of database links for your session exceeds the value of the initialization parameter OPEN_LINKS. If you want to reduce the network overhead associated with keeping the link open, then use this clause to close the link explicitly if you do not plan to use it again in your session.

ENABLE | DISABLE COMMIT IN PROCEDURE

Procedures and stored functions written in PL/SQL can issue COMMIT and ROLLBACK statements. If your application would be disrupted by a COMMIT or ROLLBACK statement not issued directly by the application itself, then specify DISABLE COMMIT IN PROCEDURE clause to prevent procedures and stored functions called during your session from issuing these statements.

You can subsequently allow procedures and stored functions to issue COMMIT and ROLLBACK statements in your session by issuing the ENABLE COMMIT IN PROCEDURE.

Some applications automatically prohibit COMMIT and ROLLBACK statements in procedures and stored functions. Refer to your application documentation for more information.

ENABLE | DISABLE GUARD

The security_clause of ALTER DATABASE lets you prevent anyone other than the SYS user from making any changes to data or database objects on the primary or standby database. This clause lets you override that setting for the current session.

See Also:

security_clause for more information on the GUARD setting

PARALLEL DML | DDL | QUERY

The PARALLEL parameter determines whether all subsequent DML, DDL, or query statements in the session will be considered for parallel execution. This clause enables you to override the degree of parallelism of tables during the current session without changing the tables themselves. Uncommitted transactions must either be committed or rolled back prior to executing this clause for DML.

ENABLE Clause

Specify ENABLE to execute subsequent statements in the session in parallel. This is the default for DDL and query statements.

Restriction on the ENABLE clause You cannot specify the optional PARALLEL integer with ENABLE.

DISABLE Clause

Specify DISABLE to execute subsequent statements in the session serially. This is the default for DML statements.

Restriction on the DISABLE clause You cannot specify the optional PARALLEL integer with DISABLE.

FORCE Clause

FORCE forces parallel execution of subsequent statements in the session. If no parallel clause or hint is specified, then a default degree of parallelism is used. This clause overrides any parallel_clause specified in subsequent statements in the session but is overridden by a parallel hint.

PARALLEL integer Specify an integer to explicitly specify a degree of parallelism:

The following types of DML operations are not parallelized regardless of this clause:

RESUMABLE Clauses

These clauses let you enable and disable resumable space allocation. This feature allows an operation to be suspended in the event of an out-of-space error condition and to resume automatically from the point of interruption when the error condition is fixed.

Note:

Resumable space allocation is fully supported for operations on locally managed tablespaces. Some restrictions apply if you are using dictionary-managed tablespaces. For information on these restrictions, refer to Oracle Database Administrator's Guide.

ENABLE RESUMABLE

This clause enables resumable space allocation for the session.

TIMEOUT TIMEOUT lets you specify (in seconds) the time during which an operation can remain suspended while waiting for the error condition to be fixed. If the error condition is not fixed within the TIMEOUT period, then Oracle Database aborts the suspended operation.

NAME NAME lets you specify a user-defined text string to help users identify the statements issued during the session while the session is in resumable mode. Oracle Database inserts the text string into the USER_RESUMABLE and DBA_RESUMABLE data dictionary views. If you do not specify NAME, then Oracle Database inserts the default string 'User username(userid), Session sessionid, Instance instanceid'.

See Also:

Oracle Database Reference for information on the data dictionary views

DISABLE RESUMABLE

This clause disables resumable space allocation for the session.

SYNC WITH PRIMARY

Use this clause to synchronize redo apply on a physical standby database with the primary database. An ALTER SESSION statement with this clause blocks until redo apply has applied all redo data received by the standby at the time the statement is issued. This clause returns an error, and synchronization does not occur, if the redo transport state for the standby database is not SYNCHRONIZED or if redo apply is not active.

See Also:

Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration for more information on this session parameter

alter_session_set_clause

Use the alter_session_set_clause to set initialization parameter values or to set an edition for the current session.

Initialization Parameters You can set two types of parameters using this clause:

You can set values for multiple parameters in the same alter_session_set_clause.

Edition  Specify EDITION = edition to set the specified edition as the edition in the database session. You must have the USE object privilege on edition, edition must already have been created, and it must be USABLE.

When this statement is successful, the database discards PL/SQL package state corresponding to editionable packages but retains package state corresponding to packages that are not editionable.

You can also set the edition for the current session at startup with the EDITION parameter of the SQL*Plus CONNECT command. However, you cannot specify an ALTER SESSION SET EDITION statement in a recursive SQL or PL/SQL block.

You can determine the edition in use by the current session with the following query:

SELECT SYS_CONTEXT('USERENV', 'CURRENT_EDITION_NAME') FROM DUAL;

See Also:

CREATE EDITION for more information on editions and Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference for information on how editions are designated as USABLE

Initialization Parameters and ALTER SESSION

Some initialization parameter are dynamic in the scope of ALTER SESSION. When you set these parameters using ALTER SESSION, the value you set persists only for the duration of the current session.To determine whether a parameter can be altered using an ALTER SESSION statement, query the ISSES_MODIFIABLE column of the V$PARAMETER dynamic performance view.

Caution:

Before changing the values of initialization parameters, refer to their full description in Oracle Database Reference.

A number of parameters that can be set using ALTER SESSION are not initialization parameters. You can set them only with ALTER SESSION, not in an initialization parameter file. Those session parameters are described in "Session Parameters and ALTER SESSION".


Session Parameters and ALTER SESSION

The following parameters are session parameters only, not initialization parameters:

CONSTRAINT[S]

Syntax:

CONSTRAINT[S] = { IMMEDIATE | DEFERRED | DEFAULT }

The CONSTRAINT[S] parameter determines when conditions specified by a deferrable constraint are enforced.

CURRENT_SCHEMA

Syntax:

CURRENT_SCHEMA = schema

The CURRENT_SCHEMA parameter changes the current schema of the session to the specified schema. Subsequent unqualified references to schema objects during the session will resolve to objects in the specified schema. The setting persists for the duration of the session or until you issue another ALTER SESSION SET CURRENT_SCHEMA statement.

This setting offers a convenient way to perform operations on objects in a schema other than that of the current user without having to qualify the objects with the schema name. This setting changes the current schema, but it does not change the session user or the current user, nor does it give the session user any additional system or object privileges for the session.

ERROR_ON_OVERLAP_TIME

Syntax:

ERROR_ON_OVERLAP_TIME = {TRUE | FALSE}

The ERROR_ON_OVERLAP_TIME parameter determines how Oracle Database should handle an ambiguous boundary datetime value—a case in which it is not clear whether the datetime is in standard or daylight saving time.

Refer to "Support for Daylight Saving Times" for more information on boundary datetime values.

FLAGGER

Syntax:

FLAGGER = { ENTRY | OFF }

The FLAGGER parameter specifies FIPS flagging (as specified in Federal Information Processing Standard 127-2), which causes an error message to be generated when a SQL statement issued is an extension of the Entry Level of SQL-92 (officially, ANSI X3.135-1992, a standard that is now superseded by SQL:2008). FLAGGER is a session parameter only, not an initialization parameter.

After flagging is set in a session, a subsequent ALTER SESSION SET FLAGGER statement will work, but generates the message, ORA-00097. This allows FIPS flagging to be altered without disconnecting the session. OFF turns off flagging.

See Also:

Appendix C, "Oracle and Standard SQL", for more information about Oracle compliance with current ANSI SQL standards

INSTANCE

Syntax:

INSTANCE = integer

Setting the INSTANCE parameter lets you access another instance as if you were connected to your own instance. INSTANCE is a session parameter only, not an initialization parameter. In an Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) environment, each Oracle RAC instance retains static or dynamic ownership of disk space for optimal DML performance based on the setting of this parameter.

ISOLATION_LEVEL

Syntax:

ISOLATION_LEVEL = {SERIALIZABLE | READ COMMITTED} 

The ISOLATION_LEVEL parameter specifies how transactions containing database modifications are handled. ISOLATION_LEVEL is a session parameter only, not an initialization parameter.

Note:

Serializable transactions do not work with deferred segment creation or interval partitioning. Trying to insert data into an empty table with no segment created, or into a partition of an interval partitioned table that does not yet have a segment, causes an error.

STANDBY_MAX_DATA_DELAY

Syntax:

STANDBY_MAX_DATA_DELAY =  { integer | NONE } 

In an Active Data Guard environment, this session parameter can be used to specify a session-specific apply lag tolerance, measured in seconds, for queries issued by non-administrative users to a physical standby database that is in real-time query mode. This capability allows queries to be safely offloaded from the primary database to a physical standby database, because it is possible to detect if the standby database has become unacceptably stale.

If STANDBY_MAX_DATA_DELAY is set to the default value of NONE, queries issued to a physical standby database will be executed regardless of the apply lag on that database.

If STANDBY_MAX_DATA_DELAY is set to a non-zero value, a query issued to a physical standby database will be executed only if the apply lag is less than or equal to STANDBY_MAX_DATA_DELAY. Otherwise, an ORA-3172 error is returned to alert the client that the apply lag is too large.

If STANDBY_MAX_DATA_DELAY is set to 0, a query issued to a physical standby database is guaranteed to return the exact same result as if the query were issued on the primary database, unless the standby database is lagging behind the primary database, in which case an ORA-3172 error is returned.

See Also:

Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration for more information on Active Data Guard and using this session parameter

TIME_ZONE

Syntax:

TIME_ZONE =  '[+ | -] hh:mm' 
             | LOCAL 
             | DBTIMEZONE 
             | 'time_zone_region'

The TIME_ZONE parameter specifies the default local time zone offset or region name for the current SQL session. TIME_ZONE is a session parameter only, not an initialization parameter. To determine the time zone of the current session, query the built-in function SESSIONTIMEZONE (see SESSIONTIMEZONE).

Note:

Time zone region names are needed by the daylight saving feature. These names are stored in two types of time zone files: one large and one small. One of these files is the default file, depending on your environment and the release of Oracle Database you are using. For more information regarding time zone files and names, see Oracle Database Globalization Support Guide.

See Also:

Oracle Database Globalization Support Guide for a complete listing of the time zone region names in both files

Note:

You can also set the default client session time zone using the ORA_SDTZ environment variable. Refer to Oracle Database Globalization Support Guide for more information on this variable.

USE_PRIVATE_OUTLINES

Syntax:

USE_PRIVATE_OUTLINES = { TRUE | FALSE | category_name }

The USE_PRIVATE_OUTLINES parameter lets you control the use of private outlines. When this parameter is enabled and an outlined SQL statement is issued, the optimizer retrieves the outline from the session private area rather than the public area used when USE_STORED_OUTLINES is enabled. If no outline exists in the session private area, then the optimizer will not use an outline to compile the statement. USE_PRIVATE_OUTLINES is not an initialization parameter.

Restriction on USE_PRIVATE_OUTLINES You cannot enable this parameter if USE_STORED_OUTLINES is enabled.

USE_STORED_OUTLINES

Syntax:

USE_STORED_OUTLINES = { TRUE | FALSE | category_name }

The USE_STORED_OUTLINES parameter determines whether the optimizer will use stored public outlines to generate execution plans. USE_STORED_OUTLINES is not an initialization parameter.

Restriction on USED_STORED_OUTLINES You cannot enable this parameter if USE_PRIVATE_OUTLINES is enabled.

Examples

Enabling Parallel DML: Example Issue the following statement to enable parallel DML mode for the current session:

ALTER SESSION ENABLE PARALLEL DML;

Forcing a Distributed Transaction: Example The following transaction inserts an employee record into the employees table on the database identified by the database link remote and deletes an employee record from the employees table on the database identified by local:

ALTER SESSION
   ADVISE COMMIT; 

INSERT INTO employees@remote
   VALUES (8002, 'Juan', 'Fernandez', 'juanf@example.com', NULL, 
   TO_DATE('04-OCT-1992', 'DD-MON-YYYY'), 'SA_CLERK', 3000, 
   NULL, 121, 20); 

ALTER SESSION
   ADVISE ROLLBACK; 

DELETE FROM employees@local
   WHERE employee_id = 8002; 

COMMIT;  

This transaction has two ALTER SESSION statements with the ADVISE clause. If the transaction becomes in doubt, then remote is sent the advice 'COMMIT' by virtue of the first ALTER SESSION statement and local is sent the advice 'ROLLBACK' by virtue of the second statement.

Closing a Database Link: Example This statement updates the jobs table on the local database using a database link, commits the transaction, and explicitly closes the database link:

UPDATE jobs@local SET min_salary = 3000
   WHERE job_id = 'SH_CLERK';

COMMIT; 

ALTER SESSION
   CLOSE DATABASE LINK local;

Changing the Date Format Dynamically: Example The following statement dynamically changes the default date format for your session to 'YYYY MM DD-HH24:MI:SS':

ALTER SESSION 
   SET NLS_DATE_FORMAT = 'YYYY MM DD HH24:MI:SS';

Oracle Database uses the new default date format:

SELECT TO_CHAR(SYSDATE) Today
   FROM DUAL; 

TODAY 
------------------- 
2001 04 12 12:30:38

Changing the Date Language Dynamically: Example The following statement changes the language for date format elements to French:

ALTER SESSION 
   SET NLS_DATE_LANGUAGE = French;

SELECT TO_CHAR(SYSDATE, 'Day DD Month YYYY') Today
   FROM DUAL; 

TODAY 
--------------------------- 
Jeudi    12 Avril     2001

Changing the ISO Currency: Example The following statement dynamically changes the ISO currency symbol to the ISO currency symbol for the territory America:

ALTER SESSION
   SET NLS_ISO_CURRENCY = America; 

SELECT TO_CHAR( SUM(salary), 'C999G999D99') Total
   FROM employees; 

TOTAL
------------------
     USD694,900.00

Changing the Decimal Character and Group Separator: Example The following statement dynamically changes the decimal character to comma (,) and the group separator to period (.):

ALTER SESSION SET NLS_NUMERIC_CHARACTERS = ',.' ;

Oracle Database returns these new characters when you use their number format elements:

ALTER SESSION SET NLS_CURRENCY = 'FF';

SELECT TO_CHAR( SUM(salary), 'L999G999D99') Total FROM employees;

TOTAL
---------------------
         FF694.900,00

Changing the NLS Currency: Example The following statement dynamically changes the local currency symbol to 'DM':

ALTER SESSION
   SET NLS_CURRENCY = 'DM'; 

SELECT TO_CHAR( SUM(salary), 'L999G999D99') Total
   FROM employees; 

TOTAL
---------------------
         DM694.900,00

Changing the NLS Language: Example The following statement dynamically changes to French the language in which error messages are displayed:

ALTER SESSION
   SET NLS_LANGUAGE = FRENCH; 

Session modifiee.

SELECT * FROM DMP;

ORA-00942: Table ou vue inexistante

Changing the Linguistic Sort Sequence: Example The following statement dynamically changes the linguistic sort sequence to Spanish:

ALTER SESSION
   SET NLS_SORT = XSpanish; 

Oracle Database sorts character values based on their position in the Spanish linguistic sort sequence.

Enabling SQL Trace: Example To enable the SQL trace facility for your session, issue the following statement:

ALTER SESSION 
   SET SQL_TRACE = TRUE; 

Enabling Query Rewrite: Example This statement enables query rewrite in the current session for all materialized views that have not been explicitly disabled:

ALTER SESSION SET QUERY_REWRITE_ENABLED = TRUE;