Variables in TOAD scripts

Question

I have a SQL script that is being executed in TOAD. Currently, I have it laid out with just statement after statement, thusly:

select such-and-such from somewhere;

delete other-thing from somewhere-else;

And so on. Some of the where clauses end up being repetitive because I have complex inner queries to get particular IDs to operate on. I'd like to capture the ID in the beginning of the script in a variable, and then use that variable in subsequent where clauses. So something like this:

variable MY_ID = select the-ID from somewhere;

select such-and-such from somewhere where ID = @MY_ID;

Obviously, I'm making up that syntax, but that is what I'm looking for. But I'm not sure if that is possible in a TOAD script. I know I can convert the whole thing to a PL/SQL block but I'm trying to avoid having to do that for various reasons.

Any way to do this using TOAD without converting to a PL/SQL block?

Answer 1

I think this will accomplish what you want. You can declare a bind variable, insert a value into it, and then use it in future statements.

variable l_var varchar2(1);

begin
  select dummy
    into :l_var
    from dual;
end;

select *
  from dual
 where dummy = :l_var;

Answer 2

I use SQL*PLUS substitution variables. They are supported by TOAD. You can execute this code by pressing F5.

COLUMN VAR NEW_VALUE VAR_VALUE

SELECT 'SOMETHING' VAR FROM DUAL;  --this sets 'VAR_VALUE' = 'SOMETHING'

SELECT '&VAR_VALUE' FROM DUAL;  --this uses the value set by the previous stmt.

Answer 3

I no longer actively use TOAD, but there should be some mechanism for setting values for bind parameters ie select such-and-such from somewhere where ID = :myid; such that every time it occurs TOAD supplies the same value for that parameter.

Alternatively, you could create a session context value or PL/SQL package variable (note: not the same thing as rewriting your entire code to use PL/SQL). See this question

Answer 4

The "Calculated Fields" feature in TOAD is actually quite powerful if used in the right way. It's nothing more than a "token" script editor that attaches itself to the Query itself. It's only available via the Query Design Editor, and not from the native Editor, which allows you to write straight up SQL.

As a hint, next time you create a Query Designed in TOAD and need to create complex WHERE or sub-queries, try the "Calculated Fields" feature and use the FORMS option to basically attach your conditions to a given column or query. You'll be surprised how powerful it is. And it helps keep your SQL query in a nice readable format.