John, A PL/SQL procedure run from dbms_job doesn't run continually - it is regularly restarted, which is quite different. The problem with continually running processes, PL/SQL or others, is that they have an innate tendency to take the CPU and not release it. If you want your solution to be viable, you need the process to block on something to give a chance to the other, competing processes - or you put it in polling mode (there's a kind of SLEEP function in one of the supplied packages, cannot remember which), or (what I'd prefer) you make it regularly wait on a DBMS_PIPE.RECEIVE or a DBMS_ALERT.WAITxxx, with or without a timeout shorter than your life expectancy. Now, for starting such a process, if you use DBMS_JOB it means that you will 'sacrifice', so to speak, a job process which will not be able to do anything else. It can be an acceptable solution if you increase job_processes accordingly. Or you can have the procedure called by SQL*Plus conveniently wrapped into an OS sc! ! ript, and make the OS script a detached process.
HTH S Faroult >----- Original Message ----- >From: John Dunn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Sent: Fri, 05 Apr 2002 02:13:32 > >We have a package that we want to run effectively >in the background/batch >mode, i.e detached from the pl/sql that initates >it. Basically the package >would run continually until a table value tells it >to stop. Is there an >alternative to using dbms_job? > >John > -- Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com -- Author: Stephane Faroul INET: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fat City Network Services -- (858) 538-5051 FAX: (858) 538-5051 San Diego, California -- Public Internet access / Mailing Lists -------------------------------------------------------------------- To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an E-Mail message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (note EXACT spelling of 'ListGuru') and in the message BODY, include a line containing: UNSUB ORACLE-L (or the name of mailing list you want to be removed from). You may also send the HELP command for other information (like subscribing).
