C Installing Oracle Expression Filter

Expression Filter provide s a SQL schema and PL/SQL and Java packages that are used to store, retrieve, update, and query collections of expressions in an Orac le database.

Expression Filter is installed automatically with Oracle Database 10g Standard Edition and Oracle Databa se 10g Enterprise Edition. It is supplied as a set of PL/SQL packages, a Java package, a set of dictionary tables, and catal og views. All these objects are created in a dedicated schema named EXFSYS.

The script to install the Expression Filter is named catexf.sql and is found in the $ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/admin/directory. This script should be executed from a SQL*Plus session while connected as SYSDBA. Expression Filter can be uninstalled using the catnoexf.sql sc ript in the same directory.

The Expression Filter functionality is the same in the Standard and Enterprise Editions. Support f or indexing expressions is available only in the Enterprise Edition because it requires bitmap index support.

During installat ion of the Oracle database, a demonstration script is installed for the Expression Filter feature. The script exfdemo.sql is located in the $ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/demo/ directory.