BFILE error on oracle - sql

Question

I would like to make sure that every BFILE in my database really exists on the file system it is related to.
I have the following error :
ERROR at line 1:
ORA-06502: PL/SQL: numeric or value error: invalid
LOB locator specified: ORA-22275 ORA-06512: at line 59
with the following PL/SQL :
1 declare
2 sSQL varchar2(32767);
3 TYPE refcursor is REF CURSOR;
4 outCursor refcursor;
5 v_1 bfile;
6 dir_alias varchar2(500);
7 name varchar2(500);
8 bfile_exists BOOLEAN := FALSE;
9 --
10 -- DECLARATION DES CURSEURS
11 --
12 cursor find_bfile is
13 SELECT owner, table_name, column_name from dba_tab_columns where data_type='BFILE' order by 1,2,3;
14 begin
15 -- curseur principal sur dba_tab_columns
16 for boucle_find_bfile in find_bfile loop
17 dbms_output.put_line('Owner : ' || boucle_find_bfile.owner || 'Table : ' || boucle_find_bfile.table_name|| boucle_find_bfile.column_name );
18 sSQL := 'select ' || boucle_find_bfile.column_name || ' from ' || boucle_find_bfile.owner || '.' || boucle_find_bfile.table_name;
19 dbms_output.put_line('sSQL : ' || sSQL);
20 OPEN outCursor FOR sSQL;
21 LOOP
22 -- lecture initiale
23 FETCH outCursor INTO v_1;
24 dbms_output.put_line('Avant bfile_exists');
25 begin
26 bfile_exists := DBMS_LOB.FILEEXISTS( v_1 ) = 1;
27 EXCEPTION
28 WHEN DBMS_LOB.NOEXIST_DIRECTORY THEN
29 dbms_output.put_line('>>>>> Directory does not exist !');
30 WHEN DBMS_LOB.NOPRIV_DIRECTORY THEN
31 dbms_output.put_line('>>>>> Directory with privs pb !');
32 WHEN DBMS_LOB.INVALID_DIRECTORY THEN
33 dbms_output.put_line('>>>>> Invalid Directory !');
34 WHEN OTHERS THEN
35 dbms_output.put_line('Milieu : Erreur inattendue : ' || SQLERRM);
36 RAISE;
37 end;
38 dbms_output.put_line('Apres bfile_exists');
39 IF bfile_exists
40 THEN
41 dbms_lob.filegetname(v_1, dir_alias, name);
42 dbms_output.put_line('Table : ' || boucle_find_bfile.table_name || ' / dir_alias : ' || dir_alias || ' / name : ' || name );
43 END IF;
44 EXIT WHEN outCursor%NOTFOUND;
45 -- lecture suivante
46 EXIT WHEN outCursor%NOTFOUND;
47 END LOOP;
48 CLOSE outCursor;
49 end loop; -- fin curseur find_bfile
50 EXCEPTION
51 WHEN DBMS_LOB.NOEXIST_DIRECTORY THEN
52 dbms_output.put_line('>>>>> Directory does not exist !');
53 WHEN DBMS_LOB.NOPRIV_DIRECTORY THEN
54 dbms_output.put_line('>>>>> Directory with privs pb !');
55 WHEN DBMS_LOB.INVALID_DIRECTORY THEN
56 dbms_output.put_line('>>>>> Invalid Directory !');
57 WHEN OTHERS THEN
58 dbms_output.put_line('Fin ; Erreur inattendue : ' || SQLERRM);
59 RAISE;
60* end;
A hint : I have many "bfilename(NULL)" in my LOB type column.
I know I do not use the DBMS_LOB.FILEEXISTS function correctly.
How can I do ?
Thanks in advance
Jean-michel A., Nemours, FRANCE
RDBMS : Oracle 11G on Linux with ASM

Answer 1

First you must fix command
EXIT WHEN outCursor%NOTFOUND;
because it should be located right below
FETCH outCursor INTO v_1;
to finish loop correctly and avoid one invalid iteration:
...
OPEN outCursor FOR sSQL;
LOOP
-- lecture initiale
FETCH outCursor INTO v_1;
EXIT WHEN outCursor%NOTFOUND; -- RIGHT HERE
dbms_output.put_line('Avant bfile_exists');
begin
bfile_exists := DBMS_LOB.FILEEXISTS(v_1) = 1;
EXCEPTION
WHEN DBMS_LOB.NOEXIST_DIRECTORY THEN
dbms_output.put_line('>>>>> Directory does not exist !');
WHEN DBMS_LOB.NOPRIV_DIRECTORY THEN
dbms_output.put_line('>>>>> Directory with privs pb !');
WHEN DBMS_LOB.INVALID_DIRECTORY THEN
dbms_output.put_line('>>>>> Invalid Directory !');
WHEN OTHERS THEN
dbms_output.put_line('Milieu : Erreur inattendue : ' || SQLERRM);
RAISE;
end;
dbms_output.put_line('Apres bfile_exists');
IF bfile_exists THEN
dbms_lob.filegetname(v_1, dir_alias, name);
dbms_output.put_line('Table : ' || boucle_find_bfile.table_name ||
' / dir_alias : ' || dir_alias || ' / name : ' || name);
END IF;
-- EXIT WHEN outCursor%NOTFOUND; not here :/
-- lecture suivante
-- EXIT WHEN outCursor%NOTFOUND; here neither :/
END LOOP;
CLOSE outCursor;
...
About invalid LOB locator: When BFILE columns value are null then DBMS_LOB.FILEEXISTS will throw exception ORA-22275: invalid LOB locator specified. A way to solve the problem is catching this into an exception/when block by ora-code. You can init/declare an exception via pragma as below and catch it later:
declare
invalid_lob_loc exception; -- naming my custom exc as 'invalid_lob_loc'
pragma exception_init(invalid_lob_loc, -22275); -- ORA: 22275
begin
...
begin
...
-- this moment exception will be thrown if BFILE column value is null
bfile_exists = DBMS_LOB.FILEEXISTS(v_1) = 1;
...
exception
when invalid_lob_loc then -- catching it
-- set that file does not exists
bfile_exists = false;
end;
...
end;
Althought, if BFILE column is not null but file does not exists anymore in filesystem then DBMS_LOB.FILEEXISTS will return false and everything will flow as planned :)