Oracle Date subtraction with SQLLDR

Question

I am trying to import NetBackup statistics into Oracle. One field I really want is ACTIVE START, but it isn't available from bpdbjobs -report. What is available is ACTIVEELAPSED, so I want to subtract that from the END TIME on import as follows:

END TIME Format: 26/09/2009 10:46:20 PM

ELAPSED TIME Format: 028:32:35 (which is hours, minutes, seconds)

SQL*Loader Control File (Relevant lines):

ACTIVE_ELAPSED      BOUNDFILLER POSITION(261:270),
END_TIME            POSITION(271:293) char "to_date(:End_time, 'dd/mm/yyyy hh:mi:ss AM')",
ACTIVE_START        EXPRESSION "to_date(:END_TIME, 'dd/mm/yyyy hh:mi:ss AM') - TO_DSINTERVAL(':ACTIVE_ELAPSED')",

My googling informs me that there are no format masks for Interval, so I am currently stumped (Oracle SQL is not my normal gig!)

Jonathan

Answer 1

you could split the elapsed time and convert it in (fraction of) days, then you can substract it from END_TIME:

to_date(:END_TIME, 'dd/mm/yyyy hh:mi:ss AM')
- substr(:elapsed_time, 1, instr(:elapsed_time, ':') - 1) / 24
- substr(:elapsed_time, 
         instr(:elapsed_time, ':') + 1,
         instr(:elapsed_time, ':', 1, 2) - instr(:elapsed_time, ':') -1) / 24 / 60 
- substr(:elapsed_time, instr(:elapsed_time, ':', 1, 2) + 1) / 24 / 60 / 60