Is there a way to call SQL before SQL*Loader imports?

Question

I am using sqlldr to do a bulk load of data, but I need to set a context value before the data loads so that a trigger has a value, but I cannot find a way to execute arbitrary sql as part of a data load.

Answer 1

In theory an after logon trigger can run code for you, but it would be difficult to switch functionality like that on and off on demand.

Consider using an external table instead of SQL*Loader, and you can do just about whatever you like as part of the session.