The Command Rule Dialog Box exists to construct new Command rules. Command rules are designed to enable the execution of user defined SQL statements in the target schema. There can be any number of Command rules applied to a schema. Detailed information on Command rules (what they are, how and when they can be used) can be found in the About Command Rules help file.
The SQL statement contained within a Command Rule can use the usual multi-line form. It is also possible to enter multiple SQL statements in a single Command Rule - provided the maximum size limit of 1024 characters for any Command Rule is not exceeded. The SQL statements will execute within the context of a PL/SQL block (not at the SQL*Plus command line) and because of that constraint some special formatting is necessary. Please see the About Command Rules help file for more information on this topic.
The Descriptive Short Name field in the top right hand panel can contain a short description of the code - this is the text that will be visible in the Options area on the Set Rules tab to serve as a quick reminder of the function of the rule.
The Ignore ORA- Errors Option
Normally, the Data Masker will stop processing the set of masking rules if the Oracle database reports any errors. These errors are reported using the normal ORA-????? error code (where ????? is a five digit number indicating the source of the error). Sometimes, when running Command Rules, it is desirable to be able to ignore reported errors and continue processing. An example of this is a statement of the form:
execute immediate 'drop table XXTempTab';
If the table does not exist, the returning ORA-00942 error would completely halt the run of the Masking Set. However, in this case, the error itself is of no consequence. Enabling the Ignore ORA- Errors Option will allow subsequent rules to be processed.
It is important to realize that the Ignoring ORA Errors works on a per-rule basis and the handling is internal to the Data Masker software not the Oracle database. In other words, if a rule contains multiple statements then any SQL statements listed after a statement that fails will not be processed by the Oracle database. If you enable this option make sure that each Command Rule contains only one SQL statement.
The Generate Temp Table Create Stmt Option
Many types of Data Masker rule require the presence of a temporary table (named DM_ROWID_TEMP0) in the target schema. Normally this table is created when the Masking Set is built. However, if the target envionment has been cloned from another source prior to masking, it may not have the required temporary table. Pressing this button will generate the SQL code required to create the DM_ROWID_TEMP0 table in the target schema. Once the rule is configured it will, when executed, ensure the temporary table is always present for subsequent rules. A Command Rule building the temporary table should run before any other rule. This can be done by placing it by itself in the lowest rule block.