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Cappadocia Ephesus Classical Greece tour covers the most important places of Turkey and Greece.
With this package, you will visit Istanbul, the Cappadocia area, ancient Ephesus and Izmir, Athens, Mycenae, Epidaurus, Ancient Olympia, Delphi and the Meteora Monasteries.
Day by Day Itinerary
Cappadocia Ephesus Classical Greece starts at the Istanbul international airport. Arrival, meeting and assistance and then transfer to your selected hotel in Istanbul. Balance of the day at leisure.
After breakfast full day to visit Istanbul. We begin our tour from the most unexpectedly romantic attraction, the Basilica Cistern, offering an insight into the complicated system that once brought drinking water into Istanbul from Thrace (an area of the south-east Balkans now constituting Turkish land n the European mainland, and a chunk of Bulgaria). Constructed in the sixth century and then forgotten for centuries, the cistern that once stored the water has been fitted with lights and music.
Next, we visit the Blue Mosque, which owes its name to the exquisite tiles adorning its interior. Dating from the 17th century, it is the only imperial Mosque with six minarets. The Hippodrome, the stadium of ancient Byzantium, held 100.000 spectators and featured objects from all corners of the empire.
The Grand Bazaar was the commercial heart of the old city and its 4.000 shops are full of treasures – including carpets and kilims, silks, jewellery, ceramics, icons and leather goods.
Lunch in a local restaurant and continuation of our tour. Our afternoon will begin at Topkapi Palace which, from the 15th to 19th century, was the principal residence of the Ottoman Sultans.
Little Agia Sophia Mosque is known as one of the oldest standing churches in Istanbul dating back to the 6th century. It is an early domed-basilica architectural plan of the famous Agia Sophia which was applied here for the first time in history.
In the morning, transfer to the airport for a flight to Ankara. Arrive in Ankara, the Turkish capital and then to town to visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, which has a rich collection of finds from Asia Minor, mainly Hittites.
Then we will visit the Mausoleum of Kemal Ataturk (founder of modern Turkey). Lunch and Continuation of the trip to Cappadocia passing by Salt Lake. Dinner and overnight.
Full-day visit of the spectacular Cappadocia region, unique for its fascinating and unique landscape formed by the lava thrown out by volcanoes Erciyes and Hasan, 3 million years ago.
Visit the many monasteries and chapels in Goreme, World Heritage Site by UNESCO, dug into the rocks and decorated with frescoes of the tenth century (some of them very well preserved).
Pass by and admire a panoramic view of the castle of Uchisar on top of a mound of volcanic rock crossed by tunnels and windows and Avcilar Valley. Lunch and in the afternoon, visit the village of Avanos, famous for its handicrafts and valleys and Gόvercinlik Valley (Pigeon Valley).
Visit the underground city of Kaymakli or Serhatli, one of the 36 underground cities of Cappadocia that served as a refuge for Christians.
Return to hotel and dinner. Dinner and accommodation.
Early departure to Konya, the capital of the Seljuk sultans in the 11th century. Visit the Caravansarai of Sultanhan, where they used to stop the caravans of camels on the silk route.
Visit the Mausoleum of Mevlana, the poet and Philosopher who founded the mystical and religious sect of the Dancing Dervishes.
Lunch in the city and continuation of the trip to Pamukkale. Accommodation and dinner.
Pamukkale is a beautiful and spectacular natural site, unique in the world with its fairy-like dazzling white, petrified lime cascades. There you will see the thermal spring water laden with calcareous salt, plunging down the mountainside which has created this natural formation of stalactites, cataracts and basins. Thermal water has been used since the Roman period for its therapeutic powers.
Next, you will visit the Roman city of Hierapolis, which is not located not on earth or rock, but on solid limestone layers formed by limestone water that flowed for centuries over this raised-level plateau. The name means "sacred city", and according to Stephanus of Byzantium, the city was given this name because of the large number of temples it contained.
After that, you will visit the ruins of the necropolis and the Roman Baths. Continue to Aphrodisias and after lunch visit this ancient Greco – Roman city, dedicated to the Goddess of Love Aphrodite. Departure for Kusadası and then to Izmir for your flight to Istanbul.
Drive to Meryemana and visit the House of the Virgin Mary where she spent the last days of her life. Authenticated by Pope Paul VI in 1967, the cottage is a place of pilgrimage for many believers.
After lunch continue to Ephesus, the Roman capital in Asia Minor
The ancient city of Ephesus was an important centre for early Christianity. In the book of Revelation, Ephesus was one of the seven churches addressed by Christ in a vision. It is here that you will find the Temple of Artemis, considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Your guide will also show you the Great Theatre, the Library of Celsius, the ruins of the Odeon, Hercules Arch, the Temple of Hadrian, the magnificent library, the Agora and the Greco-Roman Theatre.
Drive to Izmir airport for the flight to Istanbul. Upon your arrival transfer to your hotel for overnight.
A free day to the mythical city of Istanbul. A full day in the ancient city with countless elegant minarets and mosques. The mix of East and West has resulted in some of the most impressive architectural monuments worldwide as Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace.
Another important thing to experience in Istanbul is to be lost in the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest markets in the world of its kind, where the colours and smells of the mountains of spices, colourful clothes and silver jewellery intoxicate our hours. Haggling is, of course, the standard through the purchase.
At the appropriate time transfer to the airport for the flight to Athens. Rest of the day free. Overnight at hotel.
This tour is an opportunity to observe the striking contrasts that make Athens such a fascinating city. Our expert guides will take you to see the Panathenaic Stadium where the first Olympic Games of modern times were held in 1896 (shortstop).
Continue and pass by the Prime Minister's residence (ex-Royal Palace) guarded by the Euzones in their colourful uniform, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Hadrian's Arch, the Parliament and the memorial to the Unknown Soldier, the Academy, the University, theNational Library, the Constitution Square (Syntagma). On the Acropolis visit the Architectural Masterpieces of the Golden Age of Athens: The Propylaea, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion and finally "the harmony between material and spirit", the monument that "puts an order in the mind", the Parthenon.
Tour will end with visiting the Acropolis and the new Acropolis Museum, "State of the art" in museum construction and very rich in content.
Afternoon free to visit Plaka (The old Athens city) with lots of souvenir shops, restaurants and taverns.
Free day in Athens to stroll around the city and know better the sites and the people. Good opportunity to visit one of the famous museums like the National Archaeological Museum or the Benaki Museum.
Use the metro not only for your transportation but also to visit the different stations to admire pieces of ancient and modern art. Not to miss the visit to Plaka (The old Athens city) with lots of souvenir shops, restaurants and taverns.
Leave by the Coastal Road to the Corinth Canal (shortstop). Drive on and visit Epidaurus which was a small city in ancient Greece, at the Saronic Gulf. Reputed to be the birthplace of Apollo's son Asclepius, the healer, Epidaurus was known for its sanctuary, the cult of Asclepius at Epidaurus is attested in the 6th century BC.as well as its theatre, which is once again in use today.
The Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus is a UNESCO world heritage site.
The theatre is marvelled for its exceptional acoustics, which permits almost perfect intelligibility of non-amplified spoken word from the proscenium or scene to all 15,000 spectators, regardless of their seating.
Then proceed to the Town of Nauplion ( shortstop) and drive on to Mycenae. and visit the Archaeological Site and the Tomb of Agamemnon. Departure for Olympia Through Central Peloponnese and the Towns of Tripolis and Megalopolis. Dinner and overnight in Olympia, the Cradle of the Olympic Games.
Olympia was a sanctuary of ancient Greece, known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, the most famous games in history.
The sanctuary, known as the Altis, consists of an unordered arrangement of various buildings. Enclosed within the temenos are the Temple of Hera (or Heraion/Heraeum) and the Temple of Zeus, the Pelopion and the area of the altar, where the sacrifices were made. The hippodrome and later stadium were also to the east.
To the north of the sanctuary can be found the Prytaneion and the Philippeion, as well as the array of treasuries representing the various city-states.
Olympia is also known for the gigantic ivory and gold statue of Zeus that used to stand there, sculpted by Pheidias, which was named one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by the Antipater of Sidon.
Then drive on through the plains of Eliad and Achaia until the magnificent bridge which is crossing the Corinthian Bay from Rion to Antirion. Pass by the picturesque Towns of Nafpaktos (Lepanto) and Itea, and arrive in Delphi. Dinner and overnight.
Delphi was the centre of the Ancient World – the "Omphalos" (Navel of Earth) – whose prestige extended far beyond the boundaries of the Hellenic World.
On the slopes of Mount Parnassus, in a landscape of unparalleled beauty and majesty, lie the ruins of the Sanctuary of Apollo Pythios.
Visit the Treasury of the Athenians, the Temple of Apollo and the Museum containing such masterpieces of Ancient Greek sculpture as the bronze Charioteer and the famous athlete Aghias. Depart for Kalambaka, a small town situated at the foot of the astonishing complex of Meteora, gigantic rocks. Dinner and overnight.
Meteora is one of the largest and most important complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos. Among striking scenery, perched on top of huge rocks which seem to be suspended in mid-air, stand ageless Monasteries, where you can see exquisite specimens of Byzantine art. The six monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars, at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly near the Pineios river and the Pindus Mountains, in central Greece. The Meteora is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Return to Athens via Trikala, Lamia, and Thermopylae (visit Leonida's monument). Arrive in Athens early in the evening.
At the indicated time according to your departure flight, you will be transferred to the airport. Cappadocia Ephesus Classical Greece vacation package ends here with the hope to see you again.
• Itinerary
Travel Plan – Inclusions
STARTING POINT: Istanbul Every Friday, January to December
15 DAYS/ 14 nights
What's Included
* 4 nights accommodation in Istanbul
* Full-day Istanbul City tour with lunch
* 3 nights/ 4 days tour to Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Kusadası on full board basis in 4* or 5* hotels
* Air tickets Istanbul – Ankara + Izmir – Istanbul
* 4 nights accommodation in Athens
* Half-day city tour of Athens
* 4 days Classical Greece tour on half board basis in 3* or 4 * hotels
* Entrance fees to historical sites during guided excursions in Turkey
* All transfers as per itinerary
* Daily breakfast
* Hotel taxes in Turkey
* Government hotel taxes in Greece
* Special overnight tax of €4 for 5* hotels, €3 for 4* hotels, €1,5 for 3* hotels and €0,5 for 2* hotels per person per night to be paid by clients directly to the hotels in Greece.
* Air tickets Istanbul – Athens not included
Prices per person in Euro for 2024
Period |
Days |
Tax + Fees |
Hotels 3* |
Hotels 4* |
Hotels 5* |
Single |
Double |
Triple |
Single |
Double |
Triple |
Single |
Double |
Triple |
January to December |
Friday |
3255 |
2277 |
2153 |
3857 |
2668 |
2516 |
4830 |
3196 |
2957 |
To get more information and book this tour please use the below form


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Georgia lottery officials said a Mega Millions winner came forward today to claim her share of the $636 million jackpot.
Ira Curry, of Stone Mountain, Ga., is $318 million richer and is one of two lucky ticket holders who will split the second largest jackpot in the game's history.
Lottery officials said Curry purchased the ticket in Atlanta at Gateway Newstand and chose the numbers herself by picking family birthdays and throwing in the lucky number seven.
Georgia Lottery chief executive Debbie Alford said Curry, who has so far stayed out of the spotlight, plans to take the lump sum payout, a cool $123 million after taxes.
A second winning ticket was sold in San Jose, Calif., at Jenny's Gift Shop, California lottery officials said. That person has not yet come forward.
The winning numbers from Tuesday night's drawing were: 8, 14, 17, 20, 39; Mega Ball: 7.
The $636 million jackpot grew from a modest $12 million prize in October. Twenty-one winless drawings later, it became the second-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history, according to lottery officials. The record jackpot was a $656 million Mega Millions prize in March 2012.
Last October, Mega Millions changed its rules to increase the jackpot by lowering the odds of winning. The chance of winning the jackpot is now about 1 in 259 million. Before the rules changed, the odds were 1 in 176 million.
Mega Millions revamped its game after Powerball ticket prices doubled from $1 to $2 in January 2012, accounting for the swelling jackpots and tons of media attention.
Mega Millions is played in 43 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

subset: commoncrawl


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- 'Let's not politicize a disaster' | Mayor Whitmire criticizes councilman's comments on Hurricane Beryl preparation
- Forecast: More rain on the way for the upcoming week; heavy at times with the risk for flooding
- Scattered downpours continue, flash flooding impacts
- Flash flood warning in effect for Mecklenburg County
- Scattered downpours this evening, flash flooding possible
Which two hurricane names are likely to be retired this week?
The names live in legend — tropical cyclones that devastate and erase — but most are never repeated and this week at least two are likely to be retired.
The World Meteorological Organization's hurricane committee for the region that covers the Atlantic basin is meeting in Curaçao through Friday with an agenda that annually includes a discussion on what tropical cyclone names should never return to the rotating six-year list of monikers.
Last year, four names from the 2017 hurricane season — Harvey, Irma, Maria and Nate — were retired.
This year, no one is in doubt that Hurricane Florence, which hit the southeastern coast of North Carolina on Sept. 14, and Hurricane Michael, which made landfall Oct. 10 as a strong Category 4 storm with 155-mph winds, will be removed.
"Given both the historical rarity, intensity and impact, it's likely the name Michael will be retired from future use for Atlantic when a committee of the World Meteorological Organization convenes in spring 2019," wrote Jonathan Erdman, a meteorologist for Weather.com, an IBM company, the day of landfall. "This would be the third straight "M" hurricane to be retired, following Maria in 2017 and Matthew in 2016."
Tropical cyclone names are selected by the WMO and are usually common names associated with the ethnicity of the basin affected by the storms. The names are on a six-year rotating list, with the 2019 list a repeat of 2013.
"For example, in the Atlantic basin, the majority of storms have English names, but there are also a number of Hispanic-origin names as well as a few French names," said National Hurricane Center spokesman Dennis Feltgen during an interview about why 2015′s Hurricane Henri wasn't Hurricane Henry. "For the eastern North Pacific basin, the majority of names are of Hispanic origin, as the impacted countries are Mexico, Guatemala and other nations of Central America."
Hurricanes began getting names in 1950 based on the phonetic alphabet. That was abandoned in 1953 when hurricanes started being named after women only. In 1978, men's names were added.
Eighty-six names have been retired from the Atlantic basin list since 1954.
There will never be another Hurricane Andrew, after the devastating 1992 Category 5 storm.
The 2004 and 2005 seasons saw multiple names retired, including, Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne, Dennis, Katrina, Rita, Stan and Wilma.
Hurricane Joaquin is off the list after the 2015 storm killed 33 people on the cargo ship El Faro when it sank near Crooked Island in the Bahamas. Hurricanes Matthew and Otto were retired after the 2016 season, replaced with Martin and Owen.
Feltgen said if any hurricane names are retired this week, it will be quickly publicized.
While the National Hurricane Center has yet to release its report on Hurricane Michael, a paper outlining its devastation presented this week says that at least 20 deaths were directly caused by the storms winds, tides and rains with 11 in Florida, 5 in Virginia, 3 in North Carolina and 1 in Georgia. In Florida, six peple drowned in storm surge in the Mexico Beach and Panama City area, while four people died because of falling trees, according to the paper.


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Jen Kirkman is a national and internationally touring stand-up comedian. Her 2015 Netflix Original Comedy Special "I'm Gonna Die Alone (And I Feel Fine)" was named one of the Top 10 comedy specials of 2015 by Time Out New York, New York Magazine, and The Atlantic. Her most recent Netflix Original Comedy Special, "Just Keep Livin'?" is streaming worldwide as of January 3rd, 2017.
Jen is also a New York Times Bestselling author – her two comedic essay memoirs, I Can Barely Take Care of Myself and I Know What I'm Doing and Other Lies I Tell Myself; (Dispatches From a Life Under Construction) are hilarious looks at her life without children, and living a not-so-conventional life after 40.
Jen was a long time writer and round table guest on Chelsea Lately, and is also well known for being a five-time narrator of Central's Drunk History. She's a regular guest on CONAN and @Midnight and has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and voiced many characters Cartoon Network cult-hit "Home Movies." She'll be appearing in the upcoming feature film "Home Again".
Jen has released two stand-up albums Hail to the Freaks (released March 2011) which hit #13 on the Billboard Charts. Her debut album was 2006's Self Help. Jen has a weekly podcast, I Seem Fun: The Diary of Jen Kirkman, which is often in the Top 100 in comedy on iTunes.
"Ms. Kirkman knows how to deliver a one-liner, but her inclination is to linger in the telling of a story. She digs into a subject, embroidering it with jokes at various angles. A huge number of her bits culminate in vivid metaphors. Though delivered in an effortless conversational style, her comedy has the meticulous detail that can come only from repetition and experience." – The New York Times


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(Source: Christian Science Monitor)
A colossal sunspot on the surface of the sun is large enough to swallow six Earths whole, and could trigger solar flares this week, NASA scientists say.
The giant sunspot was captured on camera by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory as it swelled to enormous proportions over the 48 hours spanning Tuesday and Wednesday (Feb. 19 and 20).[…]
"It has grown to over six Earth diameters across, but its full extent is hard to judge since the spot lies on a sphere, not a flat disk," wrote NASA spokeswomanKaren Fox, of the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., in an image description.
[S]ome of the intense magnetic fields in the sunspot region are pointing in opposite directions, making it ripe for solar activity.
"This is a fairly unstable configuration that scientists know can lead to eruptions of radiation on the sun called solar flares," Fox explained.
Propagation in the higher portions of the HF band could be very interesting over the course of the next few days. If a solar flare erupts, however, it could make shortwave listening quite difficult.
Thanks for the tip, Bill!


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Servo motors and controlling them with PWM
You will use in lab_3 an inexpensive hobby servo motor. Hobby servo motors come in wide varieties of cost, speed, torque, etc, from Futaba, Hi-Tec, Airtronics, and others. They are widely used in hobby radio control and therefore cheap and easily bought. They range from $15 for a basic analog servo to about $200 for the latest high speed, high torque, titanium geared digital servo with coreless motor.
They have one really great feature: the interface to control them is super simple, just the pulse width of a digital pulse sent to the motor at a rate from 50-200Hz. The pulse rate is not that important. The important thing is the pulse width. The range of the pulse width is from 1-2ms. 1.5ms is the middle servo position and 1 or 2 ms are the end positions.
You cannot control the torque, rate, or anything else; as soon as the servo's electronics detects the pulse width (which can require several pulses) it tries to get the servo to the new position as quickly as possible. You also cannot sense the servo's position, current or anything else; control is open-loop as far as the servo is concerned; all control is handled inside the servo.
The wiring of servo motors is also simple: 3 wires consisting of power, ground, and signal - see below. The input signal is a positive digital pulse of at least 2V. The power supply can range from 4V to 7V. Even higher voltages can be used but may burn out the servo if it stalls. The higher the voltage, the faster the servo. Let's use the 5V VBUS USB power here, which is available on the AVR32 board. If we overload VBUS, we will cause a fault on the USB host adapter. We also need to watch out for the large fluctuations in VBUS which can affect the ADC reference voltage.
To supply power to your servo from USB, use the lower left part of the schematic below to build a semi-isolated servo power supply. Do you see why it helps isolate the sensitive supply voltage for the ADC that converts the microphone signal?
The pencil balancer, robo goalie, and laser tracker are examples of using servos in conjunction with the event-based dynamic vision sensor silicon retina.


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I have listed a new property at 1128 WESTERRA WAY in Stony Plain.
BEAUTIFUL family home in a family friendly neighbourhood! This bi-level is squeaky clean and in fantastic condition. Loads of upgrades in the past few years including new granite counter-tops, granite sink, new flooring, new paint, heated garage, private deck and more! Open concept main floor with large kitchen with custom tile back-splash. Large dining area with hardwood floors and plenty of windows. Grand living room with vaulted ceilings, natural gas fireplace and more large windows. 2 main floor bedrooms plus a 4pc bathroom. Upstairs to the large and private master suite. 4pc ensuite and a large walk in closet with it's own window. Basement is fully finished and including a massive family room. 4th bedroom is a great size and located close to another 4pc bathroom. Laundry room is fully finished. The 24x20 garage is fully dry-walled and insulated and features a natural gas furnace. 2 decks including an upper and lower area. Ground level patio is another bonus. South facing back yard!


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St. Louis – Emerson announced it has acquired ISE Magtech, enabling Emerson Process Management to strengthen its level measurement solutions in the oil and gas, refining, chemical and power generation industries. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
ISE Magtech designs and manufactures level gages and associated equipment for use in industrial applications.This acquisition will allow Emerson Process Management to leverage the strength of its existing portfolio of level measurement products and provide complete level measurement solutions across the process industry.
"This acquisition is strategic to extending our solutions to help oil and gas, refining, chemical and power plant operators to monitor and control conditions in a wide range of applications," said Tom Moser, president of Rosemount Measurement. "ISE Magtech's knowledge and technology combine perfectly with Rosemount technology to expand Emerson's offering."
Rosemount guided-wave radar provides reliable measurement of fluids across a wide variety of process conditions. ISE Magtech's magnetic level gage coupled with the Rosemount guided-wave radar creates a complete liquid measurement solution by combining a local visual indication of level with a robust transmitter to support plant operators' needs for visual and automated system monitoring.
"ISE Magtech is one of the industry's most recognized providers of magnetic level gages and transmitters – a complement to Emerson's end-user-voted industry leading instrumentation," added Moser.
"We are excited to join Emerson and leverage our expertise, complementary products, and our customer relationships," said Ken Mauer Jr., vice president & general manager of ISE Magtech. "Our mission, now supercharged by this union, continues to be one of providing outstanding customer service and effectively solving process plant problems to maximize production."


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Come see me speak at Walsh...the lunch sounds awesome and I hear the speaker won't be bad either :) If your last minute call or pay at the door...
Where's Bob? You'll find him on Twitter; Facebook, and LinkedIn, but on November 18, you'll find Biggby Coffee CEO Bob Fish at the Walsh College Novi Campus. Fish is the Business Leadership Institute Michigan Business Success Story speaker, and Walsh Trustee Michael Semanco, president Hennessey Capital, will give the welcome remarks. Lunch will begin at 11:30 and tickets are $15 for students, $30 for alumni and partners and $60 for all others. Order tickets online here. Fish will describe Biggby's unique marketing and customer service strategies including his use of Web 2.0 tools like Facebook and Twitter, You Tube and Flickr. Read more about Biggby Coffee here: also on Gen18 and this Blog. Here's Bob's Blog, and his Biggby Lounge.
Fish is the ninth speaker in Walsh's "Michigan Business Success Story" series. All of the companies featured in the series have modeled business principles taught in Walsh College classrooms.
"Biggby's standard of customer service is high above its competitors, and even above most franchise retailers," said BLI Director Michael Levens, Ph.D., Walsh College associate professor of Marketing and chair of Undergraduate Business Administration. "Bob's engagement of customers and employees on social media networks is far ahead of just about everyone over the age of 30," Dr. Levens added. "This company is a great example of having all the pieces in place for success – they live and breathe their business values."
The company's name change last year from Beaner's to Biggby is another testament to living its corporate values. Although the change went off without much fanfare, its rationale was honored by the National Restaurant Association. Biggby Coffee is a finalist for the group's 2008 Faces of Diversity Inspiration Award. Biggby Coffee opened the first cafe in March, 1995 and began franchising in 1999. Today there are 100 cafes in nine states.


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SQL*Plus Quick Start
These instructions are to enable you to login and connect to a database after you have installed SQL*Plus. You can connect to the default database you created during installation, or to another existing Oracle database.
SQL*Plus Overview
SQL*Plus is an interactive and batch query tool that is installed with every Oracle Database installation. It has a command-line user interface.
There is also the SQL*Plus Instant Client which is a standalone command-line interface available on platforms that support the OCI Instant Client. SQL*Plus Instant Client connects to any available Oracle database, but does not require its own Oracle database installation. See the Oracle Call Interface Programmer's Guide for more information on the OCI Instant Client.
SQL*Plus has its own commands and environment, and it provides access to the Oracle Database. It enables you to enter and execute SQL, PL/SQL, SQL*Plus and operating system commands to perform the following:
Format, perform calculations on, store, and print from query results
Examine table and object definitions
Develop and run batch scripts
Perform database administration
You can use SQL*Plus to generate reports interactively, to generate reports as batch processes, and to output the results to text file, to screen, or to HTML file for browsing on the Internet. You can generate reports dynamically using the HTML output facility of SQL*Plus.
Who Can Use SQL*Plus
The SQL*Plus, SQL, and PL/SQL command languages are powerful enough to serve the needs of users with some database experience, yet straightforward enough for new users who are just learning to work with the Oracle Database.
The SQL*Plus language is easy to use. For example, to rename a column labeled LAST_NAME with the heading "Family Name", enter the command:
COLUMN LAST_NAME HEADING 'Family Name'
Similarly, to list column definitions for the EMPLOYEES table, enter the command:
How Can I Learn SQL*Plus
There are several sources available to assist you to learn SQL*Plus:
Part II of this Guide, Using SQL*Plus
Help for SQL*Plus, Command-line help
Oracle Database 12c: SQL Fundamentals
An instructor-led course run by Oracle. This is a comprehensive hands-on course taking the student through all aspects of using SQL*Plus to access Oracle Database.
More Oracle Database 12c Training
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How to Use the SQL*Plus Guide
This guide provides information about SQL*Plus that applies to all operating systems. It also includes some Windows and UNIX specific information. Some aspects of SQL*Plus may differ on each operating system. Operating system specific details are covered in the Oracle Database Installation Guide provided for your system. Use these operating system specific guides with this SQL*Plus User's Guide and Reference.
Throughout this guide, examples showing how to enter commands use a common command syntax and a common set of sample tables. The tables are described in "About Sample Schemas and SQL*Plus".
SQL*Plus Prerequisites
SQL*Plus is a component of Oracle Database. SQL*Plus is installed by default when you install the Oracle Database.
Some aspects of Oracle Database and SQL*Plus differ from one computer and operating system to another. These topics are discussed in the Oracle Database Installation Guide for each operating system that SQL*Plus supports.
What is necessary before you can run SQL*Plus?
Install Oracle Database or Oracle Client. See the Oracle Database Installation Guide for your operating system available at
. -
Obtain an Oracle Database login username and password during installation or from your Database Administrator. See Login Username and Password.
Ensure a sample database is installed and that you have a login username and password for it during Oracle Database installation. See About Sample Schemas and SQL*Plus.
Create a default database during installation or obtain the connection identifier for the Oracle Database you want to connect to from your Database Administrator. See About Connecting to a Database.
Ensure the database you want to connect to is started. See the STARTUP command.
SQL*Plus Date Format
The default date format in SQL*Plus is determined by the database NLS_DATE_FORMAT parameter and may use a date format displaying two digit years. You can use the SQL TO_CHAR function, or the SQL*Plus COLUMN FORMAT command in your SELECT statements to control the way dates are displayed in your report.
Starting SQL*Plus Command-line
The SQL*Plus executable is usually installed in $ORACLE_HOME/bin, which is usually included in your operating system PATH environment variable. You may need to change directory to the $ORACLE_HOME/bin directory to start SQL*Plus.
In the following examples, you are prompted to enter the database account password.
An example using an Easy Connection identifier to connect to the HR schema in the MYDB database running on mymachine is:
sqlplus hr@\"//mymachine.mydomain:port/MYDB\"
An example using a Net Service Name is:
sqlplus hr@MYDB
Net Service Names can be stored in several places, including Oracle Names. See the Net Services Reference Guide for more information.
If you want to use Net Service Names configured in a local Oracle Net tnsnames.ora file, then set the environment variable TNS_ADMIN to the directory containing the tnsnames.ora file. For example, on UNIX, if your tnsnames.ora file is in /home/user1 and it defines the Net Service Name MYDB2:
TNS_ADMIN=/home/user1 export TNS_ADMIN sqlplus hr@MYDB2
This example assumes the ORACLE_HOME environment variable is set, and the $ORACLE_HOME/network/admin/tnsnames.ora or ORACLE_HOME\network\admin\tnsnames.ora file defines the Net Service Name MYDB3:
sqlplus hr@MYDB3
The TWO_TASK (on UNIX) or LOCAL (on Windows) environment variable can be set to a connection identifier. This removes the need to explicitly enter the connection identifier whenever a connection is made in SQL*Plus or SQL*Plus Instant Client. This UNIX example connects to the database known as MYDB4:
TNS_ADMIN=/home/user1 export TNS_ADMIN TWO_TASK=MYDB4 export TWO_TASK sqlplus hr
To start SQL*Plus and connect to the default database
Example - To start SQL*Plus and connect to a database other than the default
Open a UNIX or a Windows terminal and enter the SQL*Plus command:
sqlplus username@connect_identifier
You are prompted to enter your password.
About Starting SQL*Plus Instant Client
SQL*Plus Instant Client is the SQL*Plus command-line without the need to install Oracle Database. For information about using it, see Starting SQL*Plus Command-line.
Because SQL*Plus Instant Client does not include a database, it is always 'remote' from any database server. To connect to a database you must specify the database using an Oracle Net connection identifier.
If TNS_ADMIN is not set, then an operating system dependent set of directories is examined to find tnsnames.ora. This search path includes looking in the directory specified by the ORACLE_HOME environment variable for network/admin/tnsnames.ora. This is the only reason to set the ORACLE_HOME environment variable for SQL*Plus Instant Client. If ORACLE_HOME is set when running Instant Client applications, it must be set to a directory that exists.
About Connecting to a Different Database
From an existing command-line session, enter a CONNECT command in the form:
SQL> connect username@connect_identifier
You are prompted to enter your password.
About Sample Schemas and SQL*Plus
Sample schemas are included with the Oracle Database. Examples in this guide use the EMP_DETAILS_VIEW view of the Human Resources (HR) sample schema. This schema contains personnel records for a fictitious company. To view column details for the view, EMP_DETAILS_VIEW, enter
For more information about the sample schemas, see the Oracle Database Sample Schemas guide.
Unlocking the Sample Tables
The Human Resources (HR) Sample Schema is installed as part of the default Oracle Database installation. The HR account is locked by default.
You must unlock the HR account before you can use the HR sample schema. To unlock the HR account, log in as the SYSTEM user and enter the following command, where your_password is the password you want to define for the user HR:
ALTER USER HR IDENTIFIED BY your_password ACCOUNT UNLOCK;
For further information about unlocking the HR account, see the Oracle Database Sample Schemas guide. The HR user is primarily to enable you to access the HR sample schema and is necessary to enable you to run the examples in this guide.
Each table in the database is "owned" by a particular user. You may want to have your own copies of the sample tables to use as you try the examples in this guide. To get your own copies of the HR tables, see your DBA or see the Oracle Database Sample Schemas guide, or you can create the HR tables with the script HR_MAIN.SQL which is located in the following directory on UNIX:
And on the following directory on Windows:
To create the HR tables from command-line SQL*Plus, do the following:
Running your first Query
To describe a database object, for example, column details for EMP_DETAILS_VIEW, enter a DESCRIBE command like:
which produces the following output:
To rename the column headings, and to select data from the HR sample schema view, EMP_DETAILS_VIEW, enter
COLUMN FIRST_NAME HEADING "First Name" COLUMN LAST_NAME HEADING "Family Name" SELECT FIRST_NAME, LAST_NAME FROM EMP_DETAILS_VIEW WHERE LAST_NAME LIKE 'K%';
which produces the following output:


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This article is more than 1 year old
Nikon D7000 DSLR camera
The return of the fiddle factor
Change of scene
There are still plenty of scene modes, actually more than in the D90, but they are all grouped together in one Scene position on the dial. Rather than having individual icons, specific choices are made through the thumb dial. Sitting immediately underneath the exposure dial there is another larger, slightly canted dial, with a lock button to prevent accidental activation, that lets you select drive modes, timer, remote release, mirror-up option and Quiet mode.
Viewfinder offers 100 per cent coverage
On the lens mount there are a couple of mechanical differences from the D90 that also give away the market repositioning of the D7000. Like its pro brothers, the D7000 now has an indexing tab allowing aperture control with manual focus lenses of the Ai generation and a mechanical AF drive pairing supporting autofocus for older AF and AF-D lenses lacking their own motor. The D7000 also improves the optical viewfinder, which now has 100 per cent coverage. The LCD remains the same high-resolution 3in screen used all the way from the D90 up to the D3X, which also doubles as additional info display.
While there are relatively few changes in body design between the D90 and the D7000, when it comes to features and performance the D7000 does not merely introduce key improvements over the D90, it completely redefines the mid-range concept. At the heart of the D7000 is the newly developed 23.6 x 15.6mm, CMOS image sensor with 16.2Mp (effective) resolution and 14-bit A/D conversion built-in that can capture images as either RAW or JPEG, or as both simultaneously.
Despite the increased resolution, the sensor has been designed to deliver crisp and detail-rich images even at high ISO speeds. This, coupled with the new Expeed 2 image-processing engine – first seen on the entry-level D3100 – lends this camera to exceptional speed in this price range. Powering-on is virtually instant, there is no shutter lag to speak of and burst capture reaches 6fps, with an increased buffer size that allows continuous shooting up to 100 JPEG files (11 RAW).
The D7000 uses a new Multi-CAM 4800DX autofocus module with 39 auto-focus sensors, nine of which are cross-type, and has several customisable focusing options available. The system works seamlessly if the correct settings are selected, locking onto the subject swiftly and surprisingly silently. In single-point AF the active sensors are easily selected by pressing the AF button while using the four-way control pad.
The 18-105mm kit lens isn't the fastest performer
The AF 3D tracking system works really well and now takes advantage of the new metering system when following subjects moving across the frame, using colour information to tell the subject apart from the scene. Considering that I tested the camera with a sluggish lens – the supplied 18-105 VR – I was impressed with the results.