How do you display SQL code without running it?

Question

I would like to run a query - and display both the code & the results. I am using SQL & Oracle.

Answer 1

One way could be to include the query into a string in the dual table

SELECT 'SELECT * FROM table' AS "Code"

FROM dual

/

SELECT *

FROM table

/

Answer 2

If all you want is some sort of documentation to precede your result set, the easiest way to do it would be a display via dual as the previous responder suggests. If you want to incorporate it into the SQL itself, you could do something like:

SELECT 'Code:', ...list of empty fields corresponding to actual result set, 'SELECT ...'

UNION

SELECT '', ...desired result set fields.... ''  //note that these are two sets of two quotes, indicating two empty strings

ORDER BY 1 DESC, ... // assumes that a non-empty string appears after an empty one in collating sequence

This would produce

Code: .... a bunch of empty fields .... SELECT field1, ... FROM...

<space> ...actual data values.......... <space>