If the problem was about voiding the errors spitted out at the SQL*PLUS command prompt, another approach would be to write an anonymous PL/SQL block where you deal with any exception adopting the “EXCEPTION WHEN OTHERS THEN NULL;” deprecated code style.

OTN forum comes into help to give an example of the technique.
Read Paul M. thread reply if you want to go this way dropping DB objects.

Link follow..

http://forums.oracle.com/forums/thread.jspa?messageID=1910163&tstart=0

Best regards, GA.

drop.sql
drop table &1;

nodrop.sql
– do nothing

SQL> create table t( x number);

Table created.

SQL> col to_drop_or_not_to_drop new_v _drop nopri
SQL> select decode(count(*),0,'nodrop','drop')
  2    to_drop_or_not_to_drop from all_tables
  3    where owner='AUDBA' and table_name='T';

Table dropped.

SQL> select decode(count(*),0,'nodrop','drop')
  2    to_drop_or_not_to_drop from all_tables
  3    where owner='AUDBA' and table_name='T';

SQL> @ &_drop AUDBA.T
SQL> 

The Statement CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW …
is atomic - it’s assured that the same object is replaced.

With the additional for construct it is not. Thinking of scripts with a lot of table ddl and the copy/paste technology

A better approach would be something like this :

BEGIN util_ddl.create_or_replace_table(’CREATE TABLE …’); END;
/

The procedure extracts the tables name and drops it if it’s exist.
The only thing is : it this allowd in production environment?
because the Tables DDL is processed in a black box?

cheers
Karl

SQL> create user mdinh identified by m default tablespace sysaux;

User created.

SQL> alter user mdinh quota unlimited on sysaux;

User altered.

SQL> create role apps;

Role created.

SQL> grant create session, create table to apps;

Grant succeeded.

SQL> grant apps to mdinh;

Grant succeeded.

SQL> create table mdinh.t(id int);

Table created.

SQL> connect mdinh/m
Connected.
SQL> exec for f in (select 1 from user_tables where table_name=’T') -
loop execute immediate ‘drop table t cascade constraints’; -
end loop;
create table t(x number);
> >
PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.

SQL>
Table created.

SQL> desc t;
Name Null? Type
—————————————– ——– —————————-
X NUMBER

SQL>

Alternatively,

exec for f in (select 1 from user_tables where table_name=’T') -
loop execute immediate ‘drop table t cascade constraints’; -
end loop;
create table t(x number);

about drop granted to a role, i will have a look

I tried it for 10gR2 and got the errors:

SQL> select 1 from user_tables where
table_name=’T’ 2 ;

1
———-
1

SQL> exec for f in (select 1 from user_tables where
table_name=’T') loop execute immediate
‘drop table t cascade constraints’; end loop
create table t(x number);
BEGIN for f in (select 1 from user_tables where; END;

*
ERROR at line 1:
ORA-06550: line 1, column 47:
PL/SQL: ORA-00936: missing expression
ORA-06550: line 1, column 16:
PL/SQL: SQL Statement ignored
ORA-06550: line 1, column 48:
PLS-00103: Encountered the symbol “;” when expecting one of the following:
loop

SQL> SP2-0734: unknown command beginning “table_name…” - rest of line ignored.
SQL> SP2-0734: unknown command beginning “‘drop tabl…” - rest of line ignored.
SQL> create table t(x number)
*
ERROR at line 1:
ORA-00955: name is already used by an existing object

SQL>