Another way to quickly implement bind variable usage is to have Oracle automatically transform the SQL. Oracle will effectively take non-bind variable SQL and transform it into bind variable SQL.2 Suppose you notice a SQL statement like the one shown here.

If you know your application SQL well, you may be aware that this exact SQL does not actually exist anywhere in the application. In fact, if you checked the SQL the application submits to Oracle, it may look like this:

What you are seeing is the result of Oracle automatically transforming SQL so it becomes more shareable. Oracle calls this feature cursor sharing. The related instance parameter, cursor_sharing, can take three options and can be altered at both the session and system level. With a value of exact, no transformation occurs. With a value of similar, Oracle looks for bind variables and transform them in, what I call, a kinder and gentler fashion. When set to force, Oracle transforms any and every literal value into a bind variable.