If you cannot use an Oracle Net database link and the datafile must be accessed by SQL*Loader running on the target system, it is advisable to use only the portable SQL*Loader datatypes (for example:
- CHAR,
- DATE,
- VARCHARC,
- and numeric EXTERNAL.
Datafiles written using these datatypes may be longer than those written with native datatypes. They may take more time to load, but they transport more readily across platforms.