Working with a proprietary db setup using Oracle 9.2. Issue: db writes all DATE fields in GMT even though the work is done in CST or CDT. IS it possible to write a procedure using the tools to convert all date fields to CST or CDT whenever I view them using pl/sql developer? I saw there is a tools menu but I'm new to this program.

What is the exact data type of these columns?

DATE

DATE datatype has no timezone quality whatsoever.

It is up to the application to put in the right values. If the application has relegated that preogative to something like a default SYSDATE quality on a column, then it will use the SYSDATE of the database server - not the application server - not the client.

Read up on TIMESTAMP datatypes. There are several varieties, one that allows containing timezone quality is what you need.