PL/SQL

 Declaring Variables

 Writing Executable Statements

 Interacting with the Oracle Server

 Writing Control Structures

 Working with Composite Datatypes

 Cursors

 Handling Exceptions

1
 Objectives
 After completing this lesson, you should
be able to do the following:
 List the benefits of PL/SQL
 Recognize the basic PL/SQL block and its
sections
 Describe the significance of variables in
PL/SQL
 Declare PL/SQL variables

 Execute a PL/SQL block

2
 About PL/SQL

 PL/SQL is an extension to SQL with design

features of programming languages.
 Data manipulation and query statements of
SQL are included within procedural units of
code.
 PL/SQL not case sensitive language

 A semicolon ; must end each PL/SQL

command

3
 Benefits of PL/SQL

 Integration

Application

Shared Oracle Server

library

4
 Benefits of PL/SQL
 Improve performance
SQL
SQL
Application Other DBMSs
SQL
SQL

SQL
IF...THEN
SQL Oracle with
Application ELSE PL/SQL
SQL
END IF;
SQL

5
PL/SQL Block Structure
 DECLARE – Optional
Variables, cursors, user-defined exceptions
 BEGIN – Mandatory
– SQL statements
– PL/SQL statements
 EXCEPTION – Optional
Actions to perform when errors occur
DECLARE
 END; – Mandatory
BEGIN

EXCEPTION

END;

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PL/SQL Block Structure

DECLARE
v_variable VARCHAR2(5);
BEGIN
SELECT column_name
INTO v_variable
FROM table_name;
EXCEPTION
WHEN exception_name THEN DECLARE
...
BEGIN
END;
EXCEPTION

END;

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 Block Types
 Anonymous Procedure Function
[DECLARE] PROCEDURE name FUNCTION name
IS RETURN datatype
IS
BEGIN BEGIN BEGIN
--statements --statements --statements
RETURN value;
[EXCEPTION] [EXCEPTION] [EXCEPTION]

END; END; END;

•These blocks can be entirely separate or nested one within another.

•Anonymous blocks are unnamed blocks.
•Subprograms are named PL/SQL blocks that can take parameters and
can be invoked.
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Declaring
Variables

10
 Use of Variables

 Use variables for:

 Temporary storage of data
 Manipulation of stored values

 Reusability

 Ease of maintenance

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Handling Variables in PL/SQL

 Declare and initialize variables in the

declaration section.
 When you declare variable, the variables
default value is always NULL
 Assign new values to variables in the
executable section.
 Pass values into PL/SQL blocks through
parameters.
 View results through output variables.

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 Types of Variables
25-OCT-99
TRUE “Four score and seven years ago
our fathers brought forth upon
this continent, a new nation,
conceived in LIBERTY, and dedicated

256120.08
to the proposition that all men
are created equal.”

Atlanta

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 Types of Variables
 The slide illustrates the following variable
datatypes:
 TRUE represents a Boolean value.
 25-OCT-99 represents a DATE.

 The photograph represents a BLOB.

 The text of a speech represents a LONG RAW.

 256120.08 represents a NUMBER datatype with

precision and scale.
 The movie represents a BFILE.

 The city name represents a VARCHAR2.

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 Types of Variables

 PL/SQL variables:
 Scalar
 Composite

 Reference

 LOB (large objects)

 Non-PL/SQL variables: Bind and host

variables

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 Types of Variables - scalar

 All PL/SQL variables have a datatype,

which specifies a storage format,
constraints, and valid range of values.
 Scalar datatypes hold a single value.
 The main datatypes are those that
correspond to column types.
 PL/SQL also supports Boolean variables.

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Types of Variables - scalar

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Declaring PL/SQL Variables
Syntax
identifier [CONSTANT] datatype [NOT NULL]
[:= | DEFAULT expr];

Examples
Declare
v_hiredate DATE;
v_deptno NUMBER(2) NOT NULL := 10;
v_location VARCHAR2(13) := 'Atlanta';
c_comm CONSTANT NUMBER := 1400;

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Declaring PL/SQL Variables

 Guidelines
 Follow naming conventions.
 Initialize variables designated as NOT
NULL and CONSTANT.
 Initialize identifiers by using the assignment
operator (:=) or the DEFAULT reserved
word.
 Declare at most one identifier per line.

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 Naming Rules
 Two variables can have the same name,
provided they are in different blocks.
 The variable name (identifier) should not be
the same as the name of table columns used for
t i on
in the block. n
nv e c o n ers:
ng i f i
DECLARE
a m i
e n t pno
empno NUMBER(4); a n L i d _ e m
o pt SQ ple, v
BEGIN d L /
SELECT empno A P
xa m
e
INTO empno for
FROM emp
WHERE ename = 'SMITH';
END;

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 Variable Initialization and
Keywords
 Using:
 Assignment operator (:=)
 DEFAULT keyword

 NOT NULL constraint

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Assigning Values to Variables
Syntax
 identifier := expr;

Examples
Set a predefined hiredate for new
employees.
v_hiredate := '31-DEC-98';

Set the employee name to Maduro.

v_ename := 'Maduro';

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 Scalar Datatypes
• Hold a single value
• Have no internal components

25-OCT-99
TRUE
256120.08
Atlanta
23
 Base Scalar Datatypes
 VARCHAR2 (maximum_length)
 NUMBER [(precision, scale)]

 DATE

 CHAR [(maximum_length)]

 LONG

 BOOLEAN

 BINARY_INTEGER

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 Scalar Variable Declarations
 Examples
v_job VARCHAR2(9);
v_count BINARY_INTEGER := 0;
v_total_sal NUMBER(9,2) := 0;
v_orderdate DATE := SYSDATE + 7;
c_tax_rate CONSTANT NUMBER(3,2) := 8.25;
v_valid BOOLEAN NOT NULL := TRUE;

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Types of Variables – Reference
 Directly reference specific database column or
row
 Assume data type of associated column or row
 %TYPE data declaration syntax:
 var_name tablename.fieldname%TYPE;
 %ROWTYPE data declaration syntax:
 variable_name tablename%ROWTYPE;

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 The %TYPE Attribute
 Declare a variable according to:
 A database column definition
 Another previously declared variable

 Prefix %TYPE with:

 The database table and column
 The previously declared variable name

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 Declaring Variables
with the %TYPE Attribute
 Examples
...
v_ename emp.ename%TYPE;
v_balance NUMBER(7,2);
v_min_balance v_balance%TYPE := 10;
...

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Declaring Boolean Variables
 Only the values TRUE, FALSE, and NULL
can be assigned to a Boolean variable.
 The variables are connected by the logical
operators AND, OR, and NOT.
 The variables always yield TRUE, FALSE,
or NULL.
 Arithmetic, character, and date expressions
can be used to return a Boolean value.

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PL/SQL Record Structure

TRUE 23-DEC-98 ATLANTA

PL/SQL table structure PL/SQL table structure

1 1 5000
SMITH 2 2345
2 3 12
JONES 4 3456
3
NANCY VARCHAR2 NUMBER
4 BINARY_INTEGER
TIM BINARY_INTEGER

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LOB Datatype Variables
Book
(CLOB)

Photo
(BLOB)

Movie
(BFILE)

NCLOB

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 Displaying PL/SQL Program
Output in SQL*Plus
 PL/SQL output buffer
 Memory area on database server
 Stores program’s output values before they are
displayed to user
 Should increase size
 SET SERVEROUTPUT ON SIZE buffer_size
 Default buffer size
 2000 bytes

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 Displaying PL/SQL Program
Output in SQL*Plus (continued)
Display program output
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('display_tex
t');
 Display maximum of 255 characters of text data

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 Writing a PL/SQL Program
 Write PL/SQL program in Notepad or another
text editor
 Copy and paste program commands into
SQL*Plus
 Press Enter after last program command
 Type front slash ( / )
 Then press Enter again

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DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE

 An Oracle-supplied packaged procedure

 An alternative for displaying data from a
PL/SQL block
 Must be enabled in SQL*Plus with
SET SERVEROUTPUT ON

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PL/SQL Program Commands

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 Summary

 PL/SQL blocks are composed of the

following sections:
DECLARE
 Declarative (optional)
BEGIN
 Executable (required)
EXCEPTION
 Exception handling (optional)
END;
 A PL/SQL block can be an
anonymous block, procedure, or
function.

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 Summary

 PL/SQL identifiers:
 Are defined in the declarative section
 Can be of scalar, composite, reference, or LOB
datatype
 Can be based on the structure of another variable
or database object
 Can be initialized

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