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Nested Tables: PL/SQL Example1

Nested tables allow for storing variable sized collections of rows within a table. They have no limit on the number of rows and are dynamically extensible. Nested tables are useful for modeling one-to-many relationships between tables. Elements are accessed using subscripts starting from 1. We must initialize a nested table before using it and extend it to allocate space for new elements. Exceptions can occur if we reference an uninitialized nested table or a subscript beyond the current count.

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168 views4 pages

Nested Tables: PL/SQL Example1

Nested tables allow for storing variable sized collections of rows within a table. They have no limit on the number of rows and are dynamically extensible. Nested tables are useful for modeling one-to-many relationships between tables. Elements are accessed using subscripts starting from 1. We must initialize a nested table before using it and extend it to allocate space for new elements. Exceptions can occur if we reference an uninitialized nested table or a subscript beyond the current count.

Uploaded by

Bhagwat Yadav
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Nested Tables

 A Nested table is like a database table which has no limit on its size. Elements are inserted
into nested table starting with index 1. Nested table can be created in both SQL and PLSQL.
 Nested table is nothing but a table with in a table.
 A table is represented as a column with in another table.
 There is no limit to the number of rows in the nested table for each row in the main table.
 Basically it is used for mapping master-detail relationship between tables.
 We would use Nested tables when physical size of the collection is unknown and wanted to
extend it dynamically.
 We can use Nested Tables in SQL as well as PL/SQL.
 Extend is a method that adds a new empty element to a nested table, this must be called
first.
 We cannot delete individual elements from a Varray. But we can delete elements from a
nested table using the built-in procedure DELETE. That might leave gaps in the index, but the built-
in function NEXT lets you iterate over any series of subscripts.

 
PL/SQL Example1:-
[sql]DECLARE
         /* declare the table type */
   TYPE students_table IS TABLE OF VARCHAR2 (10);
         /* calls the nested table constructor */
   students   students_table := students_table ();
BEGIN
   students.EXTEND;
 /* can have up to 10 characters as stated above*/
   students (1):= ‘SCOTT’;
   students.EXTEND;
   students (2):= ‘LUCAS’;
   students.EXTEND;
   students (3):= ‘SMITH’;
                   /* print the table type elements by using FIRST and LAST */
   FOR i IN students.FIRST .. students.LAST
   LOOP
      DBMS_OUTPUT.put_line (students (i));
   END LOOP;
END;[/sql]
Output:-

anonymous block completed


SCOTT
LUCAS
SMITH

 
Example2:-
[sql]DECLARE
       /*define a table type of “emp” type and we are not specify the size of the table*/
   TYPE emptype IS TABLE OF emp%ROWTYPE;
       /*declare and initialize a null set of rows*/
   emptab   emptype := emptype ();
       /* declare the cursor based on “emp” table */
   CURSOR c_emp
   IS
   SELECT * FROM emp;
   v_num    NUMBER;
BEGIN
   v_num:= 1;
   FOR i IN c_emp
   LOOP
        /*initialize row*/
      emptab.EXTEND;
      SELECT * INTO emptab (v_num)
      FROM emp
      WHERE empno = i.empno;
        /*print the contents*/
      DBMS_OUTPUT.put_line (emptab (v_num).empno || ‘ ‘|| emptab (v_num).ename);
      v_num := v_num+ 1;
   END LOOP;
END;[/sql]
Output:–

anonymous block completed

7839 KING
7698 BLAKE
7782 CLARK
7499 ALLEN
7521 WARD
7654 MARTIN
7844 TURNER
7900 JAMES
7934 MILLER

 
Common Exceptions in Nested Tables:-
Example3:-
[sql]DECLARE
          /* define a Nested Table */
   TYPE char_type IS TABLE OF VARCHAR2 (10);
          /*we declare a Nested table variable but not initialize to that so system will raise an error*/
   c_list   char_type;
BEGIN
          /* allocates space in the Nested Table */
   c_list.EXTEND;
   c_list (1):= ‘SCOTT’;
          /* Can have up to 10 characters */
   c_list.EXTEND;
   c_list (2) := ‘TIGER’;
          /* print the Nested table elements by using its methods FIRST and LAST */
   FOR i IN c_list.FIRST.. c_list.LAST
   LOOP
      DBMS_OUTPUT.put_line (c_list (i));
   END LOOP;
END;[/sql]
Output:-

Error report:
ORA-06531: Reference to uninitialized collection
ORA-06512: at line 8

This exception raise when you forgot to initialized the Nested Table. So once declare the Nested
Table and initialize the variable is must otherwise system will rise above exception.
 
Example4:-
[sql]DECLARE
        /* define a Nested Table*/
   TYPE char_type IS TABLE OF VARCHAR2 (10);
   c_list   char_type:=char_type ();
BEGIN
   c_list.EXTEND;
   c_list (1):= ‘SCOTT’;
         /* Can have up to 10 characters */
   c_list.EXTEND;
   c_list (2):= ‘TIGER’;
         /* before allocates space in the Nested Table we try to use that variable then system will raise
an error */
   c_list (3):= ‘KING’;
         /* print the Nested Table elements by using its methods FIRST and LAST */
   FOR i IN c_list.FIRST.. c_list.LAST
   LOOP
      DBMS_OUTPUT.put_line (c_list (i));
   END LOOP;
END;[/sql]
Output:-
Error report:
ORA-06533: Subscript beyond count
ORA-06512: at line 12

 
The exception means that subscript 3 is unavailable. It does not exist. While you defined the Nested
table having some elements but we are not specify the size, then you allocates the space for only
two items and third one we can not allocate the space. Therefore the variable has only two valid
subscripts, one and two.

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