UNIT V

PL/SQL:PL/SQL Composite Data Types: Records–Tables–

Varrays. PL/SQLNamed Blocks: Procedures–Functions–
Packages-Triggers – Data Dictionary Views.

Text Book: “DATABASE SYSTEMS USING ORACLE”-NILESH SHAH,2nd Edition, PHI

Prepared by Dr.P.Radha
 PL/SQL:PL/SQL COMPOSITE DATA TYPES

• Composite data types are like scalar data

types. Scalar data types are atomic, because
they do not consist of a group.
• Composite data types, on the other hand, are
groups, or “collections.”
• Examples of composite data types are
RECORD, TABLE, nested TABLE, and
VARRAY
 PL/SQL RECORDS

• PL/SQL records are similar in structure to a

row in a database table.
• A record consists of components of any scalar,
PL/SQL record, or PL/SQL table type.
• These components are known as fields, and
they have their own values
 PL/SQL RECORDS

• The record does not have a value as a whole;

instead, it enables you to access these
components as a group.
• It makes your life easier by transferring the
entire row into a record rather than each
column into a variable separately.
• A PL/SQL record is based on a cursor, a table’s
row, or a user-defined record type.
 Creating a PL/SQL Record

• You create a RECORD type first, and then you declare

a record with that RECORD type.
• The general syntax is
TYPE recordtypename IS RECORD
(fieldname1 datatype | variable%TYPE |
table.column%TYPE | table%ROWTYPE [[NOT
NULL] := | DEFAULT Expression]
[, fieldname2 . . .
, FieldName3 );
recordname recordtypename;
 Cont…
Referencing Fields in a Record
• A field in a record has a name that is given in
the RECORD-type definition.
• You cannot reference a field by its name only;
you must use the record name as a qualifier:
recordname.fieldname
employee_rec.e_sal
 Cont…
Working with Records
• A record is known in the block where it is
declared.
• When the block ends, the record no longer exists.
You can assign values to a record from columns
in a row by using the SELECT statement or the
FETCH statement.
• The order of fields in a record must match the
order of columns in the row. A record can be
assigned to another record if both records have
the same structure.
 Cont…
Nested Records
• You can create a nested record by including a
record into another record as a field.
• The record that contains another record as a
field is called the enclosing record
 PL/SQL TABLES

• A table, like a record, is a composite data

structure in PL/SQL.
• A PL/SQL table is a single-dimensional structure
with a collection of elements that store the same
type of value.
• In other words, it is like an array in other
programming languages.
• A table is a dynamic structure that is not
constrained, whereas an array is not dynamic in
most computer languages.
Declaring a PL/SQL Table
• A PL/SQL TABLE declaration is done in two
steps, like a record declaration:
• Declare a PL/SQL table type with a TYPE
statement.
• The structure could use any of the scalar data
types.
• Declare an actual table based on the type declared
in the previous step.
 Cont…
The general syntax is
TYPE tabletypename IS TABLE OF
datatype | variablename%TYPE |
tablename.columnname%TYPE [NOT NULL]
INDEX BY BINARY_INTEGER;
 Cont…
Referencing Table Elements/Rows
• The rows in a table are referenced in the same
way that an element in an array is referenced.
• You cannot reference a table by its name only.
• You must use the primary key value in a pair of
parentheses as its subscript or index:
tablename (primarykeyvalue)
 Cont…
Assigning Values to Rows in a PL/SQL Table
You can assign values to the rows in a table in
three ways:

• Direct assignment.
• Assignment in a loop.
• Aggregate assignment.
 Cont…
Direct Assignment.
• You can assign a value to a row with an
assignment statement, as you already learned in
the previous topic.
• This is preferable if only a few assignments are to
be made.
• If an entire database table’s values are to be as-
signed to a table, however, a looping method is
preferable.
 Cont…
Assignment in a Loop
You can use any of the three PL/SQL loops to as- sign
values to rows in a table.
Aggregate Assignment
• You can assign a table’s values to another table. The
data types of both tables must be compatible.
• When you assign a table’s values to another table, the
table receiving those values loses all its previous
primary key values as well as its data column values.
• If you assign an empty table with no rows to another
table with rows, the recipient table is cleared
 Cont…
Built-In Table Methods
• The built-in table methods are procedures or
functions that provide information about a
PL/SQL table. The general syntax is
tablename.methodname [(index1 [, index2])]
 TABLE OF RECORDS

• The PL/SQL table type is declared with a data

type.
• The %ROWTYPE declaration attribute can be
used to define the record type.
• When a table is based on a record, the record
must consist of fields with scalar data types.
• The record must not contain a nested record
 PL/SQL VARRAYS

• A VARRAY is another composite data type or

collection type in PL/SQL.
• Varray stands for variable-size array. They are single-
dimensional, bounded collections of elements with the
same data type.
• They retain their ordering and subscripts when stored
in and retrieved from a database table.
• They are similar to a PL/SQL table, and each element
is assigned a subscript/index starting with 1.
 Cont…
• A PL/SQL VARRAY declaration is done in two
steps, like a table declaration:
• Declare a PL/SQL VARRAY type with a TYPE
statement.
• The TYPE declaration includes a size to set the
upper bound of a Varray. The lower bound is
always one.
• Declare an actual Varray based on the type
declared in the previous step.
 Cont…
The general syntax is
DECLARE
TYPE varraytypename IS VARRAY (size) OF
ElementType [NOT NULL]; varrayname
varraytypename;
 Cont…
For example,
DECLARE
TYPE Lname_varray_type IS VARRAY(5)
OF employee.LName%TYPE;
Lname_varray Lname_varray_type :=
Lname_varray_type( );
 NAMED BLOCKS
• Procedures
• Functions
• Packages
• Triggers
 PROCEDURES

• A procedure is a named PL/SQL program

block that can perform one or more tasks.
• A procedure is the building block of modular
programming.
 Cont..
The general syntax of a procedure is
CREATE [OR REPLACE] PROCEDURE
procedurename [ (parameter1 [, parameter2 . .
.]) ]
IS
[ constant/variable declarations ]
BEGIN
executable statements [ EXCEPTION
exception handling statements ] END [
procedurename ];
 Cont..
Calling a Procedure
• A call to the procedure is made through an
executable PL/SQL statement.
• The procedure is called by specifying its name
along with the list of parameters (if any) in
parentheses.
The general syntax is
procedurename [ (parameter1, . . . ) ];
 Cont..
For example,
monthly_salary(v_salary);
calculate_net(v_monthly_salary, 0.28);
display_messages;
 Cont..
Procedure Header
• The procedure definition that comes before
the reserved word IS is called the procedure
header.
• The procedure header contains the name of
the procedure and the parameter list with data
types (if any).
 Cont…
For example
CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE
monthly_salary (v_salary_in IN
employee.Salary%TYPE)
CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE
calculate_net (v_monthly_salary_in IN
employee.Salary%TYPE, v_taxrate_in IN
NUMBER)
CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE
display_messages
 Cont …
Procedure Body
• The procedure body contains declaration,
executable, and exception-handling sections.
• The declaration and exception-handling
sections are optional.
• The executable section contains action
statements, and it must contain at least one.
 Cont…
Parameters
• Parameters are used to pass values back and
forth from the calling environment to the
Oracle server.
• The values passed are processed and/or
returned with a procedure execution.
• There are three types of parameters: IN, OUT,
and IN OUT
 Cont…
Actual and Formal Parameters
• The parameters passed in a call statement are called
the actual parameters.
• The parameter names in the header of a module are
called the formal parameters.
• The actual parameters and their matching formal
parameters must have the same data types.
• In a procedure call, the parameters are passed without
data types.
• The procedure header contains formal parameters
with data types, but the size of the data type is not
required
 Cont…
Matching Actual and Formal Parameters
• There are two different ways in PL/SQL to link formal
and actual parameters:
• In positional notation, the formal parameter is linked
with an actual parameter implicitly by position .
Positional notation is more commonly used for
parameter matching.
• In named notation, the formal parameter is linked with
an actual parameter explicitly by name.
The general syntax is
formalparametername => argumentvalue
 FUNCTIONS

• A function, like a procedure, is a named

PL/SQL block.
• Like a procedure, it is also a stored block.
• The main difference between a function and a
procedure is that a function always returns a
value to the calling block.
• A function is characterized as follows:
A function is characterized as follows:
• A function can be passed zero or more
parameters.
• A function must have an explicit RETURN
statement in the executable section to return a
value.
• The data type of the return value must be declared
in the function’s header.
• A function cannot be executed as a stand-alone
program
• A function may have parameters of the IN,
OUT, and IN OUT types, but the primary use
of a function is to return a value with an
explicit RETURN statement.
• The use of OUT and IN OUT parameter types
in functions is rare—and considered to be a
bad practice
 Cont…
The general syntax is
CREATE [ OR REPLACE ] FUNCTION functionname [
(parameter1 [, parameter2 ]) ]
RETURN DataType
IS BEGIN

[ constant | variable declarations ] executable statements

RETURN returnvalue

[ EXCEPTION
exception-handling statements RETURN returnvalue ]
END [ functionname ];
 Cont..
Function Header
• The function header comes before the reserved
word IS.
• The header contains the name of the function,
the list of parameters (if any), and the
RETURN data type.
 Cont…
Function Body
• The body of a function must contain at least one
executable statement.
• If there is no declaration, the reserved word
BEGIN follows IS.
• If there is no exception handler, you can omit the
word EXCEPTION.
• The function name label next to END is optional.
There can be more than one return statement, but
only one RETURN is executed in a function call.
 Cont…
RETURN Data Types
• A function can return a value with a scalar data
type, such as VARCHAR2, NUM- BER,
BINARY_INTEGER, or BOOLEAN.
• It can also return a composite or complex data
type, such as a PL/SQL table, a PL/SQL
record, a nested table, VARRAY, or LOB.
 Cont…
Calling a Function
• A function call is similar to a procedure call. You
call a function by mentioning its name along with
its parameters (if any).
• The parameter list is enclosed within parentheses.
• A procedure does not have an explicit RETURN
statement, so a procedure call can be an
independent statement on a separate line.
• A function does return a value, so the function
call is made via an executable statement, such as
an assignment, selection, or output statement.
 Cont…
Calling a Function from an SQL Statement
• A stored function block can be called from an
SQL statement, such as SELECT.
For example,
SELECT get_deptname(10) FROM dual;
 PACKAGES

A package is a collection of PL/SQL objects. The objects in a package

are grouped within BEGIN and END blocks. A package may contain
objects from the following list:

• Cursors.
• Scalar variables.
• Composite variables.
• Constants.
• Exception names.
• TYPE declarations for records and tables.
• Procedures.
• Functions
 Cont…
• The objects in a package can be declared as public
objects, which can be referenced from outside, or as
private objects, which are known only to the package.
• You can restrict access to a package to its specification
only and hide the actual programming aspect.
• A package follows some rules of object-oriented
programming, and it gives programmers some object-
oriented capabilities.
• A package compiles successfully even without a body if
the specification compiles.
 Cont…
Structure of a Package
• A package provides an extra layer to a module.
A module has a header and a body, whereas a
package has a specification and a body.
• A module’s header specifies the name and the
parameters, which tell us how to call that module.
• Similarly, the pack- age specification tells us
how to call different modules within a package.
 Cont…
Package Specification
• A package specification does not contain any
code, but it does contain information about the
elements of the package.
• It contains definitions of functions and
procedures, declarations of global or public
variables, and anything else that can be declared
in a PL/SQL block’s declaration section.
• The objects in the specification section of a
package are called public objects.
 Cont…
The general syntax is
CREATE [OR REPLACE] PACKAGE
packagename IS
[ constant, variable and type declarations ] [
exception declarations ]
[ cursor specifications ]
[ function specifications ]
[ procedure specifications ]
END [ packagename ];
 Cont…
Package Body
• A package body contains actual programming
code for the modules described in the
specification section.
• It also contains code for the modules not
described in the specification section.
• The module code in the body without a
description in the specification is called a private
module, or a hidden module, and it is not visible
outside the body of the package.
 Cont…
The general syntax of a package body is
PACKAGE BODY packagename
IS
[ variable and type declarations ]
[ cursor specifications and SELECT queries ] [ header and body of functions
]
[ header and body of procedures ]
[ BEGIN
executable statements ]
[ EXCEPTION
Exception handlers]
END[packagename];
 TRIGGERS

• A database trigger, known simply as a trigger,

is a PL/SQL block.
• It is stored in the database and is called
automatically when a triggering event occurs.
• A user cannot call a trigger explicitly.
• The triggering event is based on a Data
Manipulation Language (DML) statement, such
as INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE.
• A trigger can be created to fire before or after the
triggering event.
 Cont…
• The execution of a trigger is also known as firing the trigger.
The general syntax is
CREATE [ OR REPLACE ] TRIGGER triggername
BEFORE | AFTER | INSTEAD OF triggeringevent ON table|view [ FOR
EACH ROW ]
[ WHEN condition ]
DECLARE
Declaration statements
BEGIN
Executable statements
EXCEPTION
Exception-handling statements
END;
 Cont…
SQL> /* Anonymous block calls function HAS_PREREQ
DOC> and function FIND_PREREQ in package COURSE_INFO */ SQL> DECLARE
V_FLAG BOOLEAN;
V_COURSEID COURSE.COURSEID%TYPE := ’&P_COURSEID’;
V_TITLE VARCHAR2(30);
BEGIN
V_COURSEID := UPPER(V_COURSEID);
V_FLAG := COURSE_INFO.HAS_PREREQ(V_COURSEID);
IF V_FLAG = TRUE THEN
V_TITLE := COURSE_INFO.FIND_PREREQ(V_COURSEID);
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE(’Course: ’ || V_COURSEID);
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE(’Pre-Requisite - ’ || V_COURSEID);
END IF;
END; 14 /
Enter value for p_courseid: CIS265 Course: CIS265
Pre-Requisite - CI5253
PL/SQL procedure successfully completed. SQL> /
Enter value for p_courseid: CIS253 No prerequisite
PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.
SQL> /
Enter value for p_courseid: CIS999 Course: CIS999 does not exist
PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.
SQL>
 Cont…
BEFORE Triggers
• The BEFORE trigger is fired before execution
of a DML statement.
• The BEFORE trigger is useful when you want
to plug into some values in a new row, insert a
calculated column into a new row, or validate a
value in the INSERT query with a lookup in
another table
 Cont…
SQL> CREATE OR REPLACE TRIGGER EMPLOYEE_BI_TRIGGER
BEFORE INSERT ON EMPLOYEE
FOR EACH ROW
DECLARE
V_EMPID EMPLOYEE.EMPLOYEEID%TYPE;
BEGIN
SELECT EMPLOYEE_EMPLOYEEID_SEQ.NEXTVAL
INTO V_EMPID FROM DUAL;
:NEW.EMPLOYEEID := V_EMPID;
:NEW.HIREDATE := SYSDATE;
END;
12 /
Trigger created.
SQL>
 Cont…
AFTER Triggers
• An AFTER trigger fires after a DML statement
is executed.
• It utilizes the built-in Boolean functions
INSERTING, UPDATING, and DELETING.
• If the triggering event is one of the three DML
statements, the function related to the DML
statement returns TRUE and the other two
return FALSE.
 Cont…
SQL> CREATE OR REPLACE TRIGGER EMPLOYEE_ADU_TRIGGER
AFTER DELETE OR UPDATE ON EMPLOYEE
DECLARE
V_TRANSTYPE VARCHAR2(6);
BEGIN
IF DELETING THEN
V_TRANSTYPE := ’DELETE’;
ELSIF UPDATING THEN
V_TRANSTYPE := ’UPDATE’;
END IF;
INSERT INTO TRANSHISTORY
VALUES (’EMPLOYEE’, V_TRANSTYPE, USER, SYSDATE);
END;
14 /
Trigger created.
SQL>
 DATA DICTIONARY VIEWS
• Oracle maintains a very informative Data
Dictionary.
• A few Data Dictionary views are useful for
getting information about stored PL/SQL blocks.
• The following are examples of queries to
USER_PROCEDURES (for named blocks),
USER_TRIGGERS (for triggers only),
USER_SOURCE (for all source codes),
USER_OBJECTS(for any object), and
USER_ERRORS (for current errors) views:
 Cont…
SELECT Object_Name, Procedure_Name
FROM USER_PROCEDURES;
SELECT Trigger_Name, Trigger_Type,
Triggering_Event, Table_Name, Trigger_Body
FROM USER_TRIGGERS;
SELECT Name, Type, Line, Text FROM
USER_SOURCE; SELECT Object_Name,
Object_Type FROM USER_OBJECTS;
SELECT Name, Type, Sequence, Line, Position
FROM USER_ERRORS;
• These views can provide information ranging
from the name of an object to the entire source
code.
• Use the DESCRIBE command to find out the
names of columns in each Data Dictionary
view, and issue SELECT queries according to
the information desired.