4

Creating Packages

Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Objectives

After completing this lesson, you should be able to do the

following:
• Describe packages and list their components
• Create a package to group together related variables,
cursors, constants, exceptions, procedures, and functions
• Designate a package construct as either public or private
• Invoke a package construct
• Describe the use of a bodiless package

4-2 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Lesson Agenda

• Identifying the benefits and the components of packages

• Working with packages:
– Creating the package specification and body
– Invoking the package subprograms
– Removing a package
– Displaying the package information

4-3 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 What Are PL/SQL Packages?

• A package is a schema object that groups logically related

PL/SQL types, variables, and subprograms.
• Packages usually have two parts:
– A specification (spec)
– A body
• The specification is the interface to the package. It
declares the types, variables, constants, exceptions,
cursors, and subprograms that can be referenced from
outside the package.
• The body defines the queries for the cursors and the code
for the subprograms.
• Enable the Oracle server to read multiple objects into
memory at once.

4-4 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Advantages of Using Packages

• Modularity: Encapsulating related constructs

• Easier maintenance: Keeping logically related functionality
together
• Easier application design: Coding and compiling the
specification and body separately
• Hiding information:
– Only the declarations in the package specification are visible
and accessible to applications
– Private constructs in the package body are hidden and
inaccessible
– All coding is hidden in the package body

4-5 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Advantages of Using Packages

• Added functionality: Persistency of public variables and

cursors
• Better performance:
– The entire package is loaded into memory when the
package is first referenced.
– There is only one copy in memory for all users.
– The dependency hierarchy is simplified.
• Overloading: Multiple subprograms of the same name

4-6 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Components of a PL/SQL Package

Package
specification variable
Public
Procedure A declaration;

variable

Procedure B definition …

Procedure A definition Private

variable
Package BEGIN
body …
END;

4-7 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 The Visibility of a Package’s Components

Package
specification public_var

Procedure A;
External
code
private_var
Procedure B IS
BEGIN … END;
Procedure A IS
local_var
Package BEGIN
body …
END;

4-8 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Developing PL/SQL Packages: Overview

View errors/warnings
in SQL Developer

YES
Use SHOW ERRORS
command in SQL*Plus
Create/edit Compiler View compiler
package body warnings/errors? warnings/errors
and spec
NO

Use USER/ALL/DBA_
ERRORS views

Invoke package
subprograms

4-9 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Lesson Agenda

• Identifying the benefits and the components of packages

• Working with packages:
– Creating the package specification and body
– Invoking the package subprograms
– Removing a package
– Displaying the package information

4 - 10 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Creating the Package Specification:
Using the CREATE PACKAGE Statement

CREATE [OR REPLACE] PACKAGE package_name IS|AS

public type and variable declarations
subprogram specifications
END [package_name];

• The OR REPLACE option drops and re-creates the package

specification.
• Variables declared in the package specification are
initialized to NULL by default.
• All the constructs declared in a package specification are
visible to users who are granted privileges on the package.

4 - 11 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Creating the Package Specification:
Using SQL Developer

3
1
2

4 - 12 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Creating the Package Body:
Using SQL Developer
4

1
2

4 - 13 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Example of a Package Specification: comm_pkg

-- The package spec with a public variable and a

-- public procedure that are accessible from
-- outside the package.

CREATE OR REPLACE PACKAGE comm_pkg IS

v_std_comm NUMBER := 0.10; --initialized to 0.10
PROCEDURE reset_comm(p_new_comm NUMBER);
END comm_pkg;
/

• V_STD_COMM is a public global variable initialized to

0.10.
• RESET_COMM is a public procedure used to reset the
standard commission based on some business rules.
It is implemented in the package body.

4 - 14 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Creating the Package Body

CREATE [OR REPLACE] PACKAGE BODY package_name IS|AS

private type and variable declarations
subprogram bodies
[BEGIN initialization statements]
END [package_name];

• The OR REPLACE option drops and re-creates the

package body.
• Identifiers defined in the package body are private and
not visible outside the package body.
• All private constructs must be declared before they are
referenced.
• Public constructs are visible to the package body.

4 - 15 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Example of a Package Body: comm_pkg

CREATE OR REPLACE PACKAGE BODY comm_pkg IS

FUNCTION validate(p_comm NUMBER) RETURN BOOLEAN IS
v_max_comm employees.commission_pct%type;
BEGIN
SELECT MAX(commission_pct) INTO v_max_comm
FROM employees;
RETURN (p_comm BETWEEN 0.0 AND v_max_comm);
END validate;

PROCEDURE reset_comm (p_new_comm NUMBER) IS BEGIN

IF validate(p_new_comm) THEN
v_std_comm := p_new_comm; -- reset public var
ELSE RAISE_APPLICATION_ERROR(
-20210, 'Bad Commission');
END IF;
END reset_comm;
END comm_pkg;

4 - 16 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Invoking the Package Subprograms: Examples

-- Invoke a function within the same packages:

CREATE OR REPLACE PACKAGE BODY comm_pkg IS ...
PROCEDURE reset_comm(p_new_comm NUMBER) IS
BEGIN
IF validate(p_new_comm) THEN
v_std_comm := p_new_comm;
ELSE ...
END IF;
END reset_comm;
END comm_pkg;

-- Invoke a package procedure from SQL*Plus:

EXECUTE comm_pkg.reset_comm(0.15)

-- Invoke a package procedure in a different schema:

EXECUTE scott.comm_pkg.reset_comm(0.15)

4 - 17 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Invoking the Package Subprograms:
Using SQL Developer

4 - 18 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Creating and Using Bodiless Packages

CREATE OR REPLACE PACKAGE global_consts IS

c_mile_2_kilo CONSTANT NUMBER := 1.6093;
c_kilo_2_mile CONSTANT NUMBER := 0.6214;
c_yard_2_meter CONSTANT NUMBER := 0.9144;
c_meter_2_yard CONSTANT NUMBER := 1.0936;
END global_consts;

BEGIN DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('20 miles = ' ||

20 * global_consts.c_mile_2_kilo || ' km');
END;

CREATE FUNCTION mtr2yrd(p_m NUMBER) RETURN NUMBER IS

BEGIN
RETURN (p_m * global_consts.c_meter_2_yard);
END mtr2yrd;
/
EXECUTE DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE(mtr2yrd(1))

4 - 19 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Removing Packages: Using SQL Developer
or the SQL DROP Statement
Drop package specification and body Drop package body only

-- Remove the package specification and body

DROP PACKAGE package_name;

-- Remove the package body only

DROP PACKAGE BODY package_name;

4 - 20 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Viewing Packages Using the Data Dictionary

-- View the package specification.

SELECT text
FROM user_source
WHERE name = 'COMM_PKG' AND type = 'PACKAGE';

-- View the package body.

SELECT text
FROM user_source
WHERE name = 'COMM_PKG' AND type = 'PACKAGE BODY';

4 - 21 Copyright © 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.