Using the Main Features of PL/SQL

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PL/SQL combines the data-manipulating power of SQL with the processing power of procedural languages. You can control program flow with statements, such as IF and LOOP. As with other procedural programming languages, you can declare variables, define procedures and functions, and trap run time errors.

PL/SQL lets you break complex problems down into understandable procedural code, and reuse this code across multiple applications. When a problem can be solved through plain SQL, you can issue SQL statements directly inside your PL/SQL programs, without learning new APIs. PL/SQL datatypes correspond with SQL column types, enabling you to interchange PL/SQL variables with data inside a table.

This section contains the following topics:

• Using the PL/SQL Block Structure

• Inputting and Outputting Data with PL/SQL

• Using Comments

• Declaring Variables and Constants

• Using Identifiers in PL/SQL

• Assigning Values to a Variable With the Assignment Operator

• Using Literals

• Declaring and Assigning Variables With the DEFAULT Keyword or NOT NULL Constraint

• Assigning Values to a Variable With the PL/SQL SELECT INTO Statement

• Using %TYPE and %ROWTYPE Attributes to Declare Identical Datatypes

• Using PL/SQL Control Structures

• Using Local PL/SQL Procedures and Functions in PL/SQL Blocks

• Using Cursors To Retrieve Data

• Working With PL/SQL Data Structures

• Using Bind Variables With PL/SQL

• Using Dynamic SQL in PL/SQL