PL/SQL Introduction
PL/SQL (Procedural Language/SQL) is Oracle’s extension of SQL that adds
procedural features like loops, conditions, and error handling. It allows developers to
write powerful programs that combine SQL queries with logic to control how data is
processed. With PL/SQL, complex operations, calculations, and error handling can be
performed directly within the Oracle database, making data manipulation more
efficient and flexible.
PL/SQL allows developers to:
Execute SQL queries and DML commands inside procedural blocks.
Define variables and perform complex calculations.
Create reusable program units, such as procedures, functions, and triggers.
Handle exceptions, ensuring the program runs smoothly even when errors occur.
Key Features of PL/SQL
PL/SQL brings the benefits of procedural programming to the relational database
world. Some of the most important features of PL/SQL include:
Block Structure: PL/SQL can execute a number of queries in one block using single
command.
Procedural Constructs: One can create a PL/SQL unit such as procedures, functions,
packages, triggers, and types, which are stored in the database for reuse by
applications.
Error Handling: PL/SQL provides a feature to handle the exception which occurs in
PL/SQL block known as exception handling block.
Reusable Code: Create stored procedures, functions, triggers, and packages, which
can be executed repeatedly.
Performance: Reduces network traffic by executing multiple SQL statements within
a single block
Structure of PL/SQL Block
PL/SQL extends SQL by adding constructs found in procedural languages, resulting
in a structural language that is more powerful than SQL. The basic unit in PL/SQL is
a block. All PL/SQL programs are made up of blocks, which can be nested within
each other.
Typically, each block performs a logical action in the program. A block has the
following structure:
DECLARE
declaration statements;
BEGIN
executable statements
EXCEPTIONS
exception handling statements
END;
PL/SQL code is written in blocks, which consist of three main sections:
Declare section starts with DECLARE keyword in which variables, constants,
records as cursors can be declared which stores data temporarily. It basically
consists definition of PL/SQL identifiers. This part of the code is optional.
Execution section starts with BEGIN and ends with END keyword. This is a
mandatory section and here the program logic is written to perform any task like
loops and conditional statements. It supports all DML commands, DDL
commands and SQL*PLUS built-in functions as well.
Exception section starts with EXCEPTION keyword. This section is optional
which contains statements that are executed when a run-time error occurs. Any
exceptions can be handled in this section.
PL/SQL Identifiers
In PL/SQL, identifiers are names used to represent various program elements like
variables, constants, procedures, cursors, triggers etc. These identifiers allow you to
store, manipulate, and access data throughout your PL/SQL code.
1. Variables in PL/SQL
Like several other programming languages, variables in PL/SQL must be declared
prior to its use. A variable is like a container that holds data during program
execution. Each variable must have a valid name and a specific data type.
Syntax for declaration of variables:
variable_name datatype [NOT NULL := value ];
variable_name: The name of the variable.
datatype: The data type of the variable (e.g., INTEGER, VARCHAR2).
NOT NULL: This optional constraint means the variable cannot be left empty.
:= value: This optional assignment assigns an initial value to the variable.
Example: Declaring Variables
SQL> SET SERVEROUTPUT ON;
SQL> DECLARE
var1 INTEGER;
var2 REAL;
var3 varchar2(20) ;
BEGIN
null;
END;
/
Output:
PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.
Explanation:
SET SERVEROUTPUT ON: It is used to display the buffer used by the
dbms_output.
var1 INTEGER : It is the declaration of variable, named var1 which is of integer
type. There are many other data types that can be used like float, int, real,
smallint, long etc. It also supports variables used in SQL as well like
NUMBER(prec, scale), varchar, varchar2 etc.
Slash (/) after END;: The slash (/) tells the SQL*Plus to execute the block.
Assignment operator (:=) : It is used to assign a value to a variable.
2. Displaying Output in PL/SQL
The outputs are displayed by using DBMS_OUTPUT which is a built-in package that
enables the user to display output, debugging information, and send messages from
PL/SQL blocks, subprograms, packages, and triggers. Let us see an example to see
how to display a message using PL/SQL :
Example: Displaying Output
SQL> SET SERVEROUTPUT ON;
SQL> DECLARE
var varchar2(40) := 'I love GeeksForGeeks' ;
BEGIN
dbms_output.put_line(var);
END;
/
Output:
I love GeeksForGeeks
PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.
Explanation: dbms_output.put_line : This command is used to direct the PL/SQL
output to a screen.
3. Comments in PL/SQL
Like in many other programming languages, in PL/SQL also, comments can be put
within the code which has no effect in the code. There are two syntaxes to create
comments in PL/SQL :
Single Line Comment: To create a single line comment , the symbol - - is used.
Multi Line Comment: To create comments that span over several lines, the
symbol /* and */ is used.
Example: Adding Comments
-- This is a single-line comment
/*
This is a multi-line comment
that spans over multiple lines.
*/
4. Taking input from users
In PL/SQL we can take input from the user and store it in a variable using substitution
variables. These variables are preceded by an & symbol. Let us see an example to
show how to take input from users in PL/SQL:
Example: Taking Input from Users
SQL> SET SERVEROUTPUT ON;
SQL> DECLARE
-- taking input for variable a
a number := &a;
-- taking input for variable b
b varchar2(30) := &b;
BEGIN
null;
END;
/
Output:
Enter value for a: 24
old 2: a number := &a;
new 2: a number := 24;
Enter value for b: 'GeeksForGeeks'
old 3: b varchar2(30) := &b;
new 3: b varchar2(30) := 'GeeksForGeeks';
PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.
Explanation:
&a and &b are substitution variables where the user will be prompted to provide
values.
The user is asked to enter values for a and b when the code runs.
PL/SQL Practical Example
Let’s combine all the above concepts into one practical example. We’ll create a
PL/SQL block that takes two numbers from the user, calculates their sum, and
displays the result.
--PL/SQL code to print sum of two numbers taken from the user.
SQL> SET SERVEROUTPUT ON;
SQL> DECLARE
-- taking input for variable a
a integer := &a ;
-- taking input for variable b
b integer := &b ;
c integer ;
BEGIN
c := a + b ;
dbms_output.put_line('Sum of '||a||' and '||b||' is = '||c);
END;
Execution:
Enter value for a: 2
Enter value for b: 3
Sum of 2 and 3 is = 5
PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.
PL/SQL Execution Environment
The PL/SQL engine resides in the Oracle engine. When a PL/SQL block is executed,
it sends a single request to the Oracle engine, which processes the SQL and PL/SQL
statements in the block together. This reduces network traffic, making PL/SQL more
efficient for batch processing and handling complex logic.
Differences Between SQL and PL/SQL
Feature SQL PL/SQL
SQL is a single query that is used PL/SQL is a block of codes that
Purpose to perform DML and DDL used to write the entire program
operations. blocks/ procedure/ function, etc.
Nature It is declarative, that defines what PL/SQL is procedural that defines
needs to be done, rather than how how the things needs to be done.
Feature SQL PL/SQL
things need to be done.
Execution Executes single statement. Executes block of code
Data retrieval, manipulation and
Mainly used to create an
Use Case definition( eg. SELECT, INSERT,
application.
UPDATE)
SQL Statements combined with
Syntax SQL statements only
procedural logic
Can contain SQL inside its blocks
Data Performs actions directly on the
and is used for more control over
Handling database.
data handling
