Oracle PL/SQL Programming

Devoted entirely to the PL/SQL (Procedural Language extension to SQL), this second edition of Oracle PL/SQL Programming updates the first edition for Oracle8, and includes chapters on new PL/SQL object features (object types, collections, object views, and external procedures). The first three chapters of the book explain what it means to program in PL/SQL, and then walk you through the main features of the language, programming habits, and effective coding style. It then moves on to basic PL/SQL programming components such as variables, cursors, conditional and sequential control statements, loops, exception handlers, PL/SQL records, and PL/SQL tables. Part three of the book covers built-in functions such as character, date, numeric, LOB, and conversion functions that can be put to use immediately in your applications. Moving forward, you will learn how to build procedures, functions, and packages correctly. Chapters 18 through 21 give an in-depth coverage of the new features of Oracle8. Learn about object types, nested tables and VARRAYs, object views, and external procedures. Armed with a summary of helpful tips for effective PL/SQL programming in the real world, part six of the book shows you how to manage your PL/SQL code and debug, tune, and trace the execution of your programs. The text contains numerous examples to guide you as to how, when, and where to apply programming constructs most effectively. Appendices A through C contain a summary of contents on the companion disk, how to call stored procedures from PL/SQL Version 1.1, and how to call Oracle's built-in packages.

Steven has been developing software since 1980 and worked for OracleCorporation from 1987 to 1992. He is a partner with RevealNet, Inc.(www.revealnet.com) and is the chief architect of the RevealNet products,PL/SQL Knowledge Base and PL/Vision (a code library of prebuilt PL/SQL packagesthat accelerates PL/SQL-based application development). Steven also sysopsRevealNet's "PL/SQL Pipeline," an online community for PL/SQL developers(www.revealnet.com/plsql-pipeline). He can be reached through email [email protected]. Steven is also president of PL/Solutions, whichoffers training and consulting on both PL/Vision and PL/SQL(www.plsolutions.com). Finally (on the Oracle side of Steven's life), he servesas codirector of the Oracle Practice at SSC, a systems management consultingfirm based in Chicago (www.saraswati.com).

Steven shares his Rogers Park, Chicago, Georgian with his wife Veva, hisyoungest son Eli, two cats (Sister Itsacat and Moshe Jacobawitz), and Mercury(the Congo Red African Gray parrot). His older son, Chris, is busy making musicand creating art nearby. Steven is a member of the Board of Directors of theCrossroads Fund, which provides grants to organizations in Chicago working forsocial change.

Bill Pribyl, founder and principal of DataCraft, Inc. (www.datacraft.com), has been learning andteaching about Oracle databases and applications for morethan ten years. His work with object-oriented technology dates to themid-1980s, when he coauthored a paper on the application of entity-relationshipmodeling to object-oriented analysis.

A self-avowed Oracle "generalist," Bill has served as an Oracle databaseadministrator for several billion-dollar companies; led the development ofweb-based database applications for online commerce; configured an ultra-highavailability database using Oracle replication; helped NASA apply databasetechnology to space shuttle simulation software; and developed and taughtclasses in PL/SQL, Developer/2000, and the Oracle database. An ardent supporterof the Oracle user community, Bill is past chair of the South Central (USA)Oracle Users Group. He also served as editor-in-chief of Select, the quarterly publication of the International Oracle Users Group-Americas. His work has been published in Oracle user group publications worldwide. He also authored JavaScript programming examples for The Official Netscape LiveWire Pro Book.

Bill lives near his alma mater, Rice University, in Houston, Texas, with hiswife Norma, son Johnny, stepson Geoffrey, four cats, and a deaf Dalmatian. Hevolunteer teaches a class on the Internet and beginning HTML to children inpublic middle school.