9

Creating Procedures

Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 Objectives

After completing this lesson, you should be able to

do the following:
• Distinguish anonymous PL/SQL blocks from
named PL/SQL blocks (subprograms)
• Describe subprograms
• List the benefits of using subprograms
• List the different environments from which
subprograms can be invoked

9-2 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 Objectives

After completing this lesson, you should be able to

do the following:
• Describe PL/SQL blocks and subprograms
• Describe the uses of procedures
• Create procedures
• Differentiate between formal and actual parameters
• List the features of different parameter modes
• Create procedures with parameters
• Invoke a procedure
• Handle exceptions in procedures
• Remove a procedure

9-3 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 PL/SQL Program Constructs
<header> IS|AS
or DECLARE

BEGIN

EXCEPTION
Database Server
Tools Constructs Constructs
Anonymous blocks END;
Anonymous blocks
Application procedures or
Stored procedures or
functions
functions
Application packages
Stored packages
Application triggers
Database triggers
Object types
Object types

9-4 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 Overview of Subprograms

A subprogram:
• Is a named PL/SQL block that can accept parameters
and be invoked from a calling environment
• Is of two types:
– A procedure that performs an action
– A function that computes a value
• Is based on standard PL/SQL block structure
• Provides modularity, reusability, extensibility,
and maintainability
• Provides easy maintenance, improved data security
and integrity, improved performance, and improved
code clarity

9-5 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 Block Structure for Anonymous
PL/SQL Blocks

DECLARE (optional)
Declare PL/SQL objects to be used
within this block
BEGIN (mandatory)
Define the executable statements
EXCEPTION (optional)
Define the actions that take place if
an error or exception arises
END; (mandatory)

9-6 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 Block Structure for PL/SQL Subprograms

<header>
Subprogram Specification
IS | AS
Declaration section
BEGIN
Executable section
Subprogram Body
EXCEPTION (optional)
Exception section
END;

9-7 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 Benefits of Subprograms

• Easy maintenance
• Improved data security and integrity
• Improved performance
• Improved code clarity

9-8 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 Developing Subprograms by Using
iSQL*Plus

2 3

9-9 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 What Is a Procedure?

• A procedure is a type of subprogram that performs

an action.
• A procedure can be stored in the database, as a
schema object, for repeated execution.

9-10 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 Syntax for Creating Procedures

CREATE [OR REPLACE] PROCEDURE procedure_name

[(parameter1 [mode1] datatype1,
parameter2 [mode2] datatype2,
. . .)]
IS|AS
PL/SQL Block;

• The REPLACE option indicates that if the procedure

exists, it will be dropped and replaced with the
new version created by the statement.
• PL/SQL block starts with either BEGIN or the
declaration of local variables and ends with either
END or END procedure_name.

9-11 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 Developing Procedures
Editor
Code to create 1 file.sql
procedure

iSQL*Plus
2 Load and execute file.sql

Oracle Source code

Use SHOW ERRORS
Compile to view
compilation errors
P code Procedure
created
Execute 3

9-12 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 Formal
Formal Versus
Versus Actual
Actual Parameters
Parameters

•• Formal
Formal parameters:
parameters: variables
variables declared
declared in
in the
the
parameter
parameter list
list of
of aa subprogram
subprogram specification
specification
Example:
Example:
CREATE
CREATE PROCEDURE
PROCEDURE raise_sal(p_id
raise_sal(p_id NUMBER,
NUMBER, p_amount
p_amount NUMBER)
NUMBER)
...
...
END
END raise_sal;
raise_sal;
•• Actual
Actual parameters:
parameters: variables
variables or
or expressions
expressions
referenced
referenced in
in the
the parameter
parameter list
list of
of aa subprogram
subprogram call
call
Example:
Example:
raise_sal(v_id,
raise_sal(v_id, 2000)
2000)

9-13 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 Procedural Parameter Modes

Procedure
IN parameter
Calling
environment OUT parameter
IN OUT parameter

(DECLARE)

BEGIN

EXCEPTION

END;

9-14 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 Creating Procedures with Parameters
IN OUT IN OUT
Default mode Must be Must be
specified specified
Value is passed into Returned to Passed into
subprogram calling subprogram;
environment returned to calling
environment
Formal parameter acts as Uninitialized Initialized variable
a constant variable
Actual parameter can be a Must be a Must be a
literal, expression, variable variable
constant, or initialized
variable
Can be assigned a default Cannot be Cannot be
value assigned assigned
a default value a default value

9-15 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 IN Parameters: Example

176 p_id

CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE raise_salary

(p_id IN employees.employee_id%TYPE)
IS
BEGIN
UPDATE employees
SET salary = salary * 1.10
WHERE employee_id = p_id;
END raise_salary;
/

9-16 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 OUT Parameters: Example

Calling environment QUERY_EMP procedure

171 p_id

SMITH p_name

7400 p_salary

0.15 p_comm

9-17 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 OUT Parameters:
OUT Parameters: Example
Example

emp_query.sql
CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE query_emp
(p_id IN employees.employee_id%TYPE,
p_name OUT employees.last_name%TYPE,
p_salary OUT employees.salary%TYPE,
p_comm OUT employees.commission_pct%TYPE)
IS
BEGIN
SELECT last_name, salary, commission_pct
INTO p_name, p_salary, p_comm
FROM employees
WHERE employee_id = p_id;
END query_emp;
/

9-18 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 Viewing OUT Parameters

• Load and run the emp_query.sql script file to

create the QUERY_EMP procedure.
• Declare host variables, execute the QUERY_EMP
procedure, and print the value of the global G_NAME
variable.
VARIABLE g_name VARCHAR2(25)
VARIABLE g_sal NUMBER
VARIABLE g_comm NUMBER

EXECUTE query_emp(171, :g_name, :g_sal, :g_comm)

PRINT g_name

9-19 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 IN OUT Parameters

Calling environment FORMAT_PHONE procedure

'8006330575' '(800)633-0575' p_phone_no

CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE format_phone

(p_phone_no IN OUT VARCHAR2)
IS
BEGIN
p_phone_no := '(' || SUBSTR(p_phone_no,1,3) ||
')' || SUBSTR(p_phone_no,4,3) ||
'-' || SUBSTR(p_phone_no,7);
END format_phone;
/

9-20 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 Viewing IN OUT Parameters

VARIABLE g_phone_no VARCHAR2(15)

BEGIN
:g_phone_no := '8006330575';
END;
/
PRINT g_phone_no
EXECUTE format_phone (:g_phone_no)
PRINT g_phone_no

9-21 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 Methods for Passing Parameters

• Positional: List actual parameters in the same

order as formal parameters.
• Named: List actual parameters in arbitrary order
by associating each with its corresponding formal
parameter.
• Combination: List some of the actual parameters
as positional and some as named.

9-22 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 DEFAULT Option for Parameters

CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE add_dept

(p_name IN departments.department_name%TYPE
DEFAULT 'unknown',
p_loc IN departments.location_id%TYPE
DEFAULT 1700)
IS
BEGIN
INSERT INTO departments(department_id,
department_name, location_id)
VALUES (departments_seq.NEXTVAL, p_name, p_loc);
END add_dept;
/

9-23 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 Examples of Passing Parameters
BEGIN
add_dept;
add_dept ('TRAINING', 2500);
add_dept ( p_loc => 2400, p_name =>'EDUCATION');
add_dept ( p_loc => 1200) ;
END;
/
SELECT department_id, department_name, location_id
FROM departments;

9-24 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 Declaring Subprograms

leave_emp2.sql
CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE leave_emp2
(p_id IN employees.employee_id%TYPE)
IS
PROCEDURE log_exec
IS
BEGIN
INSERT INTO log_table (user_id, log_date)
VALUES (USER, SYSDATE);
END log_exec;
BEGIN
DELETE FROM employees
WHERE employee_id = p_id;
log_exec;
END leave_emp2;
/

9-25 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 Invoking
Invoking aa Procedure
Procedure from
from an
an Anonymous
Anonymous
PL/SQL
PL/SQL Block
Block

DECLARE
v_id NUMBER := 163;
BEGIN
raise_salary(v_id); --invoke procedure
COMMIT;
...
END;

9-26 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 Invoking
Invoking aa Procedure
Procedure from
from Another
Another
Procedure
Procedure

process_emps.sql
CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE process_emps
IS
CURSOR emp_cursor IS
SELECT employee_id
FROM employees;
BEGIN
FOR emp_rec IN emp_cursor
LOOP
raise_salary(emp_rec.employee_id);
END LOOP;
COMMIT;
END process_emps;
/

9-27 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 Handled Exceptions

Called procedure
Calling procedure PROCEDURE
PROC2 ...
PROCEDURE IS
PROC1 ... ...
IS BEGIN
... ... Exception raised
BEGIN EXCEPTION
... ... Exception handled
PROC2(arg1); END PROC2;
...
EXCEPTION Control returns to
...
END PROC1; calling procedure

9-28 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 Unhandled Exceptions

Called procedure
Calling procedure
PROCEDURE
PROCEDURE PROC2 ...
PROC1 ... IS
IS ...
... BEGIN
... Exception raised
BEGIN
... EXCEPTION
... Exception unhandled
PROC2(arg1); END PROC2;
...
EXCEPTION
...
END PROC1; Control returned to
exception section of
calling procedure

9-29 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 Removing
Removing Procedures
Procedures

Drop
Drop aa procedure
procedure stored
stored in
in the
the database.
database.
Syntax:
Syntax:
DROP PROCEDURE procedure_name

Example:
Example:
DROP PROCEDURE raise_salary;

9-30 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 Summary

In this lesson, you should have learned that:

• A procedure is a subprogram that performs an
action.
• You create procedures by using the CREATE
PROCEDURE command.
• You can compile and save a procedure in the
database.
• Parameters are used to pass data from the calling
environment to the procedure.
• There are three parameter modes: IN, OUT, and IN
OUT.

9-31 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 Summary

• Local subprograms are programs that are defined

within the declaration section of another program.
• Procedures can be invoked from any tool or
language that supports PL/SQL.
• You should be aware of the effect of handled and
unhandled exceptions on transactions and calling
procedures.
• You can remove procedures from the database by
using the DROP PROCEDURE command.
• Procedures can serve as building blocks for an
application.

9-32 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights

 Practice 9 Overview

This practice covers the following topics:

• Creating stored procedures to:
– Insert new rows into a table, using the supplied
parameter values
– Update data in a table for rows matching with the
supplied parameter values
– Delete rows from a table that match the supplied
parameter values
– Query a table and retrieve data based on supplied
parameter values
• Handling exceptions in procedures
• Compiling and invoking procedures

9-33 Copyright © Oracle Corporation, 2001. All rights