PL/SQL FAQ

• 1 What is PL/SQL and what is it used for?
• 2 What is the difference between SQL and PL/SQL?
• 3 Should one use PL/SQL or Java to code procedures and triggers?
• 4 How can one see if somebody modified any code?
• 5 How can one search PL/SQL code for a string/ key value?
• 6 How does one keep a history of PL/SQL code changes?
• 7 How can I protect my PL/SQL source code?
• 8 How can I know which stored PL/SQL code is wrapped?
• 9 Can one print to the screen from PL/SQL?
• 10 Can one read/write files from PL/SQL?
• 11 Can one call DDL statements from PL/SQL?
• 12 Can one use dynamic SQL statements from PL/SQL?
• 13 What is the difference between %TYPE and %ROWTYPE?
• 14 How does one get the value of a sequence into a PL/SQL variable?
• 15 Can one execute an operating system command from PL/SQL?
• 16 How does one loop through tables in PL/SQL?
• 17 How often should one COMMIT in a PL/SQL loop? / What is the best commit strategy?
• 18 I can SELECT from SQL*Plus but not from PL/SQL. What is wrong?
• 19 What is a mutating and constraining table?
• 20 Can one pass an object/table as an argument to a remote procedure?
• 21 What is the difference between stored procedures and functions?
• 22 Is there a PL/SQL Engine in SQL*Plus?
• 23 Is there a limit on the size of a PL/SQL block?
• 24 What are the PL/SQL compiler limits for block, record, subquery and label nesting?
• 25 Can one COMMIT/ ROLLBACK from within a trigger?