Oracle PL/SQL Built-ins Pocket Reference

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This pocket reference offers quick-access information to utilize Oracle Corporation's built-in functions and packages, including those introduced in Oracle8. Oracle's PL/SQL language provides procedural extensions to SQL and a growing array of development tools. Among its most valuable features are built-in functions and packages, which minimize coding efforts. Functions operate on specific data types, returning results that streamline programming. Functions are categorized as follows: - **Character functions** handle character data (e.g., CONCAT, LENGTH, REPLACE). - **Date functions** work with dates (e.g., SYSDATE, LAST_DAY). - **Numeric functions** manage numeric data (e.g., CEIL, POWER). - **LOB functions** deal with large object data (e.g., EMPTY_BLOB, EMPTY_CLOB). - **Conversion functions** perform data type conversions (e.g., TO_CHAR, TO_NUMBER). - **Miscellaneous functions** include GREATEST and UID. Built-in packages, collections of PL/SQL objects, enhance PL/SQL's capabilities. These packages, created by Oracle and stored in the database, are accessible from various programming environments. Notable packages include DBMS_SQL for executing dynamic SQL, DBMS_PIPE for inter-session communication, DBMS_JOB for job scheduling, and DBMS_LOB for handling large objects. The reference illustrates how to call commonly used functions and packages, including RESTRICT REFERENCES pragmas, exceptions, constants, and data struct