Publisher Description

PL/SQL, Oracle's programming language for stored procedures, delivers a world of possibilities for your database programs. PL/SQL supplements the standard relational database language, SQL, with a wide range of procedural features, including loops, IF-THEN statements, advanced data structures, and rich transactional control--all closely integrated with the Oracle database server. Knowing where to start with Oracle's procedural language is not always obvious to a newcomer, especially considering the language's feature set and the sheer size of the official documentation (not to mention Oracle's ever-increasing number of pre-built PL/SQL programs). But Learning Oracle PL/SQL offers the signposts and guidance you need to come up to speed on the language, delivered in a manageable number of pages while covering all the essentials. Topics include: PL/SQL--what is it, and why use it? Why use PL/SQL instead of Java? Syntax and examples of all core language constructs Creating, using, and reusing stored procedures, functions, and packages Building web-based applications using PL/SQL features available "out of the box" (such as PL/SQL Server Pages) Securing PL/SQL programs against attack Benefits of third-party developer tools and integrated development environments Connecting PL/SQL to email, Java, and the Internet Meticulously crafted with all-new examples downloadable from the book addresses language features available in all versions of Oracle, from Oracle7 to Oracle8i to Oracle9i. Learning Oracle PL/SQL was written by PL/SQL experts Bill Pribyl and Steven Feuerstein, whose easy-to-read style and attention to detail has made other O'Reilly books (such as the bestselling Oracle PL/SQL Programming) very popular among Oracle developers worldwide. Learning Oracle PL/SQL is meant for a wide range of target audiences, including both beginning programmers and those already experienced with other programming languages. Whether you are a new developer, a crossover programmer from another database system, or a new database administrator who needs to learn PL/SQL, this book will get you well on your way. It is the perfect introduction to Oracle PL/SQL Programming, also by Pribyl and Feuerstein.

Table of Contents

Part 1 PL/SQL - what, when and where: what is PL/SQL?; why use PL/SQL?; what you need to get started with PL/SQL. Part 2 Fundamentals: PL/lingo; running your first PL/SQL program; introduction to program structure; variables; common operators; conditional logic; executing in circles - loop statements; code formatting - requirements and guidelines; some advanced fundamentals. Part 3 Let's code!: some backrgound on the example; a first programming exercise; retrieving a book count with a function; make your code resilient; using PL/SQL packages to organize code; going to the next level; now what?. Part 4 Go web, young man: introduction to HTML; using PL/SQL to create web pages; what else?. Part 5 Fetch!: what's the big deal?; a simple-minded approach to retrieving one row; retrieving more than one row using a cursor; presenting query results via a web page; building a web-based search page using dynamic SQL; advanced data retrieval topics. Part 6 Keeping house: organize your code; use tools to write code effectively. Part 7 Security - keep the bad guys out: Oracle security primer; organizing accounts to improve security; analyzing the library system's requirements; keeping a trail of database changes; special security topics for PL/SQL developers. Part 8 Communicating with the outside world: sending Internet e-mail from PL/SQL; using the mail sender in the library system; receiving e-mail inside the database; fetching data from a remote web site; integration with other languages. Part 9 Intermediate topics and other diversions: riding the software lifecycle; lists o' stuff (collections) in PL/SQL; exception-handling packages; transaction control; the PL/SQL compiler; managing patron and librarian privileges; still more PL/SQL features. Part 10 "Making good" of database programming: the evidence; the problem; answering the objections; what to do.

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