Oracle PL/SQL Tutorial - An Introduction to Using PL/SQL

This is the second of our PL/SQL tutorials designed to show you how to take full advantage of PL/SQL to improve database performance, reduce application complexity and maintenance costs and make life easier for yourself as an Oracle developer or DBA. This tutorial examines the pros and cons of using PLSQL.

Advantages of Oracle PLSQL

Tight coupling with the database

One advantage that PL/SQL has over other programming languages is its tight coupling with the Oracle database which makes database access easier and very efficient and allows PL/SQL code units to be stored in the database. Of course, this tight coupling is only an advantage if your application is only going to be used with Oracle databases!

Reduced Network Traffic

When PL/SQL programs are stored in the database, they also have the advantage (along with Java Stored Procedures) of running on the same physical computer as the database, eliminating the need to send SQL and PL/SQL statements from the client to the database and intermediate results from the database back to the client, thereby reducing network traffic and latency, PLSQL is also fully portable - it can be used on any platform which runs Oracle and you can transfer PLSQL programs from one platform to another without having to recompile them.

Disadvantages of Oracle PLSQL

Proprietary to Oracle

PL/SQL is proprietary to Oracle which means if you were to change database vendors then you would have to re-write all your Oracle PL/SQL programs. Also if you use a mixture of databases or develop applications to run on different databases, you will either have to support branches in your source code or write your applications in a database-neutral language like Java, VB or C and use the APIs to access the database.

Poor I/O Features

One other limitation of Oracle PL/SQL is that there is very little support for i/o either to read/write files or the user interface. The rationale behind this is that PLSQL is designed for manipulating information from the database and not for processing files or communicating with users. These operations are possible - they are just not very sophisticated. See Oracle PLSQL tutorial #3 to learn which datatypes are supported and the language elements If you want to learn PL/SQL quickly why not take advantage of one of our instructor-led training courses? See the Oracle training page for details of our scheduled courses or contact us for more information. For help on other aspects of Oracle see the oracle tips and tricks page and see our Oracle resources section for recommended books and links to other excellent Oracle resources.  --------------------------------------- Looking to sky-rocket productivity, save time and reduce costs? Training is a highly cost-effective and proven method of boosting productivity. Smartsoft offers instructor- led training in Oracle and related technologies on or off site in cities across the UK as well as self-study online training. See our scheduled Oracle training courses, or let us know your requirements. Looking for more Oracle tips and tricks? For no frills, no fluff, just solid, reliable technical information, take a short cut now and subscribe to our newsletter. Jam-packed full of tips and tricks, it will help you make your Oracle systems faster and more reliable and save you hours searching for information. Subscribe today - there's no charge - and your first issue will soon be winging its way to your mailbox. Smartsoft Computing Ltd, Bristol, England Tel: 0845 003 1320 Need help with Oracle? Contact Us View our privacy policy This site uses woopra.com to gather statistical information about our visitors. This data is aggregated to show industry trends (such as browser share). However, this data shall be the average of many thousands of visits and is in no way linked to individuals. View woopra privacy policy.  Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. © Copyright Smartsoft Computing Ltd 2014. All rights reserved.