Introduction
PL/SQL supports variables, conditions, loops and exceptions. Arrays are also supported, though in a somewhat unusual way, involving the use of PL/SQL collections. PL/SQL collections is a slightly advanced topic.
Implementations from version 8 of Oracle Database onwards have included features associated with object-orientation.
Once the program units have been stored into the database, they become available for execution at a later time.
While programmers can readily embed Data Manipulation Language (DML) statements directly into their PL/SQL code using straightforward SQL statements, Data Definition Language (DDL) requires more complex "Dynamic SQL" statements to be written in the PL/SQL code. However, DML statements underpin the majority of PL/SQL code in typical software applications.
In the case of PL/SQL dynamic SQL, early versions of the Oracle Database required the use of a complicated Oracle DBMS_SQL package library. More recent versions have however introduced a simpler "Native Dynamic SQL", along with an associated EXECUTE IMMEDIATE syntax.
Oracle Corporation customarily extends package functionality with each successive release of the Oracle Database.
Read more about this topic: PL/SQL
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