13 PL/SQL Language Elements

Grammar, which knows how to control even kings. —Molière

This chapter is a quick reference guide to PL/SQL syntax and semantics. It shows you how commands, parameters, and other language elements are combined to form PL/SQL statements. It also provides usage notes and short examples.

This chapter contains these topics:

• Assignment Statement

• AUTONOMOUS_TRANSACTION Pragma

• Blocks

• CASE Statement

• CLOSE Statement

• Collection Methods

• Collections

• Comments

• COMMIT Statement

• Constants and Variables

• Cursor Attributes

• Cursor Variables

• Cursors

• DELETE Statement

• EXCEPTION_INIT Pragma

• Exceptions

• EXECUTE IMMEDIATE Statement

• EXIT Statement

• Expressions

• FETCH Statement

• FORALL Statement

• Functions

• GOTO Statement

• IF Statement

• INSERT Statement

• Literals

• LOCK TABLE Statement

• LOOP Statements

• MERGE Statement

• NULL Statement

• Object Types

• OPEN Statement

• OPEN-FOR Statement

• OPEN-FOR-USING Statement

• Packages

• Procedures

• RAISE Statement

• Records

• RESTRICT_REFERENCES Pragma

• RETURN Statement

• ROLLBACK Statement

• %ROWTYPE Attribute

• SAVEPOINT Statement

• SCN_TO_TIMESTAMP Function

• SQLCODE Function

• SELECT INTO Statement

• SERIALLY_REUSABLE Pragma

• SET TRANSACTION Statement

• SQL Cursor

• SQLCODE Function

• SQLERRM Function

• TIMESTAMP_TO_SCN Function

• %TYPE Attribute

• UPDATE Statement