Oracle 8i
Bulk Binds -
Improve performance by reducing the overhead associated with context switches between the PL/SQL and SQL engines.
Collections in Oracle PL/SQL -
Use collections in PL/SQL to perform array processing.
Complex Recordsets -
Build complex recordsets using temporary or PL/SQL tables within stored procedures.
Data Encryption - DBMS_OBFUSCATION_TOOLKIT -
Encrypt and decrypt data using the DBMS_OBFUSCATION_TOOLKIT package.
DBMS_APPLICATION_INFO -
Track session and long operation activity more accurately using thes built-in procedures and views.
The DBMS_SYSTEM Package -
The DBMS_SYSTEM package contains a number of routines that can be useful on occasion.
Export BLOB -
A simple method for exporting the contents of a BLOB datatype to the filesystem.
Export CLOB -
A simple method for exporting the contents of a CLOB datatype to the filesystem.
File Handling From PL/SQL -
Perform basic file manipulation from PL/SQL using this simple API.
Import BLOB -
A simple method for importing the contents of a file into a BLOB datatype.
Import CLOB -
A simple method for importing the contents of a file into a CLOB datatype.
InterMedia - Import-Export Of Images -
Prior to Oracle 8.1.7 the
interMedia support for import and
export of data was a little flunky. Even now the API forces you to use
directory object to access the file system. The code supplied here will
free you from the constraints of
inter
Parse XML Documents -
Explode unstructured XML documents into relational tables using the XDK for PL/SQL.
Shell Commands From PL/SQL -
Use this simple method to perform shell commands from within PL/SQL.
Oracle 9i
ANYDATA Type -
This article presents an overview of the ANYDATA type.
Associative Arrays -
Oracle9i Release 2 allows you to index-by string values using this renamed collection.
Bulk Binds (BULK COLLECT & FORALL) and Record Processing in Oracle9i Release 2 -
Take advantage of bulk binds (BULK COLLECT & FORALL) for performance improvements whilst using record structures.
CASE Expressions And Statements -
Learn how to use CASE expressions in both SQL and PL/SQL. In addition, learn how to use the CASE statement in PL/SQL.
Consuming Web Services -
Access web services directly from PL/SQL using this simple API.
DBMS_PROFILER -
Profile the run-time behaviour of PL/SQL code to identify potential bottlenecks.
DBMS_TRACE -
Trace the run-time behaviour of PL/SQL code to identify potential bottlenecks.
DBMS_XPLAN -
Easily format the output of an explain plan with this replacement for the utlxpls.sql script.
Dynamic Binds Using Contexts -
Simplify dynamic variable binds within dynamic SQL using contexts.
Dynamic Binds Using Query Transformation -
Simplify dynamic variable binds within dynamic SQL using query transformation.
Export BLOB Contents Using UTL_FILE -
Use the new UTL_FILE functionality to write binary data to files.
Images from Oracle Over HTTP -
Retrieve images directly from the database over HTTP.
Metadata API (DBMS_METADATA) -
Extract DDL or XML definitions of all database objects using this simple API.
Mutating Table Exceptions -
A simple method to prevent triggers producing mutating table exceptions.
Parse XML Documents -
Explode unstructured XML documents into relational tables using the new integrated XDB packages.
Pipelined Table Functions -
Improve performance of ETL processes by pipelining all transformation functions.
PL/SQL Native Compilation -
Improve the performance of PL/SQL procedural code by compiling it to native shared libraries.
PL/SQL Server Pages -
Use PL/SQL as a scripting language to generate web pages directly from the database.
PL/SQL Web Toolkit -
Generate web pages directly from the database using this simple toolkit.
Stateless Locking Methods -
Learn how to avoid data loss in stateless environments.
Storing Passwords In The Database -
Store passwords securely in the database using this simple hashing technique.
Useful Procedures And Functions -
Procedures and functions you may have overlooked which can come in useful during development.
UTL_FILE Enhancements -
Oracle9i Release 2 includes some long overdue enhancements including basic file handling and support for NCHAR and RAW data.
UTL_FILE - Random Access of Files -
Use the
UTL_FILE package for random access of files from PL/SQL.
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID) -
Reduce data migration and replication issues by replacing sequence generated IDs with UUIDs.
XML Generation In Oracle9i Using DBMS_XMLQuery, DBMS_XMLGen, Sys_XMLGen And Sys_XMLAgg -
Generate XML and perform XSL transformations with ease using the new XML features of Oracle9i.
XML-Over-HTTP -
XML-over-HTTP was the precursor to web services allowing easy access to XML via HTTP GETs and POSTs.
XMLType Datatype -
Store XML documents in tables and query them using SQL.
Oracle 10g
Commit Enhancements in Oracle 10g Database Release 2 -
Use the
WRITE clause of the
COMMIT command or the
COMMIT_WRITE parameter to influence the way redo information is processed by commit operations.
DBMS_ASSERT - Sanitize User Input to Help Prevent SQL Injection -
The
DBMS_ASSERT package contains a number of functions that can be used to sanitize user input and help to guard against SQL injection.
DBMS_CRYPTO -
Learn how to use the replacement for the DBMS_OBFUSCATION_TOOLKIT package.
DBMS_EPG - The Embedded PL/SQL Gateway in Oracle 10g Database Release 2 -
Run mod_plsql applications directly from the database using the XML DB HTTP server, rather than Apache.
PL/SQL Enhancements in Oracle Database 10g -
Get to grips with the Oracle 10g enhancements to PL/SQL using simple cut & paste examples.
SQL trace, 10046, trcsess and tkprof in Oracle
-
An article that combines all previous SQL Trace, event 10046 and
tkprof information, along with information on trcsess and DBMS_MONITOR
from Oracle 10g Onward.
UTL_DBWS - Consuming Web Services in Oracle 10g -
Use the UTL_DBWS package to consume web services from PL/SQL.
The WRAP Utility and the DBMS_DDL Package -
Learn how to use the enhanced
DBMS_DDL package to dynamically wrap PL/SQL source in Oracle 10g Release 2.
Oracle 11g
APPEND_VALUES Hint in Oracle Database 11g Release 2 -
Use the APPEND_VALUES hint to perform direct-path inserts when using the FORALL statement.
Cross-Session PL/SQL Function Result Cache in Oracle Database 11g Release 1 -
Improve the performance of PL/SQL functions across the whole database instance by caching return values.
DBMS_PARALLEL_EXECUTE -
Use the DBMS_PARALLEL_EXECUTE package to break down large workloads into manageable chunks that can be run in parallel.
DBMS_XA -
Process a single transaction across multiple sessions using the DBMS_XA package.
Edition Based Redefinition in Oracle Database 11g Release 2 -
Upgrade database components online using this new feature or Oracle Database 11g Release 2.
Native Oracle XML DB Web Services in Oracle 11g Release 1 -
Present your exisitng PL/SQL procedures and functions as web services using XML DB in Oracle 11g.
PL/SQL Hierarchical Profiler in Oracle Database 11g Release 1 -
Use the DBMS_HPROF package and the plshprof utility to generate and analyze hierarchical profiler data for PL/SQL programs.
PL/SQL New Features and Enhancements in Oracle Database 11g Release 1 -
Get to grips with the new features and enhancements to PL/SQL in Oracle 11g Release 1.
Trigger Enhancements in Oracle Database 11g Release 1 -
Learn about the enhancements to triggers in Oracle Database 11g Release 1.
UTL_MATCH : String Matching by Testing Levels of Similarity/Difference -
Use the UTL_MATCH package to determine the similarity between two strings.
Oracle 12c
WITH Clause Enhancements in Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1) -
Define PL/SQL functions and procedures in the WITH clause of SQL statements.
Miscellaneous
Autonomous Transactions -
A brief overview of autonomous transactions.
AutoNumber And Identity Functionality -
Implement AutoNumber or Identity column behaviour in Oracle.
Database Triggers Overview -
An introduction to database triggers in Oracle.
DBMS_PIPE - For Inter-Session Communication -
This article presents a brief description of the
DBMS_PIPE package, explaining how it can be used for non-secure inter-session mesaging.
DBMS_SESSION : Managing Sessions From a Connection Pool in Oracle Databases -
A guide to using the DBMS_SESSION package to manage sessions that form part of a connection pool.
Decoupling to Improve Performance -
Learn how to decouple processing to give the impression of improved performance.
Efficient Function Calls From SQL -
This article presents a number of solutions for making calls to PL/SQL functions from SQL more efficient.
Email From Oracle PL/SQL (UTL_SMTP) -
Email from PL/SQL using UTL_SMTP rather than using external procedures or Java.
FTP From PL/SQL -
A description of two methods for triggering FTP jobs directly from PL/SQL.
HTML with Embedded Images from PL/SQL -
Use PL/SQL to create HTML with embedded images.
Identifying Host Names and IP Addresses
-
This article presents a mixed bag of Oracle functionality relating to
the identification of host names and IP addresses for Oracle clients and
servers.
Implicit vs. Explicit Cursors in Oracle PL/SQL -
A comparison of the relative performance of implicit and explicit cursors in Oracle PL/SQL.
Introduction to PL/SQL -
A brief overview of some of the important points you should consider when first trying to learn PL/SQL.
Logic/Branch Ordering in PL/SQL -
This article demonstrates the affect of branch ordering on the performance of CASE and ELSIF statements.
NOCOPY Hint to Improve Performance of OUT and IN OUT Parameters in PL/SQL Code -
This article discusses the benefits of using the NOCOPY hint for passing large or complex OUT and IN OUT parameters in PL/SQL.
NULL-Related Funtions (NVL, DECODE, NVL2, COALESCE, NULLIF, LNNVL, NANVL, SYS_OP_MAP_NONNULL) -
A summary of the functions available for handling NULL values.
Oracle Dates, Timestamps and Intervals -
An overview of the usage of dates, timestamps and intervals in Oracle databases.
Overlapping Date Ranges -
This article presents simple methods to test for overlapping date ranges.
Performance of Numeric Data Types in PL/SQL -
This article demonstrates the relative performance of the numeric data types in PL/SQL.
PL/SQL : Stop Making the Same Performance Mistakes -
This article describes the common PL/SQL performance mistakes I see people making time and time again.
PL/SQL Vs. Oracle JVM: Speed Comparison for Mathematical Operations -
This article does a side-by-side speed comparison of PL/SQL and the Oracle JVM for some basic mathematical operations.
Populating Master-Detail Foreign Key Values Using Sequences -
This article presents some safe methods for populating master-detail foreign key columns when using sequences.
Regular Expression Support in Oracle (REGEXP_COUNT, REGEXP_INSTR, REGEXP_REPLACE, REGEXP_SUBSTR, REGEXP_LIKE) -
Using regular expressions to solve some questions I've been asked over the years.
Retrieving HTML and Binaries into Tables Over HTTP
-
This article gives two brief examples of how HTML pages and Binaries,
such as images or documents, can be downloaded over HTTP and placed
directly into tables.
ROWIDs for PL/SQL Performance -
This article demonstrates how using ROWIDs in transactions can improve performance.
Schema Owners and Application Users
-
Protect your schema objects by defining application users with the
necessary privileges on those objects, rather than allowing direct
connections to the schema owner.
Short-Circuit Evaluation in PL/SQL -
This article describes how short-circuit evaluation can be used to improve the performance of some boolean expressions.
Using Ref Cursors To Return Recordsets -
Return recordsets from Oracle stored procedures.
UTL_HTTP and SSL (HTTPS) using Oracle Wallets -
This article describes how to use the UTL_HTTP package to interact with resources secured by SSL (HTTPS).
XML-Over-HTTP (REST Web Services) From PL/SQL -
XML-over-HTTP was the precursor to web services allowing easy access to XML via HTTP GETs and POSTs.
