Problem declaring and using a REF CURSOR

Question

I'm having a real problem using a REF CURSOR type
Here's the DECLARE and the start of the BEGIN I've so far developed.
DECLARE
TYPE r1 IS RECORD (
szvcapc_pidm szvcapc.szvcapc_pidm%TYPE,
szvcapc_term_code szvcapc.szvcapc_term_code%TYPE,
szvcapc_request_no szvcapc.szvcapc_request_no%TYPE);
szvcapc_rec r1;
TYPE cursor_1 IS REF CURSOR RETURN r1;
szvcapc_cv cursor_1;
TYPE r2 IS RECORD (
stvests_code stvests.stvests_code%TYPE
stvests_rec r2;
TYPE cursor_2 IS REF CURSOR RETURN stvests_rec;
stvests_cv cursor_2;
BEGIN
OPEN szvcapc_cv FOR
SELECT szvcapc_pidm, szvcapc_term_code, szvcapc_request_no
FROM szvcapc
WHERE szvcapc_passed_ind = 'Y'
AND szvcapc_award_credits = 'N';
LOOP
FETCH szvcapc_cv INTO szvcapc_rec;
EXIT WHEN szvcapc_cv%NOTFOUND;
END LOOP;
OPEN stvests_cv FOR
SELECT stvests_code
FROM stvests
WHERE stvests_eff_headcount = 'Y';
LOOP
FETCH stvests_cv INTO stvests_rec;
EXIT WHEN stvests_cv%NOTFOUND;
END LOOP;
SELECT *
FROM (
<snip>
INNER JOIN stvests_rec
ON SFBETRM.SFBETRM_ESTS_CODE = stvests_rec.STVESTS_CODE
<snip>
I later try to use the stvests_rec and szvcapc_rec in the main SELECT statement it doesn't recognise stvests_rec and szvcapc_rec as a "Table or View".
I have to use a REF CURSOR as this code is ultimately for use in Oracle Reports.
What am I doing wrong?

Answer 1

> The reason I'm trying to use a REF CURSOR is that I was told that you
couldn't use CURSORs in Oracle Reports.
That does not change anything ito what happens on the Oracle server side. A cursor is a cursor is a cursor.
Every single SQL winds up as a cursor. Each cursor has a reference handle to access and use. HOW this handle is used in the language differs. But that is a language issue and not an Oracle RDBMS issue.
For example. An EXECUTE IMMEDIATE in PL/SQL creates a cursor handle and destroys it after use - automatically. An implicit cursor works the same. An explicit cursor you have the handle fetch from it and close from it when done.
A ref cursor is simply a handle that can be returned to an external client - allowing that application to use the handle to fetch the rows.
Do not think that a ref cursor is any different from the RDBMS side than any other cursor. The RDBMS does not know the difference. Does not care and nor should it.
> I'm trying to reduce the hits on the database from nested selects by
removing the dataset from the main SELECT statement and performing it only
once outside and then referencing this previously collected dataset inside the
main SELECT statement.
Good stuff that you are considering SQL performance. But you need to make sure that you
a) identify the performance inhibitor issue correctly
b) address this issue correctly
And you need to do that within SQL. Not PL/SQL. PL/SQL will always be slower at crunching data than SQL. For example, wanting to cache the data somehow to reduce the read overhead - that is exactly what the DB buffer cache does. It caches data. That is also exactly what the CBO will attempt - reduce the amount of data that needs to be read and processed.
Not saying that the RDBMS can do it all. It needs help from you - in the form of a SQL that instructs it to process only the minimum amount of data required to get the required results. In the form of a sound physical design that provides optimal usage of data storage and access (like indexing, partitioning, clustering, etc).
Bottom line - you cannot use a REF CURSOR to make a SQL go faster. A REF CURSOR is simply a cursor in the SQL Engine. A cursor is nothing but the "compiled-and-executable" code of a SQL "source program".