Compilation error in PL/SQL

Question

Hi All,
Please find the strange query situation in PLSQL.
If i run the query without PLSQL block (i.e. declar begin end) it runs well and insert data
in table but if put the same query in PLSQL block it gives compilation error.
Following is the spool
SQL> select * from v$version;
BANNER                                                                                                                                     
Oracle8i Enterprise Edition Release 8.1.7.4.0 - Production                                                                                 
PL/SQL Release 8.1.7.4.0 - Production                                                                                                      
CORE     8.1.7.0.0     Production                                                                                                                  
TNS for IBM/AIX RISC System/6000: Version 8.1.7.4.0 - Production                                                                           
NLSRTL Version 3.4.1.0.0 - Production                                                                                                      
SQL> insert into smcbom_load_hours_temp
  2  select data_set_name,deptclass,dept,smcbom_flex_budget.get_period(v_date) v_period,sum(v_hr),-1,sysdate,-1,sysdate
  3  from (
  4  select plan_level,sp.data_set_name,
  5  sp.value1,smcbom_flex_budget.calculate_period_days(sp.period1),inweight ,
  6  usagerate ,operationseq,percent,
  7  sbov.group_id,sp.alloy,sp.planner_code,
  8  sbov.days,sbov.totaloffsetdays,deptclass,dept,
  9  decode(plan_level,1,(sp.value14/smcbom_flex_budget.calculate_period_days(sp.period14)) * (percent/100) * inweight * usagerate *
10  (SELECT MAX(INWEIGHT)
11  FROM  SMCBOM_BOM_OPERATION_VIEW
12  WHERE ALLOY=sbov.alloy
13  AND   PLANNER_CODE=sbov.planner_code
14  AND   PLAN_LEVEL = 0
15  AND   GROUP_ID = sbov.group_id ),
16  0,(sp.value14/smcbom_flex_budget.calculate_period_days(sp.period14)) * (percent/100) * inweight * usagerate ,
17  1) v_hr,
18  smcbom_flex_budget.get_start_date(sp.period14)+sbov.totaloffsetdays v_date,
19  sum(-sbov.totaloffsetdays)
20  over (partition by sp.alloy,sp.planner_code,sbov.group_id
21  order by plan_level asc,operationseq desc)  new_offset
22  from smcbom_bom_operation_view sbov,smcbom_sales_prod_forecasts sp
23  where sbov.alloy= sp.alloy
24  and   sbov.planner_code=sp.planner_code
25  and group_id=521136
26  )
27  group by data_set_name,deptclass,dept,smcbom_flex_budget.get_period(v_date);
23 rows created.
SQL> commit;
Commit complete.
SQL> declare
  2  begin
  3  insert into smcbom_load_hours_temp
  4  select data_set_name,deptclass,dept,smcbom_flex_budget.get_period(v_date) v_period,sum(v_hr),-1,sysdate,-1,sysdate
  5  from (
  6  select plan_level,sp.data_set_name,
  7  sp.value1,smcbom_flex_budget.calculate_period_days(sp.period1),inweight ,
  8  usagerate ,operationseq,percent,
  9  sbov.group_id,sp.alloy,sp.planner_code,
10  sbov.days,sbov.totaloffsetdays,deptclass,dept,
11  decode(plan_level,1,(sp.value14/smcbom_flex_budget.calculate_period_days(sp.period14)) * (percent/100) * inweight * usagerate *
12  (SELECT MAX(INWEIGHT)
13  FROM  SMCBOM_BOM_OPERATION_VIEW
14  WHERE ALLOY=sbov.alloy
15  AND   PLANNER_CODE=sbov.planner_code
16  AND   PLAN_LEVEL = 0
17  AND   GROUP_ID = sbov.group_id ),
18  0,(sp.value14/smcbom_flex_budget.calculate_period_days(sp.period14)) * (percent/100) * inweight * usagerate ,
19  1) v_hr,
20  smcbom_flex_budget.get_start_date(sp.period14)+sbov.totaloffsetdays v_date,
21  sum(-sbov.totaloffsetdays)
22  over (partition by sp.alloy,sp.planner_code,sbov.group_id
23  order by plan_level asc,operationseq desc)  new_offset
24  from smcbom_bom_operation_view sbov,smcbom_sales_prod_forecasts sp
25  where sbov.alloy= sp.alloy
26  and   sbov.planner_code=sp.planner_code
27  and group_id=521136
28  )
29  group by data_set_name,deptclass,dept,smcbom_flex_budget.get_period(v_date);
30  end;
31  /
(SELECT MAX(INWEIGHT)
ERROR at line 12:
ORA-06550: line 12, column 2:
PLS-00103: Encountered the symbol "SELECT" when expecting one of the following:
( - + mod not null others <an identifier>
<a double-quoted delimited-identifier> <a bind variable> avg
count current exists max min prior sql stddev sum variance
execute forall time timestamp interval date
<a string literal with character set specification>
<a number> <a single-quoted SQL string>
ORA-06550: line 22, column 6:
PLS-00103: Encountered the symbol "(" when expecting one of the following:
, from
SQL> spool off;

Answer 1

In some versions of Oracle (certainly all of the 8.x versions and earlier, and possibly some of the earlier 9 versions) the SQL parsers in the SQL engine and in the PL/SQL engine were different. Some features that worked directly in SQL did not work in PL/SQL. Scalar sub-queries were one of those things.
You have three options. You can try to re-write the insert statement to eliminate the PL/SQL unimplemented feature. You can create a view in the database for the SELECT part of the insert statement then use that view in the insert. finally, and least desirable, you can build the whole statment as a string, and use EXECUTE IMMEDIATE to run it in PL/SQL.
HTH
John