Execute immediate a procedure call

Question

Hi,
I need some help, can some one EXPLAIN why its failing when i don't specify the test_proc in spec.
i know this is not the right way of doing things. want to know why i need to specify the procedure name in spec.
SQL> select * from v$version;
BANNER                                                                         
Oracle Database 11g Enterprise Edition Release 11.2.0.2.0 - 64bit Production   
PL/SQL Release 11.2.0.2.0 - Production                                         
CORE 11.2.0.2.0 Production                                                     
TNS for Linux: Version 11.2.0.2.0 - Production                                 
NLSRTL Version 11.2.0.2.0 - Production                                         
SQL> CREATE OR REPLACE PACKAGE PkgTest AS
  2 
  3    --PROCEDURE test_proc;
  4    PROCEDURE run_proc;
  5  END PkgTest;
  6  /
Package created.
SQL>
SQL>
SQL> CREATE OR REPLACE PACKAGE BODY PkgTest AS
  2 
  3  PROCEDURE test_proc IS
  4    BEGIN
  5      dbms_output.put_line(' Test Proc');
  6  END test_proc;
  7 
  8  PROCEDURE run_proc IS
  9  BEGIN
10      EXECUTE IMMEDIATE 'begin  PkgTest.test_proc; end;';
11  END run_proc;
12  END PkgTest;
13  /
Package body created.
SQL> exec pkgtest.run_proc;
BEGIN pkgtest.run_proc; END;
ERROR at line 1:
ORA-06550: line 1, column 16:
PLS-00302: component 'TEST_PROC' must be declared
ORA-06550: line 1, column 8:
PL/SQL: Statement ignored
ORA-06512: at "MPIEFP_DEV.PKGTEST", line 10
ORA-06512: at line 1
SQL> CREATE OR REPLACE PACKAGE PkgTest AS
  2 
  3    PROCEDURE test_proc;
  4    PROCEDURE run_proc;
  5  END PkgTest;
  6  /
Package created.
SQL> exec pkgtest.run_proc;
Test Proc                                                                      
PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.
SQL> spool off

Answer 1

Hi,
If you tried to run this command from PL/SQL
SQL>  EXEC  PkgTest.test_proc;
do you understand why it would fail?  It fails in EXECUTE IMMEDIATE for the same reason.
When you use EXECUTE IMMEDIATE, Oracle runs the dynamic command in a new, separate environment.  It knows nothing about the context from which it was called.  In particular, it doesn't know if it was called from inside a package or not, so procedures that are private to that package can't be called.
Do you really need to use EXECUTE IMMEDIATE?  You obviously don't in the simple test scenario you posted, but I assume your real package is much more complicated.
Why not simply include test_proc in the package spec?
Is the problem that end users, who are allowed to cal run_proc, are not supposed to call test_proc direrctly?  If so, put them in different pacakges.  Declare test_proc in the spec of its package, but don't grant privileges on the package that end users.