Is there a way to avoid the function call ?

Question

Given the following test case
CREATE USER TESTER
  IDENTIFIED BY "tester"
  DEFAULT TABLESPACE USERS
  TEMPORARY TABLESPACE TEMP
GRANT CONNECT, RESOURCE TO TESTER
GRANT CREATE TYPE TO TESTER
GRANT CREATE SESSION TO TESTER
GRANT CREATE PROCEDURE TO TESTER
GRANT CREATE TABLE TO TESTER
GRANT UNLIMITED TABLESPACE TO TESTER
ALTER USER TESTER QUOTA UNLIMITED ON USERS
COMMIT
CONNECT TESTER/tester
CREATE OR REPLACE TYPE TESTER.PATTERN_LIST AS TABLE OF VARCHAR2(1023 CHAR)
SHOW ERRORS
CREATE TABLE TESTER.PARENT_TABLE
   FIELD_ID     NUMBER(10)          NOT NULL,
   FIELD_NAME   VARCHAR2( 255 CHAR) NOT NULL,
   FIELD_PATH   VARCHAR2(1023 CHAR) NOT NULL,
   FIELD_VALUE  VARCHAR2( 255 CHAR)
CREATE TABLE TESTER.CHILD_TABLE
  FIELD_PATH    VARCHAR2(1023 CHAR) NOT NULL,
  MIN_STR_LEN   NUMBER(10),
  MAX_STR_LEN   NUMBER(10),
  PATTERNS      TESTER.PATTERN_LIST
NESTED TABLE PATTERNS STORE AS PATTERN_TABLE RETURN AS VALUE
ALTER TABLE TESTER.PARENT_TABLE ADD (
  CONSTRAINT PARENT_TABLE_PK
PRIMARY KEY
(FIELD_ID))
INSERT ALL
  INTO TESTER.PARENT_TABLE
VALUES (1, 'FIELD_A', '/A', NULL)
  INTO TESTER.PARENT_TABLE
VALUES (2, 'FIELD_AB', '/A/B', '20090731')
  INTO TESTER.PARENT_TABLE
VALUES (3, 'FIELD_AC', '/A/C', '2167')
  INTO TESTER.PARENT_TABLE
VALUES (4, 'FIELD_AC', '/A/C', '1144')
  INTO TESTER.PARENT_TABLE
VALUES (5, 'FIELD_AD', '/A/D', 'XS10')
  INTO TESTER.PARENT_TABLE
VALUES (6, 'FIELD_AB', '/A/B', '20090229')
  INTO TESTER.PARENT_TABLE
VALUES (7, 'FIELD_AD', '/A/D', 'ART')
  INTO TESTER.PARENT_TABLE
VALUES (8, 'FIELD_AD', '/A/D', 'TESTED')
  INTO TESTER.CHILD_TABLE
VALUES ('/A', NULL, NULL, PATTERN_LIST())
  INTO TESTER.CHILD_TABLE
VALUES ('/A/B',   NULL, NULL, PATTERN_LIST(   '[12][0-9]{3}[0][13578]([0][1-9]|[12][0-9]|[3][01])'
                                            , '[12][0-9]{3}[0][469]([0][1-9]|[12][0-9]|[3][0])'
                                            , '[12][0-9]{3}[1][02][3][1]'
                                            , '[12][0-9]{3}[1][1][3][0]'
                                            , '[12][0-9]{3}[0][2][2][8]'
                                            , '([2][048]|[1][26])([02468][048]|[13579][26])[0][2][2][9]'))
  INTO TESTER.CHILD_TABLE
VALUES ('/A/C',   NULL, NULL, PATTERN_LIST(  '[0-1][0-9][0-5][0-9]'
                                           , '[2][0-3][0-5][0-9]'))
  INTO TESTER.CHILD_TABLE
VALUES ('/A/D',   3, 4, PATTERN_LIST('[^0-9]*'))
SELECT * FROM DUAL
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION TESTER.MATCH_PATTERN(p_value IN VARCHAR2, p_patterns IN TESTER.PATTERN_LIST) RETURN NUMBER
AS
v_count NUMBER := 0;
BEGIN
   SELECT COUNT(*)
     INTO v_count
     FROM TABLE(p_patterns)
    WHERE REGEXP_SUBSTR(p_value, COLUMN_VALUE) = p_value;
    RETURN v_count;
END MATCH_PATTERN;
SHOW ERRORS
COMMIT
/the query
SELECT   FIELD_ID
       , FIELD_PATH
       , ERRINDEX
       , FIELD_VALUE
  FROM (
           SELECT   a.FIELD_ID
                  , a.FIELD_PATH
                  , b.PATTERNS
                  , CASE
                       WHEN ((b.MIN_STR_LEN IS NOT NULL) AND ((a.FIELD_VALUE IS NULL) OR (LENGTH(a.FIELD_VALUE) < b.MIN_STR_LEN))) THEN 1
                    END AS ERRINDEX_1
                  , CASE
                       WHEN ((b.MAX_STR_LEN IS NOT NULL) AND ((a.FIELD_VALUE IS NULL) OR (LENGTH(a.FIELD_VALUE) > b.MAX_STR_LEN))) THEN 2
                    END AS ERRINDEX_2
                  , CASE
                       WHEN ((b.PATTERNS IS NOT EMPTY) AND ((SELECT COUNT(*) FROM TABLE(b.PATTERNS) WHERE REGEXP_SUBSTR(a.FIELD_VALUE, COLUMN_VALUE) = a.FIELD_VALUE) = 0)) THEN 4
                    END AS ERRINDEX_4
                  , a.FIELD_VALUE
             FROM            TESTER.PARENT_TABLE a
                  INNER JOIN TESTER.CHILD_TABLE  b ON a.FIELD_PATH = b.FIELD_PATH
          UNPIVOT
             ERRINDEX
             FOR COL IN (ERRINDEX_1, ERRINDEX_2, ERRINDEX_4)
       )gives me ORA-03113: end-of-file on communication channel
If on the other hand, I replace the nested single-row SELECT with the function call like this
SELECT   FIELD_ID
       , FIELD_PATH
       , ERRINDEX
       , FIELD_VALUE
  FROM (
           SELECT   a.FIELD_ID
                  , a.FIELD_PATH
                  , b.PATTERNS
                  , CASE
                       WHEN ((b.MIN_STR_LEN IS NOT NULL) AND ((a.FIELD_VALUE IS NULL) OR (LENGTH(a.FIELD_VALUE) < b.MIN_STR_LEN))) THEN 1
                    END AS ERRINDEX_1
                  , CASE
                       WHEN ((b.MAX_STR_LEN IS NOT NULL) AND ((a.FIELD_VALUE IS NULL) OR (LENGTH(a.FIELD_VALUE) > b.MAX_STR_LEN))) THEN 2
                    END AS ERRINDEX_2
                  , CASE
                       WHEN ((b.PATTERNS IS NOT EMPTY) AND (TESTER.MATCH_PATTERN(a.FIELD_VALUE, b.PATTERNS) = 0)) THEN 4
                    END AS ERRINDEX_4
                  , a.FIELD_VALUE
             FROM            TESTER.PARENT_TABLE a
                  INNER JOIN TESTER.CHILD_TABLE  b ON a.FIELD_PATH = b.FIELD_PATH
          UNPIVOT
             ERRINDEX
             FOR COL IN (ERRINDEX_1, ERRINDEX_2, ERRINDEX_4)
       )the query gives the correct results which should be
FIELD_ID    FIELD_PATH    ERRINDEX    FIELD_VALUE
6           /A/B          4           20090229
3           /A/C          4           2167
5           /A/D          4           XS10
8           /A/D          2           TESTEDIs there a way to do this without the PL/SQL function call and at the same time avoid the ORA-03113 ? Or, have I hit a bug on 11.1.0.7 ?
Many thanks in advance
Best Regards
Philip

Answer 1

I found the Oracle Bug on my own in the end, in the most unlikely of places !
The following code
SELECT   FIELD_ID
       , FIELD_PATH
       , ERRINDEX
       , FIELD_VALUE
  FROM (
           SELECT   a.FIELD_ID
                  , a.FIELD_PATH
                  , CASE
                       WHEN ((b.MIN_STR_LEN IS NOT NULL) AND ((a.FIELD_VALUE IS NULL) OR (LENGTH(a.FIELD_VALUE) < b.MIN_STR_LEN))) THEN 1
                    END AS ERRINDEX_1
                  , CASE
                       WHEN ((b.MAX_STR_LEN IS NOT NULL) AND ((a.FIELD_VALUE IS NULL) OR (LENGTH(a.FIELD_VALUE) > b.MAX_STR_LEN))) THEN 2
                    END AS ERRINDEX_2
                  , CASE
                       WHEN ((b.PATTERNS IS NOT EMPTY) AND ((SELECT COUNT(*) FROM TABLE(b.PATTERNS) WHERE REGEXP_SUBSTR(a.FIELD_VALUE, COLUMN_VALUE) = a.FIELD_VALUE) = 0)) THEN 4
                    END AS ERRINDEX_4
                  , a.FIELD_VALUE
             FROM            TESTER.PARENT_TABLE a, TESTER.CHILD_TABLE b
            WHERE a.FIELD_PATH = b.FIELD_PATH
          UNPIVOT
             ERRINDEX
             FOR COL IN (ERRINDEX_1, ERRINDEX_2, ERRINDEX_4)
       )works as intended i.e. like a charm !
The only difference between the one that gives the ORA-03113 and the above is the way the join is written. The ANSI way (INNER JOIN) fails, the old way (WHERE clause) succeeds.
I will open a SR with Oracle so that it may be recorded and fixed.
Best Regards
Philip