Need help for record/table type

Question

Hi, All,
I have a table below and I need to use a procedure/function to return a list of values out and use anther procedure (array with multiple values in) to update the database. Could someone please give some examples?
Here are my questions:
1.     I need to create a user_defined_type to hold the list of info (array like, with more fields). Does the table type with %rowtype do that? If not, Could you please give an example?
2.     if I do
SELECT * INTO V_test(1) FROM PREO_profile
where user_id = '1';
can the 3 records of user_id 1 all be selected in the V_test table? If not, could you please tell me what to do?
Thanks a lot.
PREO_profile:
User_id     N_id          M_id
1      11 111
1      22 222
1      33 333
2      11 111
2      22 222
2      33 333
CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE test_updatePro
(user_id in varchar2,
profile_info out T_Test)AS
Type T_Test is table of PREO_profile%rowtype
index by binary_integer;
V_test T_Test;
BEGIN
     SELECT * INTO V_test(1) FROM PREO_profile
     where user_id = '1';
END;

Answer 1

Here is one approach. This works in 9iR2. It's worth noting this functionality is evolving quite fast. Consequently, stuff that works in 9.2 may well not work in 9.0.1 and can probably be done much neater in 10g.
Let's start by creating some tables....
SQL> CREATE TABLE preo (user_id NUMBER, m_id NUMBER, n_id NUMBER);
Table created.
SQL> INSERT INTO preo VALUES (1, 11, 111);
1 row created.
SQL> INSERT INTO preo VALUES (1, 22, 222);
1 row created.
SQL> INSERT INTO preo VALUES (1, 33, 333);
1 row created.
SQL> INSERT INTO preo VALUES (2, 11, 111);
1 row created.
SQL> INSERT INTO preo VALUES (2, 22, 222);
1 row created.
SQL> INSERT INTO preo VALUES (2, 33, 333);
1 row created.
SQL> CREATE TABLE neo_preo AS SELECT * FROM preo WHERE 1=0;
Table created.
SQL> We'll need some types we need for communicating between processes....
SQL> CREATE OR REPLACE TYPE preo_t AS OBJECT (u_id NUMBER, n_id NUMBER, m_id NUMBER);
  2  /
Type created.
SQL> CREATE OR REPLACE TYPE preo_nt IS TABLE OF preo_t;
  2  /
Type created.
SQL> Here are methods to populate an array (actually a nested table)....
SQL> CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION get_preo (p_uid IN NUMBER) RETURN preo_nt
  2  AS
  3    return_value preo_nt := preo_nt();
  4  BEGIN
  5    SELECT preo_t(user_id, n_id, m_id)
  6    BULK COLLECT INTO return_value
  7    FROM   preo
  8    WHERE  user_id = p_uid;
  9    RETURN return_value;
10  END;
11  /
Function created.
SQL>... and consume that array....
SQL> CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE ins_neo_preo (p_newrows IN preo_nt)
  2  AS
  3  BEGIN
  4     INSERT INTO neo_preo
  5     SELECT * FROM TABLE(CAST(p_newrows AS preo_nt));
  6  END;
  7  /
Procedure created.
SQL> So now we're ready to rock!
SQL> DECLARE
  2      nt  preo_nt;
  3  BEGIN
  4      nt := get_preo(1);
  5      ins_neo_preo(nt);
  6  END;
  7  /
PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.
SQL>
SQL> SELECT * FROM neo_preo
  2  /
   USER_ID       M_ID       N_ID
         1        111         11
         1        222         22
         1        333         33
SQL> A little bit of limbo, a little bit of samba!
Cheers, APC