Simple Variables example

Question

Hello,
I have user rights to an Oracle 10g database but am not a DBA, so I do not have any editing permissions that I am aware of. I just use the database for queries.
I want to understand how to use PL/SQL to enter variables but am struggling to find some simple examples of this?
I am using Oradev Studio to run my SQL and have tried the following:
declare
v_dealname global_sf.deal.deal_legal_name %type;
begin
select
deal_legal_name into v_dealname
from
global_sf.deal
where
deal_id = '87148804';
dbms_output.put_line('Name: '||v_dealname);
end;
which I hashed together from here;
http://www.dba-oracle.com/t_pl_sql_plsql_select_into_clause.htm
Strangely the output section of OraDev is actually giving me this encouraging message "SQL6.sql: Execute succeeded [0.095 s]" but it is not giving me a printout of the variable as I was hoping. Is there an 'Immediate Window' or equivalent that I haven't found? Did the query actually work?
I also tried to put a variable into the where clause in another arbitrary query:
declare
v_dealid INTEGER(8);
begin
v_dealid := 87148804;
select
creation_dt
,deal_legal_name
,actual_maturity_dt
from
global_sf.deal
where
deal_id
=
v_dealid;
end;
Here I am getting the error 'an INTO clause is expected in this SELECT statement'.
Could anyone please advise me on some of these basic variables issues? Ideally a coulpe of simple examples I could use that don't require admin rights would be fantastic. It would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Jon
Edited by: berlinhammer on 24-Aug-2010 04:48

Answer 1

Running a debug session requires the DEBUG CONNECT SESSION system privilege, which isn't granted to PUBLIC by default, so you'll have to request it from your DBA if you want to use that (useful) facility. However it's not needed for just executing a PL/SQL block.
Regarding enabling DBMS_OUTPUT in OraDev, the page you linked to looks more like some general background about the dbms_output package rather than a help page for the OraDev application itself. There must be a button or a preference setting somewhere. Doesn't it have a help menu? I've never heard of it I'm afraid. You don't need any special privileges to use DBMS_OUTPUT.
Your first example looks fine, i.e:
DECLARE
   v_dealname global_sf.deal.deal_legal_name %TYPE;
BEGIN
   SELECT deal_legal_name INTO v_dealname
   FROM   global_sf.deal
   WHERE  deal_id = '87148804';
   dbms_output.put_line('Name: ' || v_dealname);
END;The second one is missing an INTO clause (similar to the one in the first example), e.g. something like (untested):
DECLARE
   v_dealid INTEGER(8) := 87148804;
   v_creation_dt         global_sf.deal.creation_dt%TYPE;
   v_deal_legal_name     global_sf.deal.deal_legal_name%TYPE
   v_actual_maturity_dt  global_sf.deal.actual_maturity_dt%TYPE;
BEGIN
   SELECT creation_dt, deal_legal_name, actual_maturity_dt
   INTO   v_creation_dt, v_deal_legal_name, v_actual_maturity_dt
   FROM   global_sf.deal
   WHERE  deal_id = v_dealid;
   DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE
   ( 'creation_dt: ' || v_creation_dt ||
   ', deal_legal_name: ' || v_deal_legal_name ||
   ', actual_maturity_dt: ' || v_actual_maturity_dt );
END;(You wouldn't normally hardcode the schema name in production code, as either you would own the tables or there would be synonyms in place.)
However as Frank mentioned, that expects exactly one row to exist (no rows means a NO_DATA_FOUND exception, more than one will give a TOO_MANY_ROWS exception), hence the loop example.
Edited by: William Robertson on Aug 24, 2010 6:53 PM