Fundamentals of SQL and PL/SQL You Need To know!

In this hi-tech era, we find and are immersed into the techno-led life activities. This techno-innovation is indeed making our life activities easier and faster.

For instance, automated teller machines, flight reservation systems, computerized library systems, and what not?

If you stop a minute and think of the work behind the scene ‘or’ if you are surrounded by the Oracle, IBM or any other techno-giants community, you can assure again here that it is nothing but the database management system.

And undoubtedly,

SQL, MySQL, NoSQL, or the PL/SQL would be a familiar term to you.

Still, to recapitulate,

A Database Management System [DBMS] is a software package exclusively designed to define, manipulate, retrieve, and manage the data in a database. In addition to the DBMS package, it uses the query languages like the SQL and others to interact with the database.

Let us focus more on the versatile and incredibly powerful languages SQL and PL/SQL, that create magic with the data.

What is SQL?

SQL or Structured Query Language [SQL] is used to access and manipulate database systems. It defines the methods by which the user is able to create or manipulate the databases on almost all the major platforms.

• It is a declarative programming language and as a domain specific language.

• It is designed to manage data of the relational database management [RDBMS] or stream processes in relational data stream management system [RDBMS].

• It is used by major vendors such as IBM, Oracle and the Microsoft.

Structured Query Language [SQL] is used in programming The people who work with SQL includes

• The Database developers

• Administrators

• Business Analysts

• Web developer

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SQL-related products are used commercially. It is used in almost all sectors like Healthcare for registries; businesses for inventories or the trend analysis, and etc.

Advantages of SQL:

1.Speed:
 

The SQL queries are used to retrieve large amounts of the records from a database efficiently and at a faster rate too.

2. Easy to view:
 

The data could be used to view without the data storage into the object. Further, it joins the 2 or more table as a single object to the user.

3. Definite Standard:
 

The SQL databases adhere to clear standards. It uses the long-established standard which is adopted by ISO and ANSI.

4. Coding:
 

There is no coding required. The database systems could be easily managed without coding or lesser coding by using the standard SQL.

5. ORDBMS emergence:
 

After the emergence of object-oriented DBMS, the object storage capabilities are extended to relational databases.

6. SQL for Marketers:
 

The marketers are able to pull out the marketing campaigns data easily just like in a spreadsheet. As every action of the customer is captured in the customer database, any kind of data about the customers can be retrieved easily using SQL.

7. Portability:
 

It runs on PCs, laptops, tablets, mainframes, and smartphones. It runs in any of the systems like the local system, Intranet, and the Internet.

8. Interactive language:
 

It is used to talk to the databases in order to avail answers for any of the complex questions within seconds. It is the complete language used to create, update, retrieve, or share the data with the multiple users and manage the security of the database.  

9. Support Client-server architecture:
 

It could be connected to front end computers [clients] and the back end databases [servers] as well. It could be used in three-tiered Internet architecture which includes the client, application server, and the database.

10. Restricted Access:
 

It restricts the access of the table. No one can intrude with the addition or deletion of the table.

What is PL/SQL?

PL/SQL is the Oracle procedural extension of SQL. It is the complete portable, high-performance transaction-processing language.

It is meant for anyone who develops PL/SQL-based applications for an Oracle Database.

They include:
 

• Programmers

• Systems Analysts

• Project Managers

• Database Administrators

The only thing to use this document in an effective manner is that one should have a working knowledge of Oracle Database, Structured Query language [SQL], programming concepts such as If-Then statements, loops, procedures, and the functions.  

The advantages of using PL/SQL are as follows:

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Advantages of PLSQL: 

1.Tight Integration with SQL
 

PL/SQL is integrated with the SQL. All of the SQL data could be used effectively and in a flexible manner. As PL/SQL supports the SQL data types, there is no need for conversion between these two. All of the SQL data manipulation, transaction control statements, cursor control, functions, operators, and, etc., could be used directly.

2. High Performance
 

An entire block of statements could be sent at a time because the PL/SQL subprograms are compiled once and stored in an executable form. This suffices to start a large job even with a single call over the network. The stored subprograms are cached and shared among the users. Evidently, this lowers the network traffic and enhances the performance.

3. High Productivity
 

The knowledge of PL/SQL with one Oracle tool could be transferred to other tools. With PL/SQL, the data could be transformed and updated in the database. It saves time on design and debugging as it offers a complete range of software-engineering features. Thus leads to more productivity in lesser time.

4. Full Portability
 

Portable program libraries can be written in  PL/SQL and could be run on any of the operating system or the platform and reused in a different environment altogether.

5. Tight Security
 

The stored subprograms could be highly protected, as the internal details can be hidden and have restricted access. The application code could be moved without tampering from the client to the server. The users are granted access to wanted or in a particular area like a subprogram that updates a table, but not the table.

6. Access to Predefined Packages
 

Oracle gives the product-specific packages which define the APIs. one may easily use PL/SQL to perform several tasks.

7. Support for Object-Oriented Programming
 

It enables to create software components which are modular, reusable and maintainable. It facilitates to develop the software components concurrently for the different team of programmers. It reduces the cost and time necessary for building complex applications.  

8. Support for Developing Web Applications and Server Pages
 

With PL/SQL, one can create applications and generate web pages from the database. The back-office data could be made accessible on the intranet.

Further, the PL/SQL Server pages facilitate to develop web pages having dynamic content. With the help of special tags, the scripts could be embedded into the HTML source code.

In brief, during the development phase, the PSPs act as the templates with a page layout that is static, and the content part being dynamic.  

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Conclusion:

The knowledge of SQL and PL/SQL is a must for Application developers, forms developer, Technical consultant, Functional implementer, Portal Developer, Reports Developer or the PL/SQL developer to hold a better position in his career.  

The learning of SQL and PL/SQL ensures a fast, reliable, and secure methodology. It helps to manage performance by optimizing the database workloads and lowered IT costs. It enables the individual to deliver a high quality of service.