learn

Listing 4: Partial listing of arguments for the composites procedure

Core ALL_ARGUMENTS Info for "allargs_test.composites"

OVLD ARGNAME POS SEQ LVL TYPE DEFVAL IN_OUT
----- --------------- ----- ----- ----- --------------- ------ ---------

ACCOUNT_IN 1 1 0 NUMBER IN
PERSON 2 2 0 PL/SQL RECORD IN
PERSON_ID 1 3 1 NUMBER IN

Listing 1: A utility for scanning a set of data-dictionary views for keywords

CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE dd_view_scan (
   name_filter_in     IN   VARCHAR2 := NULL,
   column_filter_in   IN   VARCHAR2 := NULL
)

IS 
   l_name     all_tab_columns.table_name%TYPE := UPPER (name_filter_in);
   l_column   all_tab_columns.column_name%TYPE := UPPER (column_filter_in);

   CURSOR by_name_cur (NAME_IN IN VARCHAR2)
   IS
      SELECT object_name
      FROM all_objects
      WHERE owner = 'SYS' 
	     AND object_name LIKE NAME_IN 
	     AND object_type = 'VIEW';

PL/SQL
Creating a High-Level Design

By Steven Feuerstein
OTN Member since 2001

Ready to start coding? Hold your horses: you need to establish a design first

Installment 3 of Feuerstein's "Building a Code-Analysis Utility" series

Download overload_check.zip

Building a Code-Analysis Utility and Doing It Right the First Time (Continued)
By Steven Feuerstein

How DESCRIBE_PROCEDURE Works

Steven Feuerstein PL/SQL
Building a Code-Analysis Utility and Doing It Right the First Time
By Steven Feuerstein
OTN Member since 2001

A behind-the-scenes look at constructing a utility for validating code quality

Download overload_check.zip

One particular problem that nags at me is that the pressure of producing code under deadline often result in writing some, shall we say, suboptimal software. It may meet the minimum requirements. It may seem to work. But it is almost impossible to maintain, enhance, and debug.

In this 8-part series, Steven Feuerstein, one of the world's leading experts on PL/SQL (and an OTN Member since 2001), explains how he created OverloadCheck, a PL/SQL utility that relies on information in the data dictionary to analyze packages for ambiguous overloadings.

OK, but that's all such serious stuff. Another way to improve yourself as a PL/SQL (or any other kind of) programmer is to play (the right kind of) games.
Software development is based largely on symbolic logic, pattern analysis and problem solving. The better you are able to perform these fundamental sorts of brain activity, the better you will be able to
write software. And there are lots of games out there that will sharpen your brainiac skills.

Here are two of my favorites: