Obsessed with Oracle PL/SQL

PL/SQL is a procedural language - mostly. But it can also be used to implement object-oriented features in Oracle Database. In "from the ground up" object-oriented languages like Java, everything is defined in classes. In Oracle Database, we have object types . In this post, I introduce you to the basics of object types, and kick off a series  exploring many of the features of these programming elements. You do not  need to be an expert in object orientation to understand the basics of object types. I know this for a fact, because have no formal training in object orientation and was able to sort out at least the basics. Before proceeding, though, you might wonder when you would want to use object types. Use cases include: You'd like to apply object-oriented principles in your PL/SQL-based development. This makes sense if you are an experienced O-O developer and new to PL/SQL. You want to use the many features of Oracle Database that rely on object types for th...

Hello there, Dev Gym members! We plan to release a new version of the Dev Gym (19.3 - we are aligning with the overall version schema followed by Oracle Database and sister sites, like Oracle LiveSQL ). Mainly, it is a tweak of the UI, to bring our site in line with developer.oracle.com and also to make better use of our "real estate." Before we apply the changes, though, we'd love to get some feedback from our users. So when you have a moment or two, please scroll down the page, compare current and 19.3 pages, then let us know what you think. Thanks very much, Steven Home Page Current Site A few things to point out: Orange theme Large banner with search bar Dev Gym 19.3 Home Page Things to note: Switch to black-grey-red theme (just a little bit of red) Much smaller banner Search bar moved to top of site, independent of page Cleaner display of quizzes (we'd like to think) Moving on, in the workouts and classes pages, we've r...

Over the weekend of April 21, we upgraded the Oracle Dev Gym site to v3 (code name: ORANGE). Here's the v2 home page: and now v3: Now you see the reason for the code name. It's orange! Here are the key changes you will find on the Dev Gym: Orange theme: all that red was hurting our eyes, but the main reason to switch to orange was to make it visually clear that this site, as with AskTOM , is part of the broader Oracle Developer initiative . Site search: type in a keyword, such as "FORALL" or "listagg" in the search bar on the home page, and we will find all quizzes, workouts and classes that match your criteria. You can further hone your search on the results page. The tournament quizzes are now offered on the home page; no need to click on the Tournaments tab to see them. These quizzes are produced fresh each week, and often focus on the latest features in SQL, PL/SQL and Oracle Database. Your recent activity on the site is a...