Oracle PL/SQL Records

PL/SQL Records

A PL/SQL record is a collection of basic types of data and can be accessed as a single unit.

PL/SQL records are similar in structure to a row in a database table.

A record consists of components of any scalar, PL/SQL record, or PL/SQL table type.

It makes your life easier by transferring the entire row into a record, rather than transferring each column into a variable separately.

PL/SQL supports three kinds of records:

• table-based,
• cursor-based, and
• programmer-defined

Important points on records

1. Individual fields are referenced via dot notation:

record_name.field_name

Example:

Emp_rec.first_name

2. Individual fields within a record can be read from or written to. They can appear on either the left or right side of the assignment operator:

BEGIN
policy_start_date:= new_emp_rec.hire_date + 30;
new_emp_rec.present:= FALSE;

3. An entire record can be assigned to another record of the same type.

However the assignment can fail, if you do not conform to these rules:

• Both cursor-based records in a collective assignment must be based on the same cursor.
• Both table-based records in a collective assignment must be based on the same table.
• Both programmer-defined records in a collective assignment must be based on the same TYPE...RECORD statement.
  

4.Records cannot be compared, rather their field can be.