PL/SQL (Procedural Language/Structured Query Langu

PL/SQL (Procedural Language/Structured Query Language) is 's extension for and the . PL/SQL's general resembles that of .

PL/SQL is one of three key language paradigms embedded in the Oracle Database, along with SQL itself and also .

PL/SQL is available in (since version 7), (since version 11.2.1), and since version 9.7.

1. Introduction
PL/SQL Developer is an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for developing stored program
units in an Oracle Database. Using PL/SQL Developer you can conveniently create the server-part of
your client/server applications.
As a worst-case scenario, up to now you might have been working like this:
· You use a text editor to write program units (procedures, triggers, etc.).
· You use Oracle SQL*Plus to compile the source files.
· If there is a compilation error, you have to find out where it is located in the source file, correct it,
switch back to SQL*Plus to recompile it, only to find the next error.
· You use SQL*Plus or the client-part of your application to test the program unit.
· In case of a runtime error, again you have a hard time locating the cause of the problem and
correcting it.
· You use the Explain Plan utility or tkprof to optimize your SQL statements.
· To view or modify other objects and data in your database, you use SQL*Plus or yet another tool.
These tasks - editing, compiling, correcting, testing, debugging, optimizing and querying - can all be
performed without leaving PL/SQL Developer's IDE. Furthermore, PL/SQL Developer provides several
other tools that can be helpful during everyday PL/SQL development.