Oracle Fundamentals

The Oracle Fundamentals course is designed to give delegates practical experience in writing SQL statements and scripts using Oracle SQL. The basic SELECT statement, the use of SQL functions, SQL*Plus parameters and the basic table and view handling statements are introduced.

The course also provides practical experience in using Oracle's PL/SQL programming language to implement conditional execution, loop control, cursor handling and exception handling.

The delegates will practise:

• Creating SQL statements to query database tables
• Using standard aggregate functions and related SELECT statement clauses
• Implementing extended SQL functions
• Joining Tables
• Using subqueries
• Creating and altering tables and views
• Inserting, updating and deleting rows in database tables
• Writing and running PL/SQL programs from SQL*Plus or SQL Developer
• Declaring and using variables and constants
• Assigning and manipulating values
• Using SQL statements within PL/SQL
• Implementing conditional execution and loop constructs
• Declaring and using cursors with and without parameters
• Updating data with cursors
• Trapping and handling errors and exceptions in code
• Implementing nested and labelled loops and blocks
• Raising exceptions
• Handling PL/SQL records and Index-By tables
• Using PL/SQL Index-By table built-in functions

Anyone who needs to use and understand Oracle SQL to query and update an Oracle database; and who also needs an introduction to the PL/SQL programming language.

To provide the skills needed to query and update data held in an Oracle Relational Database.

To provide an introduction to Oracle PL/SQL as a preparation for other Oracle products such as Forms and Reports.

An understanding of databases and exposure to information technology in general would be useful.

• Oracle PL/SQL Stored Program Units
• Oracle Reports
• Oracle Database 10g DBA - Part I
• Oracle Database 11g Release 2 DBA - Part I
• Oracle Forms - Part I

NOTE: Course technical content is subject to change without notice.

• Administration and Course Materials
• Course Structure and Agenda
• Delegate and Trainer Introductions

• What is an Oracle Database
• Relational Database Structures
• Tables, Rows and Columns
• Indexes, Primary Keys and Foreign Keys
• Supported Datatypes
• The Data Dictionary

• What is SQL*Plus
• Getting Started
• Entering and Executing SQL Statements
• Editing SQL Statements
• Creating, Editing and Executing SQL Files

• What is Oracle SQL Developer
• Starting SQL Developer
• Configure a Connection
• Navigation Tabs
• SQL Worksheet

• The SELECT Statement
• The SELECT and FROM Clauses
• Conditions and the WHERE Clause
• Other Conditional Operators
• Logical Operators
• The ORDER BY Clause
• Column Aliases
• Arithmetic Expressions
• Precedence of Operators

• Overview of Built In Aggregate Functions
• The GROUP BY Clause
• The HAVING Clause

• Overview of Table Joins
• Inner Joins
• Table Aliases
• Outer Joins
• Self Joins
• ANSI Standard Joins
• Set Operators

• Function Types
• Using the Table dual to try out Functions
• Numeric Functions
• Character Functions
• String Concatenation
• Date Arithmetic and Date Functions

• Conversion Functions
• The NVL and NVL2 Functions
• The DECODE Function
• CASE Expressions
• The COALESCE and NULLIF Functions

• Command Line Substitution Parameters
• The Accept Command
• The Define and Undefine Commands

• Overview of Subqueries
• Use a Subquery as an Alternative to Join
• Handle Multiple Records in Subqueries
• Subquery in a Having Clause
• Anti-Join
• In-Line Views
• Top-N Queries
• Complex Subqueries
• Multi Column Subqueries
• Correlated Subqueries
• Subquery Rules
• Combining Unrelated Aggregates
• Using the ANY, ALL and SOME Operators

• Inserting Rows
• Updating Rows
• Deleting Rows
• Verifying Updates
• Transaction Control
• Commit and Rollback
• Savepoints
• Commits and Constraints
• Amending Data in SQL Developer

• Creating Tables
• Specifying Constraints
• Altering Tables, Columns and Constraints
• Dropping Tables, Columns and Constraints
• Copying Tables

• Creating Indexes
• Dropping Indexes
• Listing Indexes
• Creating and Using Views
• Dropping Views
• Listing Views

• Create a Sequence
• View Sequence Details
• Create a Synonym
• List Synonyms

• What is PL/SQL?
• Basic Elements
• Variables and Constants
• Data Types
• Initialising Variables and Assigning Values
• Using SQL Statements in Code
• Generating Output to SQL or SQL Developer

• IF THEN ELSIF ELSE Statements
• CASE Statements
• The Basic Loop Construct
• WHILE and FOR Loops
• Nested and Labelled Loops
• The GOTO Statement
• The CONTINUE Statement

• What is a Cursor?
• Implicit and Explicit Cursors
• Cursor Operations
• Declaring, Opening and Closing Cursors
• Fetching Rows
• Status Checking
• Using Cursors FOR UPDATE
• The Cursor FOR Loop
• Parameterised Cursors

• The EXCEPTION Section
• Types of Exception
• Handling Named System-Raised Exceptions
• Handling Un-named System-Raised Exceptions
• User-Declared Exceptions and Application Errors
• WHEN OTHERS THEN NULL
• Nested and Labelled Blocks
• Propagation of Exceptions
• Scope of Variables and Cursors
• Scope of Goto Statements

• Declaring Record Types
• Handling PL/SQL Records
• Nested Records
• Declaring PL/SQL Index-By Tables or Associative Arrays
• PL/SQL Table Built-in Functions
• Manipulating PL/SQL Tables or Associative Arrays