Oracle Distributed Systems

Appendix A. Built-in Packages for Distributed Systems

This appendix summarizes the Application Programming Interface (API) calls to the procedures and functions in the various Oracle built-in packages that support distributed systems. It covers the packages listed in Table 1-1.

For each package, I’ll describe briefly how to find the package and how to call each of its programs. I’ll also show exceptions and other nonprogram elements. For each procedure and function provided in the package, I’ll show, in a quick-reference format, the specifications, parameters, exceptions, and any restrictions.

Note

In addition to the distributed system packages described here, Oracle provides many other built-in packages (e.g., DBMS_SQL and DBMS_UTILITY). For a full discussion of all of the packages, see Oracle Built-in Packages by Steven Feuerstein, Charles Dye, and John Beresniewicz (O’Reilly & Associates, 1998).

Table A-1. Built-in Packages for Distributed Systems

Package	Description
DBMS_DEFER	Builds deferred calls.
DBMS_DEFER_QUERY	Provides access to parameters passed to deferred calls, primarily for diagnostic purposes.
DBMS_DEFER_SYS	Performs administrative tasks such as scheduling, executing, and deleting queued transactions.
DBMS_OFFLINE_OG	Instantiates sites—that is, lets you export data from an existing master site and import it into the new master site.
DBMS_OFFLINE_SNAPSHOT	Allows you to instantiate snapshots without having to run the CREATE SNAPSHOT command over the network. This package is particularly ...