Oracle Essentials: Oracle9i, Oracle8i and Oracle8, Second Edition
by Rick Greenwald, Robert Stackowiak, Jonathan Stern
Database Application Development Features
Applications are often built on the foundation of the Oracle database system. The features of the Oracle database and related products described in this section are used to create applications. We’ve divided the discussion in this section into two categories: database programming and database extensibility options. Later in this chapter, we describe the Internet Developer Suite, a set of optional tools used in Oracle9i Database Server and Oracle9i Application Server development.
Database Programming
All flavors of the Oracle database include different languages and interfaces that allow programmers to access and manipulate the data in the database. Database programming features usually interest two groups: developers building Oracle-based applications that will be sold commercially, and IT organizations within companies that custom-develop applications unique to their businesses. The following sections describe the languages and interfaces supported by Oracle.
SQL
The ANSI standard Structured Query Language (SQL) provides basic functions for data manipulation, transaction control, and record retrieval from the database. However, most end users interact with Oracle through applications that provide an interface that hides the underlying SQL and its complexity.
PL/SQL
Oracle’s PL/SQL, a procedural language extension to SQL, is commonly used to implement program logic modules for applications. PL/SQL can be used to build stored procedures ...
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