Oracle PL/SQL Language Pocket Reference, Second Edition

Database Interaction

PL/SQL is tightly integrated with the underlying SQL layer of the Oracle database. You can execute SQL statements (UPDATE, INSERT, DELETE, MERGE, and SELECT) directly in PL/SQL programs. You can also execute Data Definition Language (DDL) statements through the use of dynamic SQL. In addition, you can manage transactions with COMMIT, ROLLBACK, and other Data Control Language (DCL) statements.

Transaction Management

The Oracle RDBMS provides a transaction model based on a unit of work. The PL/SQL language supports most, but not all, of the database model for transactions (you cannot, for example, specify ROLLBACK FORCE). A transaction begins with the first change to data and ends with either a COMMIT or a ROLLBACK. Transactions are independent of PL/SQL blocks. Transactions can span multiple PL/SQL blocks, or there can be multiple transactions in a single PL/SQL block. The PL/SQL-supported transaction statements include COMMIT, ROLLBACK, SAVEPOINT, SET TRANSACTION, and LOCK TABLE, described in the following sections.

COMMIT

COMMIT [WORK] [COMMENT text];

COMMIT makes the database changes permanent and visible to other database sessions. The WORK keyword is optional and only aids readability—it is rarely used. The COMMENT text is optional and can be up to 50 characters in length. It is only germane to in-doubt distributed (two-phase commit) transactions. The database statement COMMIT FORCE, also for distributed transactions, is not supported in PL/SQL.

ROLLBACK ...