PL/SQL, Oracle's procedural extension of SQL, is an advanced fourth-generation
programming language (4GL). It offers software-engineering features such as data
encapsulation, overloading, collection types, exceptions, and information hiding.
PL/SQL also supports rapid prototyping and development through tight integration
with SQL and the Oracle database.
Anyone developing PL/SQL-based applications for Oracle should read this book. This
book is intended for programmers, systems analysts, project managers, database
administrators, and others who need to automate database operations. People
developing applications in other languages can also produce mixed-language
applications with parts written in PL/SQL.
To use this guide effectively, you need a working knowledge of the Oracle database,
the SQL language, and basic programming constructs such as IF-THEN comparisons,
loops, procedures, and functions.
