Creating a PL/SQL Block: Part 1
The basic construct in PL/SQL is a block. A block consists of a set of
SQL and/or PL/SQL statements, joined together and passed to the Oracle
engine all in one go.
- Declarative (optional): This section begins with the keyword DECLARE and ends when your executable section starts.
- Executable (required): This section begins with the keyword BEGIN and ends with END. The keyword END should end with a semicolon.
- Exception handling (optional): The exception section is nested in the executable section. This section begins with the keyword EXCEPTION.
| Section | Description |
| Declarative(DECLARE) | Contains declarations of all variables, constants, cursors, and user-defined exceptions that are referenced in the executable and exception sections |
| Executable(BEGIN...END) | Contains SQL statements to retrieve data from the database and PL/SQL statements to manipulate data in the block |
| Exception(EXCEPTION) | Specifies the actions to perform when errors and abnormal conditions arise in the executable section |
