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Database Programming
with PL/SQL 6-1: Introduction
to Explicit Cursors Practice
Activities
Vocabulary
Identify the vocabulary word for each
definition below:

Explicit Cursor Declared by the programmer for queries that return more than one
row

Cursor
A label for a context area or a pointer to the context area

Close
Disables a cursor, releases the context area, and undefines the active
set

Context Area
An allocated memory area used to store the data processed by a SQL
statement

Implicit Cursor
Defined automatically by Oracle for all SQL DML statements, and for
SELECT statements that return only one row

Open Statement that executes the query associated with the cursor,
identifies the active set, and positions the cursor pointer to the first
row

Fetch Statement that retrieves the current row and advances the cursor to
the next row either until there are no more rows or until a specified
condition is met

Active Set
The set of rows returned by a multiple row query in an explicit cursor
operation

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Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
 2

Try It / Solve It
1. In your own words, explain the difference between implicit and explicit cursors.
Un cursor implícito se crea por la misma base de datos cuando un evento especifico sucede y uno
explicito es definido por el usuario y puede sostener multiples filas.

2. Which SQL statement can use either an explicit or an implicit cursor, as

needed? Una sentencia select solo retorna una fila

3. List two circumstances in which you would use an explicit

cursor. Multiple return rows;

4. Exercise using CURRENCIES tables:

A. Write a PL/SQL block to declare a cursor called currencies_cur. The cursor will be used
to read and display all rows from the CURRENCIES table. You will need to retrieve
currency_code and currency_name, ordered by ascending currency_name.

B. Add a statement to open the currencies_cur cursor.

C. Add variable declarations and an executable statement to read ONE row through
the currencies_cur cursor into local variables.

D. Add a statement to display the fetched row, and a statement to close the currencies_cur cursor.
E. Run your block to confirm that it works. It should display: AFA Afghani.
DECLARE CURSOR wf_currencies_cur IS SELECT currency_code, currency.name
FROM w SELECT currency_code, currency.name FROM wf_currenc f_currencies;
v_code wf_currencies.currency_code%TYPE; v_name wf_currencies.currency.name%TYPE;
v_name wf_currencies.currency.name%TYPE;
BEGIN OPEN wf_currencies_cur;
FETCH wf_currencies_cur
INTO v_code, v_name; DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE(v_code || v_name);
CLOSE wf_currencies_cur;
END;

F. Your code so far displays only one row. Modify your code so that it fetches and displays all
the rows, using a LOOP and EXIT statement. Test your modified block. It should fetch and
display each row in the CURRENCIES table. If it doesn't, check that your EXIT statement is in
the correct place in the code.

DECLARE CURSOR wf_currencies_cur

IS SELECT currency_code, currency_name

Copyright © 2019, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their
respective owners.

Descargado por Cristobal Elias Escandon Escobar ([email protected])

 FROM SELECT currency_code, currency_name

FROM wf_currenc wf_currencies;

v_code wf_currencies.currency_code%TYPE;

v_name wf_currencies.currency_name%TYPE;

BEGIN

OPEN wf_currencies_cur;
LOOP

FETCH wf_currencies_cur

INTO v_code, v_name;

DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE(v_code ||

v_name); EXIT WHEN wf_currencies_cur

%NOTFOUND; END LOOP;

CLOSE wf_currencies_cur;
END;

G. Write and test a PL/SQL block to read and display all the rows in the COUNTRIES table for all
countries in region 5 (South America region). For each selected country, display the
country_name, national_holiday_date, and national_holiday_name. Display only those
countries having a national holiday date that is not null. Save your code (you will need it in the
next practice).
DECLARE CURSOR wf_holiday_cursor

IS SELECT country_name, national_holiday_date, nationa wf_countries

where region_id=5; l_holiday_name

FROM v_country_name wf_countries.country_name%TYPE ;

v_holiday wf_countries.national_holiday_date%TYPE;
v_hname wf_countries.national_holiday_name%TYPE;
BEGIN OPEN wf_holiday_cursor ;

LOOP END;
FETCH wf_holiday_cursor

INTO v_country_name, v_holiday, v_hname;

EXIT WHEN wf_holiday_cursor%NOTFOUND;
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE(v_country_name||' '||v_holiday||' '||v_hname);
END LOOP;
CLOSE wf_holiday_cursor;

Copyright © 2019, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their
respective owners.

Descargado por Cristobal Elias Escandon Escobar ([email protected])

5. Identify three guidelines for declaring and using explicit
cursors. INTO no es usada en la sección declarativa.
%NOTFOUND nos sirve para testear nuestra condición de salida.
Después de cerrar nuestro cursor, puede ser llamado una vez más siempre y cuando lo abramos de
nuevo.

6. Write a PL/SQL block to read and display the names of world regions, with a count of
the number of countries in each region. Include only those regions having at least 10
countries. Order your output by ascending region name.

DECLARE CURSOR region_cursor

IS SELECT region_id, COUNT(*) AS how_many
FROM wf_countries
GROUP BY region_id
HAVING COUNT(*) > 10;
v_reg wf_countries.region_id%TYPE;
nr PLS_INTEGER; BEGIN OPEN region_cursor;
LOOP
FETCH region_cursor INTO v_reg, nr;
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE(v_reg||' -> '||nr);
EXIT WHEN region_cursor%NOTFOUND;
END LOOP;
CLOSE region_cursor;
END;

Copyright © 2019, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their
respective owners.