DATABASE TRIGGERS

• Database trigger – a stored PL/SQL program unit that is

associated with a specific database table, or with certain
view types – can also be associated with a system event
such as database startup.
• Two sections:
• A named database event
• A PL/SQL block that will execute when the event occurs

• Triggers execute (fire) automatically for specified SQL DML

operations – INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE affecting one or
more rows of a table.
 DATABASE TRIGGERS -tasks
• Database triggers can be used to perform any of the
following tasks:
• Audit data modification.
• Log events transparently.
• Enforce complex business rules.
• Derive column values automatically.
• Implement complex security authorizations.
• Maintain replicate tables.
• Publish information about events for a publish-subscribe
environment such as that associated with web
programming.
• Triggers:
• are named PL/SQL blocks with declarative, executable, and
exception handling sections.
• are stand-alone database objects – they are not stored as part of
a package and cannot be local to a block.
• do not accept arguments.

• To create/test a trigger, you (not the system user of

the trigger) must have appropriate access to all
objects referenced by a trigger action.

• Example: To create a BEFORE INSERT trigger for the

employee table requires you to have INSERT ROW
privileges for the table.
Create Trigger Syntax
CREATE [OR REPLACE] TRIGGER trigger_name
{BEFORE|AFTER|INSTEAD OF} triggering_event
[referencing_clause] ON {table_name | view_name}
[WHEN condition] [FOR EACH ROW]
[DECLARE
Declaration statements]
BEGIN
Executable statements
[EXCEPTION
Exception-handling statements]
END;
The trigger body must have at least the executable section.
• The declarative and exception handling sections are optional.
• When there is a declarative section, the trigger body must start with the
DECLARE keyword.
• The WHEN clause specifies the condition under which a trigger should fire.
 Trigger Types
• BEFORE and AFTER Triggers – trigger fires before or after the triggering
event. Applies only to tables.
• INSTEAD OF Trigger – trigger fires instead of the triggering event.
Applies only to views.
• Triggering_event – a DML statement issued against the table or view
named in the ON clause – example: INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE.
• DML triggers are fired by DML statements and are referred to
sometimes as row triggers.
• FOR EACH ROW clause – a ROW trigger that fires once for each
modified row.
• STATEMENT trigger – fires once for the DML statement.
• Referencing_clause – enables writing code to refer to the data in the
row currently being modified by a different name.
 Conditional Predicates for Detecting
Triggering DML Statement

Conditional Predicate TRUE if and only if:

INSERTING An INSERT statement fired the trigger.

UPDATING An UPDATE statement fired the trigger.

UPDATING ('column') An UPDATE statement that affected the specified

column fired the trigger.

DELETING A DELETE statement fired the trigger.

SET SERVEROUTPUT On
CREATE OR REPLACE TRIGGER t
BEFORE
INSERT OR
UPDATE OF salary, deptno OR
DELETE ON emp
BEGIN
CASE
WHEN INSERTING THEN
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Inserting');
WHEN UPDATING('salary') THEN
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Updating salary');
WHEN UPDATING(‘deptno') THEN
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Updating department ID');
WHEN DELETING THEN
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Deleting');
END CASE;
END;
/
 ROW Trigger – Accessing Rows
• Access data on the row currently being processed by using two
correlation identifiers named :old and :new. These are special Oracle
bind variables.
• The PL/SQL compiler treats the :old and :new records as records of type
trigger_Table_Name%ROWTYPE.
• To reference a column in the triggering table, use the notation shown
here where the ColumnName value is a valid column in the triggering
table.
:new.ColumnName
:old.ColumnName
Empno Ename Sal
Empno Ename Sal
100 Raj 129399
100 Raj 116000
:old.sal is 123999 :new.sal is 116000
SET SERVEROUTPUT On
CREATE OR REPLACE TRIGGER t1
BEFORE INSERT OR UPDATE OF salary, deptno OR
DELETE ON emp FOR EACH ROW
BEGIN
CASE
WHEN INSERTING THEN
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Inserting '|| :NEW.EMPNO||:NEW.SAL);
WHEN UPDATING('sal') THEN
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Updating salary'||:OLD.SAL||'---'||:NEW.SAL);
WHEN UPDATING('DEPTNO') THEN
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Updating department ID'||:OLD.DEPTNO||:NEW.DEPTNO);
WHEN DELETING THEN
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Deleting');
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE(:OLD.EMPNO||'--'||:OLD.ENAME||'--'||:OLD.SAL||'--
'||:OLD.DEPTNO);
END CASE;
END;
 Bind Variables :old and :new Defined
DML Statement :old :new

INSERT Undefined – all column values Stores the values that will be
are NULL as there is no “old” inserted into the new row for the
version of the data row being table.
inserted.

UPDATE Stores the original values for the Stores the new values for the
row being updated before the row – values the row will
update takes place. contain after the update takes
place.
DELETE Stores the original values for the Undefined – all column values
row being deleted before the are NULL as there will not be a
deletion takes place. “new” version of the row being
deleted.
 Example

CREATE TABLE Emp_log (

Emp_id NUMBER(4),
Log_date DATE,
New_salary NUMBER(7,2),
Action VARCHAR2(20));
Example-
CREATE OR REPLACE TRIGGER log_salary_increase
AFTER UPDATE OF salary ON employee
FOR EACH ROW
BEGIN
INSERT INTO Emp_log (Emp_id, Log_date, New_salary,
Action)
VALUES (:NEW.empno, SYSDATE, :NEW.salary, ‘Insert
New Salary');
END;
/
 Example-Statement Trigger
Create the following table and do not insert records.
CREATE TABLE users_log ( User_name varchar2(10),Operation varchar2(10), Login_Date Date ) ;

CREATE OR REPLACE TRIGGER note_hr_logoff_trigger

BEFORE LOGOFF
ON mca2020.SCHEMA
BEGIN
INSERT INTO users_log VALUES (USER, 'LOGOFF', SYSDATE);
END;
/
 Example-Statement Trigger
Create the following table and do not insert records.
CREATE TABLE users_log ( User_name varchar2(10),Operation varchar2(10), Login_Date Date ) ;

create or replace trigger emp_sal_update before update of sal on emp

begin
if to_char(sysdate,'DY') = 'SUN' then
raise_application_error(-20111,'No changes can be made on sunday.');
else
dbms_output.put_line(' Today is not SUNDAY, Let us WOrk');
end if;
end;
/ t.sql
Dropping a Trigger

• The DROP TRIGGER statement drops a trigger from the database.

• If you drop a table, all associated table triggers are also dropped.
• The syntax is:
DROP TRIGGER trigger_name;