Learning Oracle PL/SQL

Which Oracle and PL/SQL Versions?

Each new release of the Oracle server includes a new version of PL/SQL, as Table P-1 shows. This book will be useful to you as long as you're using one of the versions in the table. (In case you're wondering, Oracle changed their version numbering system, which explains why there are no PL/SQL versions numbered 3 through 7.)

Table P-1. Major PL/SQL versions, 1995-2001

PL/SQL version	Bundled with	First release date	Coverage in this book
2.3	Oracle7	1995	Yes, but many examples in this book won't work in Oracle7
8.0	Oracle8	1997	Yes, although a few examples won't work
8.1	Oracle8i	1999	Yes
9.0	Oracle9i	2001	Yes, noted in the text as requiring Oracle9i

As a beginner's tool, this book will expose you to the most important features of PL/SQL, but without burrowing into the depths of exotic version-specific features. I do make heavy use of PL/SQL Server Pages starting with Chapter 4. Although this feature became available only when Oracle shipped Version 8.1.6 (an update to Oracle8i) the syntax was previously available in other Oracle web-based products such as Oracle WebServer and Oracle Application Server.

If you still have to work with Oracle7—a version of the server that Oracle Corporation treats as virtually obsolete—many of the features we discuss will still be useful to you, but primarily as negotiating points you might use to encourage your company to upgrade.