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Database Programming with PL/SQL

7-2: Trapping Oracle Server Exceptions
Practice Activities
Vocabulary
Identify the vocabulary word for each definition below:
predefined oracle server Each of these has a predefined name. For example, if the error
errors ORA 01403 occurs when no rows are retrieved from the database
in a SELECT statement, then PL/SQL raises the predefined
exception name NO_DATA_FOUND.

pragma exception_int Tells the compiler to associate an exception name with an Oracle
error number. That allows you to refer to any Oracle Server
exception by name and to write a specific handler for it.

sqlerrm Returns character data containing the message associated with

the error number

non-predefines oracle Each of these has a standard Oracle error number (ORA-nnnnn)
serve errors and error message, but not a predefined name. We declare our
own names for these so that we can reference these names in the
exception section.

sqlcode Returns the numeric value for the error code (You can assign it to
a NUMBER variable.)

Try It / Solve It

1. What are the three types of exceptions that can be handled in a PL/SQL block?

● Error predefinido del servidor Oracle

● Error no predefinido del servidor Oracle
● Error definido por el usuario
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trademarks of their respective owners.

2. What is the difference in how each of these three types of exceptions is handled in the PL/SQL
block?
En que en uno puede crear sus excepciones, en otra son predeterminadas de oracle, y la
ultima son expiaciones normales.

3. Enter and run the following PL/SQL block. Look at the output and answer the following
questions:

DECLARE

v_number NUMBER(6, 2) := 100;

v_region_id regions.region_id%TYPE;
v_region_name regions.region_name%TYPE;
BEGIN
SELECT region_id, region_name INTO v_region_id, v_region_name
FROM regions
WHERE region_id = 1;
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Region: ' || v_region_id || ' is: ' || v_region_name);
v_number := v_number / 0;

END;

A. What error message is displayed and why?

● Envia un mensaje de data not found
 B. Modify the block to handle this exception and re-run your code. Now what happens and why?
DECLARE
v_number NUMBER(6, 2) := 100;
v_region_id
regions.region_id%TYPE;
v_region_name regions.region_name%TYPE;
BEGIN
SELECT region_id, region_name INTO v_region_id, v_region_name
FROM regions
WHERE region_id = 1;
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Region: ' || v_region_id || ' is: ' || v_region_name);
v_number := v_number / 0; exception
when NO_DATA_FOUND THEN
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('No se encontraron datos, se controlo el error');
END;

C. Modify the block again to change the WHERE clause to region_id = 29. Re-run the block. Now
what happens and why?
● Aparece el error de : divisor is equal to zero

D. Modify the block again to handle the latest exception and re-run your code.
DECLARE
v_number NUMBER(6, 2) := 100;
v_region_id regions.region_id%TYPE;
v_region_name
regions.region_name%TYPE; BEGIN
SELECT region_id, region_name INTO v_region_id, v_region_name
FROM regions
WHERE region_id = 29;
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Region: ' || v_region_id || ' is: ' || v_region_name);
v_number := v_number / 0; exception
when NO_DATA_FOUND THEN
 DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('No se encontraron datos, se controlo el error');
when OTHERS THEN
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Divisor es igual a cero, se controlo el error');
END;

4. Enter and run the following PL/SQL block. Look at the output and answer the following questions:

DECLARE
CURSOR regions_curs IS
SELECT * FROM regions
WHERE region_id < 20
ORDER BY region_id;
regions_rec regions_curs%ROWTYPE;
v_count NUMBER(6);
BEGIN
LOOP
FETCH regions_curs INTO regions_rec;
EXIT WHEN regions_curs%NOTFOUND;
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Region: ' || regions_rec.region_id
|| ' Name: ' || regions_rec.region_name);
END LOOP;
CLOSE regions_curs;
SELECT COUNT(*) INTO v_count
FROM regions
WHERE region_id = 1;
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('The number of regions is: ' || v_count);
END;

Copyright © 2018, 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.

A. What happens and why?

● Aparece un error de invalid cursor

B. Modify the block to handle the exception and re-run your code.
DECLARE
CURSOR regions_curs IS
SELECT * FROM regions
WHERE region_id < 20 ORDER BY region_id;
regions_rec regions_curs%ROWTYPE; v_count NUMBER(6);
BEGIN
LOOP
FETCH regions_curs INTO regions_rec;
EXIT WHEN regions_curs%NOTFOUND;
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Region: ' || regions_rec.region_id
|| ' Name: ' || regions_rec.region_name);
END LOOP;
CLOSE regions_curs;
SELECT COUNT(*) INTO v_count FROM regions
WHERE region_id = 1;
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('The number of regions is: ' || v_count);
exception
when INVALID_CURSOR THEN
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Cursor invalido, se controlo el error');
END;
Copyright © 2018, 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.

C. Modify the block again to add an OPEN statement for the cursor, and re-run your code. Now
what happens and why? Remember that region_id = 1 does not exist.
 DECLARE
CURSOR regions_curs IS
SELECT * FROM regions
WHERE region_id < 20 ORDER BY region_id;
regions_rec regions_curs%ROWTYPE; v_count NUMBER(6);
BEGIN
OPEN REGIONS_CURS;
LOOP
FETCH regions_curs INTO regions_rec;
EXIT WHEN regions_curs%NOTFOUND;
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Region: ' || regions_rec.region_id
|| ' Name: ' || regions_rec.region_name);
END LOOP;
CLOSE regions_curs;
SELECT COUNT(*) INTO v_count FROM regions
WHERE region_id = 1;
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('The number of regions is: ' || v_count);
exception
when INVALID_CURSOR THEN
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Cursor invalido, se controlo el error');
END

5. Oracle Server Errors:

A. Add an exception handler to the following code to trap the following predefined Oracle Server
errors: NO_DATA_FOUND, TOO_MANY_ROWS, and DUP_VAL_ON_INDEX.

DECLARE
 v_language_id languages.language_id%TYPE;
v_language_name languages.language_name%TYPE;
BEGIN
SELECT language_id, language_name INTO v_language_id, v_language_name
FROM languages

WHERE LOWER(language_name) LIKE '<substring%>'; -- for example 'ab%'

INSERT INTO languages(language_id, language_name)

VALUES(80, null);

END;

B. Test your block twice using each of the following language substrings: ba, ce. There are
several language_names beginning with “Ba,” but none beginning with “Ce”.

Copyright © 2018, 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.

Now test your block a third time using substring: al. There is exactly one language_name beginning
with “Al”. Note that language_id 80 (Arabic) already exists. Explain the output.

C. Now (keeping the substring as “al”), add a non_predefined exception handler to trap the ORA
01400 exception. Name your exception e_null_not_allowed. Rerun the code and observe the
results.
Extension exercise
1. In preparation for this exercise, run the following SQL statement to create an error-logging table:

CREATE TABLE error_log

(who VARCHAR2(30),
when DATE,
error_code NUMBER(6),
error_message VARCHAR2(255));

Modify your PL/SQL block from question 5 to remove the four explicit exception handlers,
replacing them with a single WHEN OTHERS handler. The handler should INSERT a row into the
error_log table each time an exception is raised and handled. The row should consist of the Oracle
username (who), when the error was raised (when), and the SQLCODE and SQLERRM of the
exception. Test your block several times, with different data values to raise each of the four kinds
of exceptions handled in the block. Finally, SELECT from the error-logging table to check that the
rows have been inserted.

Copyright © 2018, 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.