Database Programming with PL/SQL

7-2: Trapping Oracle Server Exceptions

Practice Activities
Vocabulary
Identify the vocabulary word for each definition below:

Each of these has a predefined name. For example, if the error

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.

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.

Returns character data containing the message associated with

the error number

Each of these has a standard Oracle error number (ORA-nnnnn)

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.

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?
2. What is the difference in how each of these three types of exceptions is handled in the PL/SQL
block?

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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?

B. Modify the block to handle this exception and re-run your code. Now what happens and why?
C. Modify the block again to change the WHERE clause to region_id = 29. Re-run the block. Now what
happens and why?

D. Modify the block again to handle the latest exception and re-run your code.
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;

A. What happens and why?

B. Modify the block to handle the exception and re-run your code.

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.
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2
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”.
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 © 2020, 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.