4 PL/SQL Data Types

Every PL/SQL constant, variable, parameter, and function return value has a data type that determines its storage format and its valid values and operations.

This chapter explains scalar data types, which store values with no internal components.

A scalar data type can have subtypes. A subtype is a data type that is a subset of another data type, which is its base type. A subtype has the same valid operations as its base type. A data type and its subtypes comprise a data type family.

PL/SQL predefines many types and subtypes in the package STANDARD and lets you define your own subtypes.

The PL/SQL scalar data types are:

• The SQL data types

• PLS_INTEGER

• BINARY_INTEGER

• REF CURSOR

• User-defined subtypes

Topics

• SQL Data Types

• PLS_INTEGER and BINARY_INTEGER Data Types

• SIMPLE_INTEGER Subtype of PLS_INTEGER

• User-Defined PL/SQL Subtypes

See Also:

• "PL/SQL Collections and Records" for information about composite data types

• "Cursor Variables" for information about REF CURSOR

• "CREATE TYPE Statement" for information about creating schema-level user-defined data types

• "PL/SQL Predefined Data Types" for the predefined PL/SQL data types and subtypes, grouped by data type family