CREATE PACKAGE

Purpose

Packages are defined using PL/SQL. Therefore, this section provides some general information but refers to Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference for details of syntax and semantics.

Use the CREATE PACKAGE statement to create the specification for a stored package, which is an encapsulated collection of related procedures, functions, and other program objects stored together in the database. The package specification declares these objects. The package body, specified subsequently, defines these objects.

See Also:

• CREATE PACKAGE BODY for information on specifying the implementation of the package

• CREATE FUNCTION and CREATE PROCEDURE for information on creating standalone functions and procedures

• ALTER PACKAGE and DROP PACKAGE for information on modifying and dropping a package

• Oracle Database Development Guide and Oracle Database PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference for detailed discussions of packages and how to use them

Prerequisites

To create or replace a package in your own schema, you must have the CREATE PROCEDURE system privilege. To create or replace a package in another user's schema, you must have the CREATE ANY PROCEDURE system privilege.

To embed a CREATE PACKAGE statement inside an Oracle Database precompiler program, you must terminate the statement with the keyword END-EXEC followed by the embedded SQL statement terminator for the specific language.

See Also:

Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference for more information

Syntax

Packages are defined using PL/SQL. Therefore, the syntax diagram in this book shows only the SQL keywords. Refer to Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference for the PL/SQL syntax, semantics, and examples.

create_package::=

Description of the illustration create_package.eps

(plsql_package_source: See Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference.)

Semantics

OR REPLACE

Specify OR REPLACE to re-create the package specification if it already exists. Use this clause to change the specification of an existing package without dropping, re-creating, and regranting object privileges previously granted on the package. If you change a package specification, then Oracle Database recompiles it.

Users who had previously been granted privileges on a redefined package can still access the package without being regranted the privileges.

If any function-based indexes depend on the package, then the database marks the indexes DISABLED.

See Also:

ALTER PACKAGE for information on recompiling package specifications

[ EDITIONABLE | NONEDITIONABLE ]

Use these clauses to specify whether the package is an editioned or noneditioned object if editioning is enabled for the schema object type PACKAGE in schema. The default is EDITIONABLE. For information about editioned and noneditioned objects, see Oracle Database Development Guide.

plsql_package_source

See Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference for the syntax and semantics of the plsql_package_source, including examples.