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Pl Sql Course In Coimbatore - Idm Techpark Coimbatore
PL SQL Interview Questions and Answers

Top 100 PL SQL Interview Questions for Freshers

​PL/SQL (Procedural Language for SQL) is an essential extension of SQL in Oracle databases, enabling developers to write powerful, reusable, and efficient database programs. Mastering PL/SQL allows professionals to handle complex business logic, automate tasks, and ensure data integrity through stored procedures, functions, triggers, and packages.

Candidates should be well-prepared to tackle both the PL/SQL Online Assessment and the Technical Interview Round at IDM TechPark. To help you succeed, we have compiled a comprehensive list of the Top 100 PL/SQL Interview Questions along with their answers. Mastering these concepts will give you a strong edge in securing a PL/SQL Developer role and excelling in the field of database development and administration.

1. What is PL/SQL?

PL/SQL (Procedural Language/Structured Query Language) is Oracle’s procedural extension of SQL. It allows procedural programming features like loops, conditions, and exception handling.

2. What are the key features of PL/SQL?

  • Block-structured language

  • Supports procedural constructs (loops, conditions)

  • Exception handling

  • Supports SQL operations

  • Improves performance through batch processing

3. What are the components of a PL/SQL block?

A PL/SQL block consists of:

  1. DECLARE – Used for declaring variables and constants

  2. BEGIN – Contains executable statements

  3. EXCEPTION – Handles errors

  4. END – Marks the end of the block

4. How do you declare a variable in PL/SQL?

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DECLARE v_name VARCHAR2(50); BEGIN v_name := 'John Doe'; END;

5. What is the difference between SQL and PL/SQL?

FeatureSQLPL/SQL

TypeDeclarativeProcedural

ExecutionExecutes one statement at a timeExecutes a block of statements

Error HandlingLimitedSupports exception handling

Use CaseQueries & transactionsBusiness logic & procedural programming

6. What is %TYPE in PL/SQL?

  • %TYPE is used to declare a variable with the same data type as an existing table column.

  • Example:

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    DECLARE v_salary employees.salary%TYPE; BEGIN v_salary := 5000; END;

7. What is %ROWTYPE in PL/SQL?

  • %ROWTYPE is used to declare a variable with the same structure as a table row.

  • Example:

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    DECLARE emp_record employees%ROWTYPE; BEGIN emp_record.salary := 6000; END;

8. How do you display output in PL/SQL?

  • Using DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE:

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    BEGIN DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Hello, PL/SQL!'); END;

9. What are the different types of PL/SQL control structures?

  • Conditional Statements (IF-ELSE, CASE)

  • Loops (FOR, WHILE, LOOP)

10. How do you use an IF statement in PL/SQL?

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DECLARE v_salary NUMBER := 5000; BEGIN IF v_salary > 4000 THEN DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('High Salary'); ELSE DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Low Salary'); END IF; END;

11. What are the types of loops in PL/SQL?

  • BASIC LOOP

  • WHILE LOOP

  • FOR LOOP

12. How do you use a FOR LOOP in PL/SQL?

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BEGIN FOR i IN 1..5 LOOP DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Iteration: ' || i); END LOOP; END;

13. What is an EXCEPTION in PL/SQL?

  • An EXCEPTION is used to handle errors in PL/SQL programs.

  • Example:

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    BEGIN -- Some code EXCEPTION WHEN NO_DATA_FOUND THEN DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('No data found!'); END;

14. What are the types of exceptions in PL/SQL?

  1. Predefined Exceptions (e.g., NO_DATA_FOUND, TOO_MANY_ROWS)

  2. User-defined Exceptions

15. What is a cursor in PL/SQL?

A cursor is used to fetch multiple rows from a SQL query.

16. What are the types of cursors in PL/SQL?

  1. Implicit Cursor: Automatically created for SQL queries

  2. Explicit Cursor: Defined by the user for handling multiple rows

17. How do you declare an explicit cursor?

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DECLARE CURSOR emp_cursor IS SELECT emp_name FROM employees; BEGIN FOR rec IN emp_cursor LOOP DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE(rec.emp_name); END LOOP; END;

18. What is the difference between COMMIT and ROLLBACK?

  • COMMIT: Saves changes permanently

  • ROLLBACK: Undoes uncommitted changes

19. What is a trigger in PL/SQL?

A trigger is an automatic event-driven procedure that executes before or after database modifications.

20. How do you create a simple trigger?

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CREATE OR REPLACE TRIGGER before_insert_trigger BEFORE INSERT ON employees FOR EACH ROW BEGIN :NEW.hire_date := SYSDATE; END;

21. What is the DUAL table in PL/SQL?

  • DUAL is a dummy table used for executing functions like:

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    SELECT SYSDATE FROM DUAL;

22. What is the difference between CHAR and VARCHAR2?

FeatureCHARVARCHAR2

StorageFixed-lengthVariable-length

PerformanceFaster for fixed-size valuesMore efficient for dynamic data

23. How do you define a stored procedure in PL/SQL?

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CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE show_message IS BEGIN DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Hello, World!'); END;

24. How do you call a stored procedure in PL/SQL?

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BEGIN show_message; END;

25. What is the difference between FUNCTION and PROCEDURE?

FeatureFUNCTIONPROCEDURE

Returns a Value?YesNo

Used in SQL Queries?YesNo

Call MethodSELECT function_name FROM DUAL;BEGIN procedure_name; END;

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