Welcome aboard the first book focusing exclusively on PL/SQL techniques, through Oracle 11g. These techniques are tried-tested-true, yet do not compromise performance. You'll find coverage of all types of scenarios, starting from design to coding and testing to debugging and tuning. PL/SQL is more than just a 3GL sequel to SQL; instead it can be used as a methodology for application development using Oracle. The techniques covered here have a broader scope, in applications ranging from OLTP to OLAP and from data warehousing to business intelligence. The world of PL/SQL is exciting and this book provides a repository of techniques for PL/SQL developers and DBAs alike. This book takes you beyond the existing solutions found in other professional and reference texts or in online documentation. Starting from PL/SQL internals that include PL/SQL program structure, internal representation, compilation, and execution, users are taught PL/SQL concepts and techniques that go way beyond SQL, such as data structure management, error management, data management, application management, and transaction management. It covers the practical "how-to" techniques of applying these PL/SQL concepts in live projects and elaborates on various PL/SQL frameworks, the integration of PL/SQL with Java, and Web-enabling PL/SQL. The last two chapters on PL/SQL tuning and debugging and PL/SQL coding standards contain comprehensive coverage of performance-enhancing techniques and PL/SQL coding standards that can't be found in anywhere else. All techniques include examples and hands-on code, as well as tips and coding standards. The companion CD-ROM includes all the source code for the examples in the book.