Error Management in Oracle PL/SQL

OPP 2007
February 28 – March 1, 2007

San Mateo Marriott
San Mateo, California
An ODTUG SP* Oracle PL/SQL
Programming Conference
*SP – Seriously Practical Conference
ODTUG Kaleidoscope
June 18 – 21, 2007
Pre-conference Hands-on Training - June 16 – 17
Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort
Daytona, Florida
WOW-Wide Open World, Wide Open Web!
For more
Copyright 2000-2006 Steven Feuerstein - Pageinformation
1 visit www.odtug.com or call 910-452-7444
Making the Most of
Oracle PL/SQL
Error Management Features
Steven Feuerstein
PL/SQL Evangelist
Quest Software
[email protected]
Copyright 2000-2006 Steven Feuerstein - Page 2 m
Ten Years Writing Ten Books
on the Oracle PL/SQL Language
Copyright 2000-2006 Steven Feuerstein - Page 3

How to benefit most from this class
 Watch, listen, ask questions.

 Download the training materials and supporting scripts:
– http://oracleplsqlprogramming.com/resour
ces.html
– "Demo zip": all the scripts I run in my class
available at filename_from_demo_zip.sql
http://oracleplsqlprogramming.com/downlo
ads/demo.zip
 Use these materials as an accelerator as you venture into

new territory and need to apply new techniques.
Play2000-2006
Copyright games! Keep your brain fresh and active by mixing
Steven Feuerstein - Page 4
Manage errors effectively and consistently
 A significant challenge in any programming

environment.
– Ideally, errors are raised, handled,
logged and communicated in a
consistent, robust manner
 Some special issues for PL/SQL developers
– The EXCEPTION datatype
– How to find the line on which the
error is raised?
– Communication with non-PL/SQL host
environments
Achieving ideal error management
 Define your requirements clearly

 Understand PL/SQL error management
features and make full use of what PL/SQL
has to offer
 Apply best practices.
– Compensate for PL/SQL weaknesses
– Single point of definition: use
reusable components to ensure
consistent, robust error management

Define your requirements clearly
 When will errors be raised, when handled?

– Do you let errors go unhandled to the
host, trap locally, or trap at the top-
most level?
 How should errors be raised and handled?
– Will users do whatever they want or will
there be standard approaches that
everyone will follow?
 Useful to conceptualize errors into three
categories:
Different types of exceptions
 Deliberate
– The code architecture itself deliberately
relies on an exception. Example:exec_ddl_from_file.sql
UTL_FILE.GET_LINE get_nextline.sf
 Unfortunate
– It is an error, but one that is to be
expected and may not even indicate a
fullname.pkb
problem. Example: SELECT INTO ->

NO_DATA_FOUND
 Unexpected
– A "hard" error that indicates a problem
fullname.pkb
PL/SQL error management features
 Defining exceptions
 Raising exceptions
 Handing exceptions
 Exceptions and DML

Quiz! Test your exception handling know-how
 What do you see after running this block?

DECLARE
aname VARCHAR2(5);
BEGIN
BEGIN
aname := 'Justice';
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE (aname);
EXCEPTION
WHEN VALUE_ERROR
THEN
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE ('Inner block');
END;
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE ('What error?');
EXCEPTION
WHEN VALUE_ERROR
THEN excquiz1.sql
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE ('Outer block');
END;

Defining Exceptions
 The EXCEPTION is a limited type of data.

– Has just two attributes: code and
message.
– You can RAISE and handle an
exception, but it cannot be passed as
an argument in a program.
 Give names to error numbers with the
CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE upd_for_dept (
EXCEPTION_INIT
dept_in IN
, newsal_in IN PRAGMA.
employee.department_id%TYPE
employee.salary%TYPE
)
IS
bulk_errors EXCEPTION;
PRAGMA EXCEPTION_INIT (bulk_errors, -24381);

Raising Exceptions
 RAISE raises the specified exception by

name.
– RAISE; re-raises current exception.
Callable only within the exception
section.
 RAISE_APPLICATION_ERROR
– Communicates an application specific
error back to a non-PL/SQL host
environment.
– Error numbers restricted to the
-20,999
Copyright 2000-2006 - -20,000
Steven Feuerstein - Page 12 range.
Using RAISE_APPLICATION_ERROR
RAISE_APPLICATION_ERROR
(num binary_integer, msg varchar2,
keeperrorstack boolean default FALSE);
 Communicate an error number and message to a

non-PL/SQL host environment.
– The following code from a database
triggers shows a typical (and problematic)
usage of RAISE_APPLICATION_ERROR:
IF :NEW.birthdate > ADD_MONTHS (SYSDATE, -1 * 18 * 12)
THEN
RAISE_APPLICATION_ERROR
(-20070, ‘Employee must be 18.’);
END IF;

Quiz: An Exceptional Package
PACKAGE BODY valerr

IS
PACKAGE valerr
v VARCHAR2(1) := ‘abc’;
IS
FUNCTION get RETURN VARCHAR2 IS
FUNCTION
BEGIN
get RETURN VARCHAR2;
RETURN v;
END valerr;
END;
BEGIN
p.l ('Before I show you v...');
EXCEPTION
WHEN OTHERS THEN
p.l (‘Trapped the error!’);
END valerr;
 So I create the valerr package and then execute the

following command. What is displayed on the screen?
SQL> EXECUTE p.l (valerr.get);
valerr.pkg
Copyright 2000-2006 Steven Feuerstein - Page 14 valerr2.pkg
Handling Exceptions
 The EXCEPTION section consolidates all error

handling logic in a block.
– But only traps errors raised in the executable
section of the block.
 Several useful functions usually come into play:
– SQLCODE and SQLERRM
– DBMS_UTILITY.FORMAT_ERROR_STACK
– DBMS_UTILITY.FORMAT_ERROR_BACKTRACE
 The DBMS_ERRLOG package
– Quick and easy logging of DML errors
 The AFTER SERVERERROR trigger
– Instance-wide error handling
DBMS_UTILITY error functions
 Get the full error message with

DBMS_UTILITY.FORMAT_ERROR_STACK
– SQLERRM might truncate the message.
– Use SQLERRM went you want to obtain the
message associated with an error number.
 Find line number on which error was raised with
DBMS_UTILITY.FORMAT_ERROR_BACKTRACE
– Introduced in Oracle10g Release 2, this
function returns the full stack of errors with
line number information.
– Formerly, this stack was available only if you
let the error go unhandled. backtrace.sql
DBMS_ERRLOG (Oracle10gR2)
 Allows DML statements to execute against

all rows, even if an error occurs.
– The LOG ERRORS clause specifies how
logging should occur.
– Use the DBMS_ERRLOG package to
associate a log table with DML
operations on a base table.
 Much faster than trapping errors, logging,
and then continuing/recovering.
 Note: FORALL with SAVE EXCEPTIONS
offers similar capabilities. dbms_errlog.*
The AFTER SERVERERROR trigger
 Provides a relatively simple way to use a

single table and single procedure for
exception handling in an entire instance.
 Drawbacks:
– Error must go unhandled out of your
PL/SQL block for the trigger to kick in.
– Does not fire for all errors (NO: -600,
-1403, -1422...)
 Most useful for non-PL/SQL front ends
executing SQL statements directly.
afterservererror.sql
Exceptions and DML
 DML statements generally are not rolled back when an

exception is raised.
– This gives you more control over your
transaction.
 Rollbacks occur with...
– Unhandled exception from the outermost
PL/SQL block;
– Exit from autonomous transaction without
commit/rollback;
– Other serious errors, such as "Rollback
segment too small".
 Corollary: error logs should rely on autonomous
transactions to avoid sharing the same transaction as
log8i.pkg
the
Copyright application.
2000-2006 Steven Feuerstein - Page 19
Best practices for error management
 Compensate for PL/SQL weaknesses.

 Some general guidelines:
– Avoid hard-coding of error numbers
and messages.
– Build and use reusable components
for raising, handling and logging
errors.
 Application-level code should not contain:
– RAISE_APPLICATION_ERROR: don't
leave it to the developer to decide
how to raise.
–2000-2006
Copyright PRAGMA EXCEPTION_INIT:
Steven Feuerstein - Page 20 avoid
Compensate for PL/SQL weaknesses
 The EXCEPTION datatype does not allow you

to store the full set of information about an
error.
– What was the context in which the error
occurred?
 Difficult to ensure execution of common error
handling logic.
– Usually end up with lots of repetition.
– No "finally" section available in PL/SQL -
yet.
 Restrictions on how you can specify the error
Object-like representation of an exception
 An error is a row in the error table, with many

more attributes than simply code and
message, including:
– Dynamic message (substitution
variables)
– Help message (how to recover from
the problem)
 An error instance is one particular
occurrence of an error.
– Associated with it are one or more
values
Copyright 2000-2006 that
Steven Feuerstein - Pagereflect
22 the context in
ERD for error definition tables
qd_error.erd
qd_runtime.pkb
Hard to avoid code repetition in handlers
WHEN NO_DATA_FOUND THEN

INSERT INTO errlog
VALUES ( SQLCODE
, 'No company for id ' || TO_CHAR ( v_id )
, 'fixdebt', SYSDATE, USER );
WHEN OTHERS THEN
INSERT INTO errlog
VALUES (SQLCODE, SQLERRM, 'fixdebt', SYSDATE, USER );
RAISE;
END;
 If every developer writes exception handler code

on their own, you end up with an unmanageable
situation.
– Different logging mechanisms, no standards
for error message text, inconsistent handling
of the
Copyright 2000-2006 same
Steven Feuerstein -errors,
Page 24 etc.
Prototype exception manager package
PACKAGE errpkg
IS
PROCEDURE raise (err_in IN PLS_INTEGER);
Generic Raises PROCEDURE raise (err_in in VARCHAR2);
PROCEDURE record_and_stop (
err_in IN PLS_INTEGER := SQLCODE
,msg_in IN VARCHAR2 := NULL);
Record
and Stop
PROCEDURE record_and_continue (
err_in IN PLS_INTEGER := SQLCODE
,msg_in IN VARCHAR2 := NULL);
Record
and Continue END errpkg;
errpkg.pkg
Invoking standard handlers
 The rule: developers should only call a pre-defined

handler inside an exception section
– Make it easy for developers to write
consistent, high-quality code
– They don't have to make decisions about the
form of the log and how the process should be
stopped
EXCEPTION
WHEN NO_DATA_FOUND
THEN
errpkg.record_and_continue (
SQLCODE,
' No company for id ' || TO_CHAR (v_id));
WHEN OTHERS
THEN The developer simply
errpkg.record_and_stop; describes
END; the desired action.
Specifying the error
How should I specify the application-

specific error I need to raise?
* Just use -20000 all the time?

* Pick one of those 1000 numbers from
-20999 to -20000?
* Use any positive error number
besides 1 and 100?
* Use error names instead of numbers?
Avoid hard-coding of -20,NNN Errors
PACKAGE errnums
IS  Give your
en_general_error CONSTANT NUMBER := -20000;
exc_general_error EXCEPTION; error numbers
PRAGMA EXCEPTION_INIT
(exc_general_error, -20000); names and
en_must_be_18 CONSTANT NUMBER := -20001; associate
exc_must_be_18 EXCEPTION;
PRAGMA EXCEPTION_INIT them with
(exc_must_be_18, -20001);
named
en_sal_too_low CONSTANT NUMBER := -20002;
exc_sal_too_low EXCEPTION; exceptions.
PRAGMA EXCEPTION_INIT
(exc_sal_too_low , -20002);
But don't write this
max_error_used CONSTANT NUMBER := -20002; code manually!
END errnums; msginfo.pkg

msginfo.fmb/fmx

Using the standard raise program
 Rather than have individual programmers call
RAISE_APPLICATION_ERROR, simply call the
standard raise program. Benefits:
– Easier to avoid hard-codings of numbers.
– Support positive error numbers!
 Let's revisit that trigger logic using the infrastructure
elements...
PROCEDURE validate_emp (birthdate_in IN DATE) IS
BEGIN
IF ADD_MONTHS (SYSDATE, 18 * 12 * -1) < birthdate_in
THEN
errpkg.raise (errnums.en_too_young);
END IF; No more hard-coded
END; strings or numbers.
Raise/handle errors by number...or name?
BEGIN
IF employee_rp.is_to_young (:new.hire_date)
THEN
RAISE_APPLICATION_ERROR (
-20175, 'You must be at least 18 years old!');
END IF;
 The above trigger fragment illustrates a common

problem: Hard-coding of error numbers and
messages.
 Certainly, it is better to use named constants, as in:
BEGIN
THEN But now we have a
RAISE_APPLICATION_ERROR (
employee_rp.en_too_young centralized
, employee_rp.em_too_young); dependency.
END IF;

Raising errors by name
BEGIN
THEN
qd_runtime.raise_error (
'EMPLOYEE-TOO-YOUNG'
, name1_in => 'LAST_NAME'
, value1_in => :new.last_name);
END IF;
 Use an error name (literal value).

– The code compiles now.
– Later, I define that error in the
repository.
– No central point of failure. Qnxo
www.qnxo.com
 Downsides: risk of typos, runtime qd_runtime.*
notification
Copyright of- Page
2000-2006 Steven Feuerstein "undefined
31 error."
Summary: an Exception Handling Architecture
 Make sure you understand how it all works

– Exception handling is tricky stuff
 Set standards before you start coding
– It's not the kind of thing you can easily add in
later
 Use standard infrastructure components
– Everyone and all programs need to handle
errors the same way
 Take full advantage of error management features.
– SAVE EXCEPTIONS, DBMS_ERRLOG,
DBMS_UTILITY.FORMAT_ERROR_BACKTRACE...
 Don't accept the limitations of Oracle's current
implementation.
More PL/SQL, Please!
 Bryn Llewellyn, PL/SQL Product Manager,

will hold forth at the Database Guru Lounge
at 12:30 PM today.
– Located in the Database Demo
Grounds area which is in the West
Hall at the rear, dead center and
under the area D sign

OPP 2007
February 28 – March 1, 2007
San Mateo Marriott
San Mateo, California
An ODTUG SP* Oracle PL/SQL
Programming Conference
*SP – Seriously Practical Conference
ODTUG Kaleidoscope
June 18 – 21, 2007
Pre-conference Hands-on Training - June 16 – 17
Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort
Daytona, Florida
WOW-Wide Open World, Wide Open Web!
For more
Copyright 2000-2006 Steven Feuerstein - Page information
34 visit www.odtug.com or call 910-452-7444

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OPP 2007

February 28 – March 1, 2007

Copyright 2000-2006 Steven Feuerstein - Page 3

 Watch, listen, ask questions.

 Use these materials as an accelerator as you venture into

 A significant challenge in any programming

 Define your requirements clearly

Copyright 2000-2006 Steven Feuerstein - Page 6

 When will errors be raised, when handled?

problem. Example: SELECT INTO ->

Copyright 2000-2006 Steven Feuerstein - Page 9

 What do you see after running this block?

Copyright 2000-2006 Steven Feuerstein - Page 10

 The EXCEPTION is a limited type of data.

Copyright 2000-2006 Steven Feuerstein - Page 11

 RAISE raises the specified exception by

 Communicate an error number and message to a

Copyright 2000-2006 Steven Feuerstein - Page 13

PACKAGE BODY valerr

 So I create the valerr package and then execute the

 The EXCEPTION section consolidates all error

 Get the full error message with

 Allows DML statements to execute against

 Provides a relatively simple way to use a

 DML statements generally are not rolled back when an

 Compensate for PL/SQL weaknesses.

 The EXCEPTION datatype does not allow you

 An error is a row in the error table, with many

WHEN NO_DATA_FOUND THEN

 If every developer writes exception handler code

 The rule: developers should only call a pre-defined

How should I specify the application-

* Just use -20000 all the time?

END errnums; msginfo.pkg

Copyright 2000-2006 Steven Feuerstein - Page 28

 The above trigger fragment illustrates a common

Copyright 2000-2006 Steven Feuerstein - Page 30

 Use an error name (literal value).

 Make sure you understand how it all works

 Bryn Llewellyn, PL/SQL Product Manager,

Copyright 2000-2006 Steven Feuerstein - Page 33

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