What is a PL/SQL Index?

An index in PL/SQL is a database object designed for instant access to data rows from the database. It functions the same as an index of a book, enabling easy navigation to specific information without wasting the time to scan the entire database for specific data.

PL/SQL is Oracle Corporation’s powerful extension to SQL. PL/SQL is a combination of SQL and procedural programming constructs. With PL/SQL, developers can create stored processes, functions, triggers, and other database-oriented applications. PL/SQL improves on SQL by providing procedural features such as loops, conditionals, and exception handling. It is a powerful and versatile language for the development of Oracle Database.

PL/SQL is a block-structured language that allows developers to merge SQL functionalities with procedural statements.

Types of PL/SQL Indexes

  • Single Column Index
  • Composite Index
  • Unique Index
  • Clustered Index etc.

Above are a few types of indexes in PL/SQL, There are many types of indexes in PL/SQL for various purposes to improve database management.

Create Index Operations in PL/SQL

In procedural language/structured query language the syntax of creating the index is as follows

Syntax:

CREATE INDEX Index_Name ON Table_Name ( Column_Name);

Here,

  • Index_Name: This is just the name we give to the index we want to create.
  • Table_Name: This refers to the name of the table in a database where you want to create the index.
  • Column_Name: This is the specific column within the table where you want to create the index.

Index in PL/SQL

In the Structured Query Language (SQL), understanding the concept of indexes is crucial for efficient database management. An index plays an important role in enhancing query performance by providing a quick and direct path to the data. In this article, we will be discussing what is an index is in PL/SQL and how it works, exploring its significance, syntax, and practical examples to learn the concept of index deeply.

Similar Reads

What is a PL/SQL Index?

An index in PL/SQL is a database object designed for instant access to data rows from the database. It functions the same as an index of a book, enabling easy navigation to specific information without wasting the time to scan the entire database for specific data....

Example of Index in PL/SQL

Example 1: Creating, Displaying, and Deleting and Managing Index in PL/SQL...

Advantages of Using Indexes in PL/SQL

Improves Query Performance: Indexes helps the database to find the rows that matches the given requirement/query, which can significantly improve the performance of search queries. Easier Data Maintenance: Indexes helps the database to maintain specific type of data in databases such as sorted and unique data values. Improve Concurrency: Indexes improve the concurrency of databases as they reduce the amount of locking and blocking that occurs while multiple transactions request/access the same data....

Disadvantages of Using Indexes in PL/SQL

Increases Storage of Database: Indexes increases the storage overhead of database as they requires the additional storage to save the indexes data. This additional data results into increase in storage of the database. Increases Maintenance of Database: Indexes need to be regularly checked and updated to make sure they work well with the queries used in a database. This extra work results into The increase in Maintenance of database. Increased query complexity: Sometimes Indexes can make the Query execution complex due to the considering the multiple execution plans and choosing shortest one from database to achieve the result....

Conclusion

Understanding indexes in PL/SQL can help users manage and utilize databases efficiently. In this article, we explore various aspects of indexes, such as their meaning and How they actually works, with the help of two examples. Additionally, we learned the important advantages and disadvantages of PL/SQL indexes....