This section explains differences between PostgreSQL's PL/pgSQL language and Oracle's PL/SQL language, to help developers who port applications from Oracle® to PostgreSQL.
PL/pgSQL is similar to PL/SQL in many aspects. It is a block-structured, imperative language, and all variables have to be declared. Assignments, loops, conditionals are similar. The main differences you should keep in mind when porting from PL/SQL to PL/pgSQL are:
If a name used in a SQL command could be either a column name of a
table or a reference to a variable of the function,
PL/SQL treats it as a column name. This corresponds
to PL/pgSQL's
plpgsql.variable_conflict = use_column
behavior, which is not the default,
as explained in Section 42.10.1.
It's often best to avoid such ambiguities in the first place,
but if you have to port a large amount of code that depends on
this behavior, setting variable_conflict may be the
best solution.
In PostgreSQL the function body must be written as a string literal. Therefore you need to use dollar quoting or escape single quotes in the function body. (See Section 42.11.1.)
Data type names often need translation. For example, in Oracle string
values are commonly declared as being of type varchar2, which
is a non-SQL-standard type. In PostgreSQL,
use type varchar or text instead. Similarly, replace
type number with numeric, or use some other numeric
data type if there's a more appropriate one.
Instead of packages, use schemas to organize your functions into groups.
Since there are no packages, there are no package-level variables either. This is somewhat annoying. You can keep per-session state in temporary tables instead.
Integer FOR loops with REVERSE work
differently: PL/SQL counts down from the second
number to the first, while PL/pgSQL counts down
from the first number to the second, requiring the loop bounds
to be swapped when porting. This incompatibility is unfortunate
but is unlikely to be changed. (See Section 42.6.3.5.)
FOR loops over queries (other than cursors) also work
differently: the target variable(s) must have been declared,
whereas PL/SQL always declares them implicitly.
An advantage of this is that the variable values are still accessible
after the loop exits.
There are various notational differences for the use of cursor variables.
Example 42.9 shows how to port a simple function from PL/SQL to PL/pgSQL.
Example 42.9. Porting a Simple Function from PL/SQL to PL/pgSQL
Here is an Oracle PL/SQL function:
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION cs_fmt_browser_version(v_name varchar2,
v_version varchar2)
RETURN varchar2 IS
BEGIN
IF v_version IS NULL THEN
RETURN v_name;
END IF;
RETURN v_name || '/' || v_version;
END;
/
show errors;
Let's go through this function and see the differences compared to PL/pgSQL:
The type name varchar2 has to be changed to varchar
or text. In the examples in this section, we'll
use varchar, but text is often a better choice if
you do not need specific string length limits.
The RETURN key word in the function
prototype (not the function body) becomes
RETURNS in
PostgreSQL.
Also, IS becomes AS, and you need to
add a LANGUAGE clause because PL/pgSQL
is not the only possible function language.
In PostgreSQL, the function body is considered
to be a string literal, so you need to use quote marks or dollar
quotes around it. This substitutes for the terminating /
in the Oracle approach.
The show errors command does not exist in
PostgreSQL, and is not needed since errors are
reported automatically.
This is how this function would look when ported to PostgreSQL:
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION cs_fmt_browser_version(v_name varchar,
v_version varchar)
RETURNS varchar AS $$
BEGIN
IF v_version IS NULL THEN
RETURN v_name;
END IF;
RETURN v_name || '/' || v_version;
END;
$$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;
Example 42.10 shows how to port a function that creates another function and how to handle the ensuing quoting problems.
Example 42.10. Porting a Function that Creates Another Function from PL/SQL to PL/pgSQL
The following procedure grabs rows from a
SELECT statement and builds a large function
with the results in IF statements, for the
sake of efficiency.
This is the Oracle version:
CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE cs_update_referrer_type_proc IS
CURSOR referrer_keys IS
SELECT * FROM cs_referrer_keys
ORDER BY try_order;
func_cmd VARCHAR(4000);
BEGIN
func_cmd := 'CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION cs_find_referrer_type(v_host IN VARCHAR2,
v_domain IN VARCHAR2, v_url IN VARCHAR2) RETURN VARCHAR2 IS BEGIN';
FOR referrer_key IN referrer_keys LOOP
func_cmd := func_cmd ||
' IF v_' || referrer_key.kind
|| ' LIKE ''' || referrer_key.key_string
|| ''' THEN RETURN ''' || referrer_key.referrer_type
|| '''; END IF;';
END LOOP;
func_cmd := func_cmd || ' RETURN NULL; END;';
EXECUTE IMMEDIATE func_cmd;
END;
/
show errors;
Here is how this function would end up in PostgreSQL:
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION cs_update_referrer_type_proc() RETURNS void AS $func$
DECLARE
referrer_keys CURSOR IS
SELECT * FROM cs_referrer_keys
ORDER BY try_order;
func_body text;
func_cmd text;
BEGIN
func_body := 'BEGIN';
FOR referrer_key IN referrer_keys LOOP
func_body := func_body ||
' IF v_' || referrer_key.kind
|| ' LIKE ' || quote_literal(referrer_key.key_string)
|| ' THEN RETURN ' || quote_literal(referrer_key.referrer_type)
|| '; END IF;' ;
END LOOP;
func_body := func_body || ' RETURN NULL; END;';
func_cmd :=
'CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION cs_find_referrer_type(v_host varchar,
v_domain varchar,
v_url varchar)
RETURNS varchar AS '
|| quote_literal(func_body)
|| ' LANGUAGE plpgsql;' ;
EXECUTE func_cmd;
END;
$func$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;
Notice how the body of the function is built separately and passed
through quote_literal to double any quote marks in it. This
technique is needed because we cannot safely use dollar quoting for
defining the new function: we do not know for sure what strings will
be interpolated from the referrer_key.key_string field.
(We are assuming here that referrer_key.kind can be
trusted to always be host, domain, or
url, but referrer_key.key_string might be
anything, in particular it might contain dollar signs.) This function
is actually an improvement on the Oracle original, because it will
not generate broken code when referrer_key.key_string or
referrer_key.referrer_type contain quote marks.
Example 42.11 shows how to port a function
with OUT parameters and string manipulation.
PostgreSQL does not have a built-in
instr function, but you can create one
using a combination of other
functions. In Section 42.12.3 there is a
PL/pgSQL implementation of
instr that you can use to make your porting
easier.
Example 42.11. Porting a Procedure With String Manipulation and
OUT Parameters from PL/SQL to
PL/pgSQL
The following Oracle PL/SQL procedure is used to parse a URL and return several elements (host, path, and query).
This is the Oracle version:
CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE cs_parse_url(
v_url IN VARCHAR2,
v_host OUT VARCHAR2, -- This will be passed back
v_path OUT VARCHAR2, -- This one too
v_query OUT VARCHAR2) -- And this one
IS
a_pos1 INTEGER;
a_pos2 INTEGER;
BEGIN
v_host := NULL;
v_path := NULL;
v_query := NULL;
a_pos1 := instr(v_url, '//');
IF a_pos1 = 0 THEN
RETURN;
END IF;
a_pos2 := instr(v_url, '/', a_pos1 + 2);
IF a_pos2 = 0 THEN
v_host := substr(v_url, a_pos1 + 2);
v_path := '/';
RETURN;
END IF;
v_host := substr(v_url, a_pos1 + 2, a_pos2 - a_pos1 - 2);
a_pos1 := instr(v_url, '?', a_pos2 + 1);
IF a_pos1 = 0 THEN
v_path := substr(v_url, a_pos2);
RETURN;
END IF;
v_path := substr(v_url, a_pos2, a_pos1 - a_pos2);
v_query := substr(v_url, a_pos1 + 1);
END;
/
show errors;
Here is a possible translation into PL/pgSQL:
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION cs_parse_url(
v_url IN VARCHAR,
v_host OUT VARCHAR, -- This will be passed back
v_path OUT VARCHAR, -- This one too
v_query OUT VARCHAR) -- And this one
AS $$
DECLARE
a_pos1 INTEGER;
a_pos2 INTEGER;
BEGIN
v_host := NULL;
v_path := NULL;
v_query := NULL;
a_pos1 := instr(v_url, '//');
IF a_pos1 = 0 THEN
RETURN;
END IF;
a_pos2 := instr(v_url, '/', a_pos1 + 2);
IF a_pos2 = 0 THEN
v_host := substr(v_url, a_pos1 + 2);
v_path := '/';
RETURN;
END IF;
v_host := substr(v_url, a_pos1 + 2, a_pos2 - a_pos1 - 2);
a_pos1 := instr(v_url, '?', a_pos2 + 1);
IF a_pos1 = 0 THEN
v_path := substr(v_url, a_pos2);
RETURN;
END IF;
v_path := substr(v_url, a_pos2, a_pos1 - a_pos2);
v_query := substr(v_url, a_pos1 + 1);
END;
$$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;This function could be used like this:
SELECT * FROM cs_parse_url('http://foobar.com/query.cgi?baz');
Example 42.12 shows how to port a procedure that uses numerous features that are specific to Oracle.
Example 42.12. Porting a Procedure from PL/SQL to PL/pgSQL
The Oracle version:
CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE cs_create_job(v_job_id IN INTEGER) IS
a_running_job_count INTEGER;
PRAGMA AUTONOMOUS_TRANSACTION; -- (1)
BEGIN
LOCK TABLE cs_jobs IN EXCLUSIVE MODE; -- (2)
SELECT count(*) INTO a_running_job_count FROM cs_jobs WHERE end_stamp IS NULL;
IF a_running_job_count > 0 THEN
COMMIT; -- free lock (3)
raise_application_error(-20000,
'Unable to create a new job: a job is currently running.');
END IF;
DELETE FROM cs_active_job;
INSERT INTO cs_active_job(job_id) VALUES (v_job_id);
BEGIN
INSERT INTO cs_jobs (job_id, start_stamp) VALUES (v_job_id, sysdate);
EXCEPTION
WHEN dup_val_on_index THEN NULL; -- don't worry if it already exists
END;
COMMIT;
END;
/
show errors
Procedures like this can easily be converted into PostgreSQL
functions returning void. This procedure in
particular is interesting because it can teach us some things:
There is no | |
If you do a | |
You cannot issue |
This is how we could port this procedure to PL/pgSQL:
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION cs_create_job(v_job_id integer) RETURNS void AS $$
DECLARE
a_running_job_count integer;
BEGIN
LOCK TABLE cs_jobs IN EXCLUSIVE MODE;
SELECT count(*) INTO a_running_job_count FROM cs_jobs WHERE end_stamp IS NULL;
IF a_running_job_count > 0 THEN
RAISE EXCEPTION 'Unable to create a new job: a job is currently running'; -- (1)
END IF;
DELETE FROM cs_active_job;
INSERT INTO cs_active_job(job_id) VALUES (v_job_id);
BEGIN
INSERT INTO cs_jobs (job_id, start_stamp) VALUES (v_job_id, now());
EXCEPTION
WHEN unique_violation THEN -- (2)
-- don't worry if it already exists
END;
END;
$$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;
The syntax of | |
The exception names supported by PL/pgSQL are different from Oracle's. The set of built-in exception names is much larger (see Appendix A). There is not currently a way to declare user-defined exception names, although you can throw user-chosen SQLSTATE values instead. |
The main functional difference between this procedure and the
Oracle equivalent is that the exclusive lock on the cs_jobs
table will be held until the calling transaction completes. Also, if
the caller later aborts (for example due to an error), the effects of
this procedure will be rolled back.
This section explains a few other things to watch for when porting Oracle PL/SQL functions to PostgreSQL.
In PL/pgSQL, when an exception is caught by an
EXCEPTION clause, all database changes since the block's
BEGIN are automatically rolled back. That is, the behavior
is equivalent to what you'd get in Oracle with:
BEGIN
SAVEPOINT s1;
... code here ...
EXCEPTION
WHEN ... THEN
ROLLBACK TO s1;
... code here ...
WHEN ... THEN
ROLLBACK TO s1;
... code here ...
END;
If you are translating an Oracle procedure that uses
SAVEPOINT and ROLLBACK TO in this style,
your task is easy: just omit the SAVEPOINT and
ROLLBACK TO. If you have a procedure that uses
SAVEPOINT and ROLLBACK TO in a different way
then some actual thought will be required.
EXECUTE The PL/pgSQL version of
EXECUTE works similarly to the
PL/SQL version, but you have to remember to use
quote_literal and
quote_ident as described in Section 42.5.4. Constructs of the
type EXECUTE 'SELECT * FROM $1'; will not work
reliably unless you use these functions.
PostgreSQL gives you two function creation modifiers to optimize execution: “volatility” (whether the function always returns the same result when given the same arguments) and “strictness” (whether the function returns null if any argument is null). Consult the CREATE FUNCTION reference page for details.
When making use of these optimization attributes, your
CREATE FUNCTION statement might look something
like this:
CREATE FUNCTION foo(...) RETURNS integer AS $$ ... $$ LANGUAGE plpgsql STRICT IMMUTABLE;
This section contains the code for a set of Oracle-compatible
instr functions that you can use to simplify
your porting efforts.
--
-- instr functions that mimic Oracle's counterpart
-- Syntax: instr(string1, string2, [n], [m]) where [] denotes optional parameters.
--
-- Searches string1 beginning at the nth character for the mth occurrence
-- of string2. If n is negative, search backwards. If m is not passed,
-- assume 1 (search starts at first character).
--
CREATE FUNCTION instr(varchar, varchar) RETURNS integer AS $$
DECLARE
pos integer;
BEGIN
pos:= instr($1, $2, 1);
RETURN pos;
END;
$$ LANGUAGE plpgsql STRICT IMMUTABLE;
CREATE FUNCTION instr(string varchar, string_to_search varchar, beg_index integer)
RETURNS integer AS $$
DECLARE
pos integer NOT NULL DEFAULT 0;
temp_str varchar;
beg integer;
length integer;
ss_length integer;
BEGIN
IF beg_index > 0 THEN
temp_str := substring(string FROM beg_index);
pos := position(string_to_search IN temp_str);
IF pos = 0 THEN
RETURN 0;
ELSE
RETURN pos + beg_index - 1;
END IF;
ELSIF beg_index < 0 THEN
ss_length := char_length(string_to_search);
length := char_length(string);
beg := length + beg_index - ss_length + 2;
WHILE beg > 0 LOOP
temp_str := substring(string FROM beg FOR ss_length);
pos := position(string_to_search IN temp_str);
IF pos > 0 THEN
RETURN beg;
END IF;
beg := beg - 1;
END LOOP;
RETURN 0;
ELSE
RETURN 0;
END IF;
END;
$$ LANGUAGE plpgsql STRICT IMMUTABLE;
CREATE FUNCTION instr(string varchar, string_to_search varchar,
beg_index integer, occur_index integer)
RETURNS integer AS $$
DECLARE
pos integer NOT NULL DEFAULT 0;
occur_number integer NOT NULL DEFAULT 0;
temp_str varchar;
beg integer;
i integer;
length integer;
ss_length integer;
BEGIN
IF beg_index > 0 THEN
beg := beg_index;
temp_str := substring(string FROM beg_index);
FOR i IN 1..occur_index LOOP
pos := position(string_to_search IN temp_str);
IF i = 1 THEN
beg := beg + pos - 1;
ELSE
beg := beg + pos;
END IF;
temp_str := substring(string FROM beg + 1);
END LOOP;
IF pos = 0 THEN
RETURN 0;
ELSE
RETURN beg;
END IF;
ELSIF beg_index < 0 THEN
ss_length := char_length(string_to_search);
length := char_length(string);
beg := length + beg_index - ss_length + 2;
WHILE beg > 0 LOOP
temp_str := substring(string FROM beg FOR ss_length);
pos := position(string_to_search IN temp_str);
IF pos > 0 THEN
occur_number := occur_number + 1;
IF occur_number = occur_index THEN
RETURN beg;
END IF;
END IF;
beg := beg - 1;
END LOOP;
RETURN 0;
ELSE
RETURN 0;
END IF;
END;
$$ LANGUAGE plpgsql STRICT IMMUTABLE;