Oracle Methods
Methods are user-defined functions that are defined along with a user-defined type.
- A method is a procedure or function that is part of the object type definition.
†Because they are included in the type, they are called MEMBER methods of the type.
- An object type can have zero or more explicitly defined methods.
- Are defined in the
CREATE TYPE definition.
- Are identified by the keyword
MEMBER in the type specification and body.
- Reference attributes and other member methods without a qualifier.
- Are implemented in PL/SQL or a host language, such as C, stored externally.
An external procedure is a procedure implemented in a language not stored in the database but callable from SQL.
After the procedure is implemented, the compiled code must be placed in a file accessible to the database server.
Then the external procedure is registered with the server using a CREATE PROCEDURE or CREATE FUNCTION statement.
†It requires a DBA privilege to use an external procedure.