What is the difference between SQL and PL/SQL?
Both SQL and PL/SQL are languages used to access data within Oracle databases.
SQL is a limited language that allows you to directly interact with the database. You can write queries (SELECT), manipulate objects (DDL) and data (DML) with SQL. However, SQL doesn't include all the things that normal programming languages have, such as loops and IF...THEN...ELSE statements.
PL/SQL is a normal programming language that includes all the features of most other programming languages. But, it has one thing that other programming languages don't have: the ability to easily integrate with SQL.
Some of the differences:
• SQL is executed one statement at a time. PL/SQL is executed as a block of code.
• SQL tells the database what to do (declarative), not how to do it. In contrast, PL/SQL tell the database how to do things (procedural).
• SQL is used to code queries, DML and DDL statements. PL/SQL is used to code program blocks, triggers, functions, procedures and packages.
• You can embed SQL in a PL/SQL program, but you cannot embed PL/SQL within a SQL statement.
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