10.2. Functions
Some languages have a single subprogram type. A Java class has methods and a method may or may not return data. The C language is the same. The only subprogram in C is a function. A C function can return a value or modify the contents of an address value passed as an argument.
PL/SQL includes two types of subprograms: procedures and functions. Consider a package to be the encapsulation of operations on some object. That object can be a table, database pipe, host file, tables in a remote database, or many other options. Procedures take actions on the object and modify them. Functions provide a means to acquire status or state information about the object.
The package typically behaves as an API that hides an object and provides ...
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