An ANYDATA TYPE contains an instance of a given type, plus a description of the type. In this sense, an ANYDATA is self-describing. An ANYDATA can be persistently stored in the database.
This chapter contains the following topics:
Restrictions
Operational Notes
Persistent storage of ANYDATA instances whose type contains embedded LOBs other than BFILEs is not currently supported.
There are 2 ways to construct an ANYDATA. The CONVERT* calls enable construction of the ANYDATA in its entirety with a single call. They serve as explicit CAST functions from any type in the Oracle ORDBMS to ANYDATA.
STATIC FUNCTION ConvertBDouble(dbl IN BINARY_DOUBLE) return ANYDATA, STATIC FUNCTION ConvertBfile(b IN BFILE) RETURN ANYDATA, STATIC FUNCTION ConvertBFloat(fl IN BINARY_FLOAT) return ANYDATA, STATIC FUNCTION ConvertBlob(b IN BLOB) RETURN ANYDATA, STATIC FUNCTION ConvertChar(c IN CHAR) RETURN ANYDATA, STATIC FUNCTION ConvertClob(c IN CLOB) RETURN ANYDATA, STATIC FUNCTION ConvertCollection(col IN "collection_type") RETURN ANYDATA, STATIC FUNCTION ConvertDate(dat IN DATE) RETURN ANYDATA, STATIC FUNCTION ConvertIntervalDS(inv IN INTERVAL DAY TO SECOND) return ANYDATA, STATIC FUNCTION ConvertIntervalYM(invIN INTERVAL YEAR TO MONTH) return ANYDATA, STATIC FUNCTION ConvertNchar(nc IN NCHAR) return ANYDATA, STATIC FUNCTION ConvertNClob(nc IN NCLOB) return ANYDATA, STATIC FUNCTION ConvertNumber(num IN NUMBER) RETURN ANYDATA, STATIC FUNCTION ConvertNVarchar2(nc IN NVARCHAR2) return ANYDATA, STATIC FUNCTION ConvertObject(obj IN "<object_type>") RETURN ANYDATA, STATIC FUNCTION ConvertRaw(r IN RAW) RETURN ANYDATA, STATIC FUNCTION ConvertRef(rf IN REF "<object_type>") RETURN ANYDATA, STATIC FUNCTION ConvertTimestamp(ts IN TIMESTAMP) return ANYDATA, STATIC FUNCTION ConvertTimestampTZ(ts IN TIMESTAMP WITH TIMEZONE) return ANYDATA, STATIC FUNCTION ConvertTimestampLTZ(ts IN TIMESTAMP WITH LOCAL TIMEZONE) return ANYDATA, STATIC FUNCTION ConvertURowid(rid IN UROWID) return ANYDATA, STATIC FUNCTION ConvertVarchar(c IN VARCHAR) RETURN ANYDATA, STATIC FUNCTION ConvertVarchar2(c IN VARCHAR2) RETURN ANYDATA,
The second way to construct an ANYDATA is a piece by piece approach. The BEGINCREATE Static Procedure call begins the construction process and ENDCREATE Member Procedure call finishes the construction process. In between these two calls, the individual attributes of an object type or the elements of a collection can be set using SET* calls. For piece by piece access of the attributes of objects and elements of collections, the PIECEWISE Member Procedure should be invoked prior to GET* calls.
Note: The ANYDATA has to be constructed or accessed sequentially starting from its first attribute (or collection element). The BEGINCREATE call automatically begins the construction in a piece-wise mode. There is no need to call PIECEWISE immediately after BEGINCREATE. ENDCREATE should be called to finish the construction process (before which any access calls can be made).
Access functions are available based on SQL. These functions do not throw exceptions on type-mismatch. Instead, they return NULL if the type of the ANYDATA does not correspond to the type of access. If you wish to use only ANYDATA functions of the appropriate types returned in a query, you should use a WHERE clause which uses GETTYPENAME and choose the type you are interested in (say "SYS.NUMBER"). Each of these functions returns the value of a specified datatype inside a SYS.ANYDATA wrapper.
MEMBER FUNCTION AccessBDouble(self IN ANYDATA) return BINARY_DOUBLE DETERMINISTIC, MEMBER FUNCTION AccessBfile(self IN ANYDATA) return BFILE, MEMBER FUNCTION AccessBFloat(self IN ANYDATA) return BINARY_FLOAT DETERMINISTIC, MEMBER FUNCTION AccessBlob(self IN ANYDATA) return BLOB, MEMBER FUNCTION AccessChar(self IN ANYDATA) return CHAR, MEMBER FUNCTION AccessClob(self IN ANYDATA) return CLOB, MEMBER FUNCTION AccessDate(self IN ANYDATA) return DATE, MEMBER FUNCTION AccessIntervalYM(self IN ANYDATA) return INTERVAL YEAR TO MONTH, MEMBER FUNCTION AccessIntervalDS(self IN ANYDATA) return INTERVAL DAY TO SECOND, MEMBER FUNCTION AccessNchar(self IN ANYDATA) return NCHAR, MEMBER FUNCTION AccessNClob(self IN ANYDATA) return NCLOB MEMBER FUNCTION AccessNumber(self IN ANYDATA) return NUMBER, MEMBER FUNCTION AccessNVarchar2(self IN ANYDATA) return NVARCHAR2, MEMBER FUNCTION AccessRaw(self IN ANYDATA) return RAW, MEMBER FUNCTION AccessTimestamp(self IN ANYDATA) return TIMESTAMP, MEMBER FUNCTION AccessTimestampLTZ(self IN ANYDATA) return TIMESTAMP WITH LOCAL TIMEZONE, MEMBER FUNCTION AccessTimestampTZ(self IN ANYDATA) return TIMESTAMP WITH TIMEZONE, MEMBER FUNCTION AccessURowid(self IN ANYDATA) return UROWID DETERMINISTIC MEMBER FUNCTION AccessVarchar(self IN ANYDATA) return VARCHAR, MEMBER FUNCTION AccessVarchar2(self IN ANYDATA) return VARCHAR2,
Table 241-1 ANYDATA Type Subprograms
| Subprogram | Description |
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Begins creation process on a new |
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Ends creation of an |
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Gets the current data value (which should be of appropriate type) |
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Gets the Type of the |
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Get the fully qualified type name for the |
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Sets the |
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Sets the current data value. |
This procedure begins the creation process on a new ANYDATA.
DBMS_TYPES.INVALID_PARAMETERS: dtype is invalid (not fully constructed, and similar deficits.)
This procedure ends creation of an ANYDATA. Other creation functions cannot be called after this call.
These functions get the current data value (which should be of appropriate type).
The type of the current data value depends on the MODE with which we are accessing (depending on whether we have invoked the PIECEWISE call).
If PIECEWISE has NOT been called, we are accessing the ANYDATA in its entirety and the type of the data value should match the type of the ANYDATA.
If PIECEWISE has been called, we are accessing the ANYDATA piece-wise. The type of the data value should match the type of the attribute (or collection element) at the current position.
MEMBER FUNCTION GetBDouble( self IN ANYDATA, dbl OUT NOCOPY BINARY_DOUBLE) RETURN PLS_INTEGER; MEMBER FUNCTION GetBfile( self IN ANYDATA, b OUT NOCOPY BFILE) RETURN PLS_INTEGER; MEMBER FUNCTION GetBFloat( self IN ANYDATA, fl OUT NOCOPY BINARY_FLOAT) RETURN PLS_INTEGER; MEMBER FUNCTION GetBlob( self IN ANYDATA, b OUT NOCOPY BLOB) RETURN PLS_INTEGER; MEMBER FUNCTION GetChar( self IN ANYDATA, c OUT NOCOPY CHAR) RETURN PLS_INTEGER; MEMBER FUNCTION GetClob( self IN ANYDATA, c OUT NOCOPY CLOB) RETURN PLS_INTEGER; MEMBER FUNCTION GetCollection( self IN ANYDATA, col OUT NOCOPY "<collection_type>") RETURN PLS_INTEGER; MEMBER FUNCTION GetDate( self IN ANYDATA, dat OUT NOCOPY DATE) RETURN PLS_INTEGER; MEMBER FUNCTION GetIntervalDS( self IN ANYDATA, inv OUT NOCOPY INTERVAL DAY TO SECOND) RETURN PLS_INTEGER; MEMBER FUNCTION GetIntervalYM( self IN ANYDATA, inv OUT NOCOPY INTERVAL YEAR TO MONTH) RETURN PLS_INTEGER; MEMBER FUNCTION GetNchar( self IN ANYDATA, nc OUT NOCOPY NCHAR) RETURN PLS_INTEGER; MEMBER FUNCTION GetNClob( self IN ANYDATA, nc OUT NOCOPY NCLOB) RETURN PLS_INTEGER; MEMBER FUNCTION GetNumber( self IN ANYDATA, num OUT NOCOPY NUMBER) RETURN PLS_INTEGER; MEMBER FUNCTION GetNVarchar2( self IN ANYDATA, nc OUT NOCOPY NVARCHAR2) RETURN PLS_INTEGER; MEMBER FUNCTION GetObject( self IN ANYDATA, obj OUT NOCOPY "<object_type>") RETURN PLS_INTEGER; MEMBER FUNCTION GetRaw( self IN ANYDATA, r OUT NOCOPY RAW) RETURN PLS_INTEGER; MMEMBER FUNCTION GetRef( self IN ANYDATA, rf OUT NOCOPY REF "<object_type>") RETURN PLS_INTEGER; MEMBER FUNCTION GetTimestamp( self IN ANYDATA, ts OUT NOCOPY TIMESTAMP) RETURN PLS_INTEGER; MEMBER FUNCTION GetTimestampTZ( self IN ANYDATA, ts OUT NOCOPY TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE) RETURN PLS_INTEGER; MEMBER FUNCTION GetTimestampLTZ( self IN ANYDATA, ts OUT NOCOPY TIMESTAMP WITH LOCAL TIME ZONE) RETURN PLS_INTEGER; MEMBER FUNCTION GetVarchar( self IN ANYDATA, c OUT NOCOPY VARCHAR) RETURN PLS_INTEGER; MEMBER FUNCTION GetVarchar2( self IN ANYDATA, c OUT NOCOPY VARCHAR2) RETURN PLS_INTEGER;
DBMS_TYPES.SUCCESS or DBMS_TYPES.NO_DATA
The return value is relevant only if PIECEWISE has been already called (for a collection). In such a case, DBMS_TYPES.NO_DATA signifies the end of the collection when all elements have been accessed.
This function gets the fully qualified type name for the ANYDATA.
If the ANYDATA is based on a built-in type, this function will return NUMBER and other relevant information.
If it is based on a user defined type, this function will return schema_name.type_name, for example, SCOTT.FOO.
If it is based on a transient anonymous type, this function will return NULL.
This procedure sets the MODE of access of the current data value to be an attribute at a time (if the data value is of TYPECODE_OBJECT).
It sets the MODE of access of the data value to be a collection element at a time (if the data value is of collection type). Once this call has been made, subsequent calls to SET* and GET* will sequentially obtain individual attributes or collection elements.
Sets the current data value.
This is a list of procedures that should be called depending on the type of the current data value. The type of the data value should be the type of the attribute at the current position during the piece-wise construction process.
MEMBER PROCEDURE SETBDOUBLE( self IN OUT NOCOPY ANYDATA, dbl IN BINARY_DOUBLE, last_elem IN boolean DEFAULT FALSE); MEMBER PROCEDURE SETBFILE( self IN OUT NOCOPY ANYDATA, b IN BFILE, last_elem IN boolean DEFAULT FALSE); MEMBER PROCEDURE SETBFLOAT( self IN OUT NOCOPY ANYDATA, fl IN BINARY_FLOAT, last_elem IN boolean DEFAULT FALSE); MEMBER PROCEDURE SETBLOB( self IN OUT NOCOPY ANYDATA, b IN BLOB, last_elem IN boolean DEFAULT FALSE); MEMBER PROCEDURE SETCHAR( self IN OUT NOCOPY ANYDATA, c IN CHAR, last_elem IN boolean DEFAULT FALSE); MEMBER PROCEDURE SETCLOB( self IN OUT NOCOPY ANYDATA, c IN CLOB, last_elem IN boolean DEFAULT FALSE); MEMBER PROCEDURE SETCOLLECTION( self IN OUT NOCOPY ANYDATA, col IN "<collectyion_type>", last_elem IN boolean DEFAULT FALSE); MEMBER PROCEDURE SETDATE( self IN OUT NOCOPY ANYDATA, dat IN DATE, last_elem IN boolean DEFAULT FALSE); MEMBER PROCEDURE SETINTERVALDS( self IN OUT NOCOPY ANYDATA, inv IN INTERVAL DAY TO SECOND, last_elem IN boolean DEFAULT FALSE); MEMBER PROCEDURE SETINTERVALYM( self IN OUT NOCOPY ANYDATA, inv IN INTERVAL YEAR TO MONTH, last_elem IN boolean DEFAULT FALSE); MEMBER PROCEDURE SETNCHAR( self IN OUT NOCOPY ANYDATA, nc IN NCHAR, last_elem IN boolean DEFAULT FALSE); MEMBER PROCEDURE SETNCLOB( self IN OUT NOCOPY ANYDATA, nc IN NClob, last_elem IN boolean DEFAULT FALSE); MEMBER PROCEDURE SETNUMBER( self IN OUT NOCOPY ANYDATA, num IN NUMBER, last_elem IN boolean DEFAULT FALSE); MEMBER PROCEDURE SETNVARCHAR2( self IN OUT NOCOPY ANYDATA, nc IN NVarchar2, last_elem IN boolean DEFAULT FALSE), MEMBER PROCEDURE SETOBJECT( self IN OUT NOCOPY ANYDATA, obj IN "<object_type>", last_elem IN boolean DEFAULT FALSE); MEMBER PROCEDURE SETRAW( self IN OUT NOCOPY ANYDATA, r IN RAW, last_elem IN boolean DEFAULT FALSE); MEMBER PROCEDURE SETREF( self IN OUT NOCOPY ANYDATA, rf IN REF "<object_type>", last_elem IN boolean DEFAULT FALSE); MEMBER PROCEDURE SETTIMESTAMP( self IN OUT NOCOPY ANYDATA, ts IN TIMESTAMP, last_elem IN BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE); MEMBER PROCEDURE SETTIMESTAMPTZ(self IN OUT NOCOPY ANYDATA, ts IN TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE, last_elem IN BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE); MEMBER PROCEDURE SETTIMESTAMPLTZ( self IN OUT NOCOPY ANYDATA, ts IN TIMESTAMP WITH LOCAL TIME ZONE, last_elem IN boolean DEFAULT FALSE), MEMBER PROCEDURE SETVARCHAR( self IN OUT NOCOPY ANYDATA, c IN VARCHAR, last_elem IN boolean DEFAULT FALSE); MEMBER PROCEDURE SETVARCHAR2( self IN OUT NOCOPY ANYDATA, c IN VARCHAR2, last_elem IN boolean DEFAULT FALSE);
DBMS_TYPES.INVALID_PARAMETERS: Invalid Parameters (if it is not appropriate to add a number at this point in the creation process).
DBMS_TYPES.INCORRECT_USAGE: Incorrect usage.
DBMS_TYPES.TYPE_MISMATCH: When the expected type is different from the passed in type.