User Defined Data Types

From: <r_nandakumar_at_my-deja.com>
Date: Tue, 16 Nov 1999 00:02:10 GMT
Message-ID: <80q6u0$sta$1@nnrp1.deja.com>

I need feedback from application designers who have used User Defined Data Types in Oracle ... in particular, I would like feedback on: performance, indexing limitations, replication limitations, etc. .. in other words, is there any reason NOT to use User Defined Datatypes? The question is particularly relevant when one is translating models from typical OO systems for data storage .. if I could simply do stuff like the manual suggests ... e.g.
CREATE TYPE external_person AS OBJECT (

  name        VARCHAR2(30),
  phone       VARCHAR2(20) );

CREATE TYPE lineitem AS OBJECT (
  item_name VARCHAR2(30),
  quantity NUMBER,
  unit_price NUMBER(12,2) );

CREATE TYPE lineitem_table AS TABLE OF lineitem;

CREATE TYPE purchase_order AS OBJECT (

  id          NUMBER,
  contact     external_person,

  lineitems lineitem_table,

  MEMBER FUNCTION
  get_value RETURN NUMBER );

.. ..

then why would ever want NOT to use it for ANY table .. Is there a flip side to benefits of this feature?

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Before you buy. Received on Mon Nov 15 1999 - 18:02:10 CST