Re: Accessing External API DLLs from Database

From: Gerrit-Jan Linker <gjlinker_at_oraxcel.com>
Date: Sun, 8 Jul 2001 17:22:06 +0100
Message-ID: <9ia186$512$1@uranium.btinternet.com>

According to the Oracle documentation you can indeed call an external function in a DLL from PL/SQL. I think Oracle 8.1 is the first version you can use this in but it may also have been in 8.0.

Hope this helps,

--
Gerrit-Jan Linker
SQL*XL: addin for Excel for easy access to Oracle databases
http://www.oraxcel.com


"Mike" <nospam_at_please.com> wrote in message
news:RJP07.25$kX2.965_at_vic.nntp.telstra.net...


> Hi There,

>

> We are considering purchasing and integrating a Quick Address System for

> verify addresses and returning barcodes for the address records that we

 have


> stored in our 8.1.6.1 NT 4 Database.

>

> We are thinking of using foreign package calls from within the database to

> access their provided API DLL which was written in C++.

>

> As I haven't implemented any foreign function calls before, I'm keen to

 know


> if this is one of Oracles "Features" that never really worked, or whether

 it


> is a reliable option that we can use.

>

> Can anyone guide me and tell me how steep the learn curve is to getting

> foreign functions up and running?  Is the database efficient at using

> foreign function calls, or does it introduce memory leaks and

 instabilities?


> How good is it at type conversions to and from the DLLs?

>

> Thanks in advance,

>

> Mike Cretan

>

>

Received on Sun Jul 08 2001 - 11:22:06 CDT