Re: What is a UDT?

Ryan wrote:

> "Daniel Morgan" <damorgan_at_exxesolutions.com> wrote in message
> news:3F085794.64CF69C_at_exxesolutions.com...
> > Oracle 9.2.0.2.0 on Win2K
> >
> <snipped>
>
>
> looks like they snagged UDT from object oriented terminology. Where you have
> your primitive data types such as ints, chars, etc... everything else is
> created by the user. then everything which is created by the programmer.
>
> however, considering that most oracle people dont have Object oriented
> backgrounds, you would think they would beef up the documentation. Now I
> remember skimming the Object Type docs, and I think I remember a reference
> to the term User defined data type, but they really should put 'UDT'
> somewhere in the documentation to make it easier.
>
> btw, has anyone found the Oracle Object types(other than the arrays and REF
> cursors) useful at all? I can see nested tables being useful in a
> datawarehouse environment where you want to denormalize for speed...
>
> but I cant see any reason to use Object Types in the database. why mix a
> relational design and an object oriented design? Id think it would be harder
> to maintain.
>
> anyone have a good use for them?

I use Types routinely, Object Types not so much, and mostly to support bulk binding and FORALL in place of cursor loops. But I am seeing more and more need for them with XML.

--
Daniel Morgan
http://www.outreach.washington.edu/extinfo/certprog/oad/oad_crs.asp
damorgan_at_x.washington.edu
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