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PL/SQL / Advanced PL/SQL

REF CURSOR

Learn REF CURSOR in PL/SQL through a focused explanation, a dedicated construct-specific example, an engineering boundary, and a mastery check.

10 min read • Advanced

REF CURSOR is an atomic PL/SQL topic inside Advanced PL/SQL. This lesson focuses on how the REF CURSOR construct is written, what it changes, and when it is the right tool.

Trace the example line by line. Identify the exact syntax for REF CURSOR, the input state before it runs, and the resulting value, control flow, database state, hardware behavior, or runtime effect afterward. Neighboring lessons use different constructs rather than renamed copies of this one.

Topic-specific example

plsql-08-04-ref-cursor.sql
plsql Try It Live 
DECLARE TYPE t_cur IS REF CURSOR; c t_cur; r employees%ROWTYPE; BEGIN OPEN c FOR SELECT * FROM employees WHERE department_id=10; FETCH c INTO r; CLOSE c; END; /
Edge case / engineering note

For REF CURSOR, test the boundary that belongs to this exact feature rather than a generic failure case. Check invalid or empty input, NULL/unknown state, numeric limits, transaction or exception behavior, synthesis/runtime constraints, ownership/permission rules, or backtracking/control-flow effects where they apply.

Content source & attribution
Original Syntaxis Content · Original Syntaxis Content

Lesson quizzes

REF CURSOR Mastery Check →
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Pipelined function