Implicit Statement Results 📤

Mentor's Note: Before Oracle 12c, if a Procedure wanted to return a list of employees to a Java app, you had to use a REF CURSOR. It was messy. Now, you can just "Return" the result set directly! 💡

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🌟 The Scenario: The Direct Delivery 🚚

Imagine you order a meal.

• Old Way (Ref Cursor): The waiter gives you a token. You take the token to the kitchen to get your food.
• New Way (Implicit Result): The waiter just brings the food directly to your table. No extra steps! ✅

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💻 1. The RETURN_RESULT Method

We use the built-in package DBMS_SQL to hand a cursor back to the calling environment.

CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE get_top_earners AS
   c_emp SYS_REFCURSOR;
BEGIN
   -- 1. Open the cursor
   OPEN c_emp FOR 
      SELECT first_name, salary FROM employees 
      WHERE salary > 10000;

   -- 2. Return the result directly!
   DBMS_SQL.RETURN_RESULT(c_emp);
END;
/

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💻 2. Testing the Output

When you run this in SQL Developer or SQL*Plus, the rows will just appear in your output window automatically.

EXEC get_top_earners;
-- Result:
-- FIRST_NAME | SALARY
-- -----------|-------
-- Vishnu     | 15000
-- Arjun      | 12000

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🛡️ 3. Architect's Note: Modern Integration 🛡️

This feature was created to make Oracle compatible with features in SQL Server and MySQL.

• Benefits: It is much easier for Reporting Tools (like PowerBI or Tableau) to call a procedure and get data back instantly.
• Tip: Only use this for End-User Reporting. If you need to pass data between two PL/SQL blocks, a standard REF CURSOR is still the better choice. ⚡

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📈 Learning Path

• ← Back: Table Management
• Next: Associative Arrays (Collections) →