Table-Valued Functions in ORACLE 11g ? ( parameterized views )

Question

I\'ve seen discussions about this in the past, such as here. But I\'m wondering if somewhere along the line, maybe 10g or 11g (we are using 11g), ORACLE has introduced any b

Answer 1

It is possible to define a kind of "parametrized" views in Oracle. The steps are:

1. Define a package containing as public members that are in fact the needed parameters (there is no need for functions or procedures in that package),
2. Define a view that is based on that package members.

To use this mechanism one user should:

1. open a session,
2. assign the desired values to that package members,
3. SELECT data from the view,
4. do other stuff or close the session.

REMARK: it is essential for the user to do all the three steps in only one session as the package members scope is exactly a session.