How to generate DELETE statements in PL/SQL, based on the tables FK relations?

Question

Is it possible via script/tool to generate authomatically many delete statements based on the tables fk relations, using Oracle PL/SQL?

In example: I have the table:

Answer 1

The problem is if the top level key column isn't propagated all the way down to the bottom. If you can do DELETE FROM grandchild WHERE parent_id = :1, it is fine. If you have to do,

DELETE FROM grandchild
WHERE child_id in (SELECT id FROM child WHERE parent_id = :1)

then going down six or seven deep will give you ugly (and probably slow) queries.

While you said you can't make the constraints CASCADE, can you make them deferrable initally immediate ? That way existing code should not be impacted. Your 'delete' session would make all constraints deferred. Then delete from the parent, delete from the child where the record wasn't in the parent, delete from the grandchild where there's no match in the child etc...