0036

developers create their own functions to augment what is delivered with the software. Suppose one wants to strip all the vowels out of a name with a function. One passes in a name (for instance, Bellissimo) and gets back the text ''Bllssm" when the function completes its work. Let's look at the get_age function which operates based on the following logic:

given a date of birth (format DD-MON-YYYY)
using an SQL function
get the months between today's date and the date passed in
divide the number of months by 12
truncate the results (giving the span in years between the 2 dates)
pass integer back

Packages

Packages roll functions and procedures together into a cohesive programming unit. Often, developers like to bundle like functionality together since it makes logical sense to call one larger unit and have it perform a series of tasks. Let's look at the CREATE_EMPLOYEE package in Table 1-4.

Component Name	Type	Work Accomplished
give_holidays	Procedure	Creates the default holiday quota based on the new person's rank in the company.
notify_benefits	Procedure	Creates a record in the BEN_QUEUE table to alert the benefits people of the new employee.
is_under_25	Function	Returns a "1" if the new employee is under 25 years old as of December 31 of the year they were hired.
is_over_59	Function	Returns a "1" if the new employee is 60 years old or older as of the calendar date of hire.
TABLE 1-4. Members of the CREATE_EMPLOYEE Package

Team Fly

0036