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B
bind reference A reference to a parameter
used to replace a single literal value (e.g., a
character string, number, or date)
appearing anywhere in a PL/SQL construct
or a SQL SELECT statement. For a bind
reference, you must precede the parameter
name with a colon (:).
bind variable A variable in a SQL statement
that must be replaced with a valid value, or
the address of a value, in order for the
statement to successfully execute.
bit The smallest unit of data. A bit only has
two possible values, 0 or 1. Bits can be
combined into groups of eight called bytes;
each byte represents a single character of
data. See also byte.
block In PL/SQL, a group of SQL and
PL/SQL commands related to each another
through procedural logic.
body A report region that contains the bulk
of the report (text, graphics, data, and
computations).
break An event, such as a change in the
value of an expression, that occurs while
SQL*Plus processes a query or report. You
can direct SQL*Plus to perform various
operations, such as printing subtotals,
whenever specified breaks occur.
break column A column in a report that
causes a break when its value changes and
for which the user has defined break
operations.
break group A group containing one or more
break columns.
break hierarchy The order in which
SQL*Plus checks for the occurrence of
breaks and triggers the corresponding
break operations.
Glossary–2
SQL*Plus User’s Guide and Reference
break order Indicates the order in which to
display a break column’s data. Valid
options are Ascending and Descending.
break report A report that divides rows of a
table into “sets”, based on a common value
in the break column.
buffer An area where the user’s SQL
statements or PL/SQL blocks are
temporarily stored. The SQL buffer is the
default buffer. You can edit or execute
commands from multiple buffers; however,
SQL*Plus does not require the use of
multiple buffers.
byte A group of eight sequential bits that
represents a letter, number, or symbol (i.e.,
character). Treated as a unit of data by a
computer.
C
CHAR datatype An Oracle datatype
provided for ANSI/ISO compatibility. A
CHAR column is a fixed-length column and
can contain any printable characters, such
as A, 3, &, or blanks, and can have from 1
to 255 characters or can be null.
character A single location on a computer
system capable of holding one alphabetic
character or numeric digit. One or more
characters are held in a field. One or more
fields make up a record, and one or more
records may be held in a file or database
table.
character string A group of sequential
letters, numerals, or symbols, usually
comprising a word or name, or portion
thereof.