You have an Oracle APEX Application. It runs some PL/SQL. You want to debug THAT PLSQL. Here's how!

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Debugging PL/SQL with SQL Developer
Jeff Smith
Senior Principal Product Manager
Jeff.d.smith@oracle.com || @thatjeffsmith
Database Tools, Oracle Corp
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Not Just THAT SQLDev Guy…
• Database Development Tools team
• Product manager/story teller
• I bother help people online, everywhere
• Contact me for a free remote presentation for your group/company
– Jeff.d.smith@oracle.com
– @thatjeffsmith
– https://www.thatjeffsmith.com

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thatJeffSmith on
• 60+ Videos
• Feature demos
• Tips & Tricks
• Short & Long Form
– SQL Developer
– SQLcl
– Data Modeler
– ORDS

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SQL Developer Snapshot
Time Tested
Launched in
2005
An Industry Standard
5M+ Oracle DBAs
& Developers
Always Improving
Quarterly
Releases
4

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Project Raptor
 Early Adopter on OTN
2005
1.1
 File Based PL/SQL editing
 Reports
 Ships with 11gR1
1.5.x
 Localizations -
Japanese, Spanish,
Italian, German, French,
Portuguese, Chinese, &
Koreans
 Ships with 11gR2
SQLDev v1.0
 SQL Worksheet
 Procedure Editor
 The world takes notice!
1.5
 Schema Copy/Diff/Export
 Thick connections
 Versioning
 TimesTen
2.1
 Unit Testing
 Data Modeler Viewer
 Unshared SQL Worksheets
2007 201020092006
3.0
 Full Data Modeler
 View > DBA
 SQL Tuning Advisor
 Query Builder
2008 2011 2012
3.1
 New Database DIFF
 PDF Reports
 RMAN
 Data Pump
2013
3.2
 APEX Listener / ORDS
Support
 Database 12c Support
 Schema Service Support
4.0
 Java 7
 ASH/AWR/ADDM
 Color Coded Connections
 Command line Interface
4.0.3
 Optimized Code Insight
 Oracle Big Data Appliance
2014 2015 2016
4.1
 ORDS Included/Full GUI
 instance Viewer
 SQLcl
 Copy PDB to DBaaS
 Larry live demos PDB relocate @ OOW
4.2
 Real Time SQL Monitoring
 Top SQL Report
 Formatter & Other Editor Enhancements
 Easier RESTful Services Development
2017
SQLcl
 New CLI
 Modern SQL*Plus
Release History

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2017
2017.2
 Bug Fixes
 Sharding
 Data Guard
17.3 & 17.4
 Bug Fixes
Quarterly Releases!!!
2018
Release History
18.1
 Autonomous Data Warehouse Support
 New Welcome Screen/Connections
 SQL Injection Detection
 PL/Scope SQL Statement Support
 Better Formatting
18.2 & 3
 PL/SQL Injection
Detection
 Cloud data Loads
 SQL Developer
Web

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What does ‘debug’ mean?
 Run and watch?
 dbms/owa OUTPUT?
 Stare at your code until you decide to get coffee?

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 after
 code++
 observe
 clean up
DBMS/OWA_OUTPUT is not ‘bad’

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 Coming?
 Going?
 Pause/Poke
 Play with what-if scenarios
Interactive, step-by-step experience with your code

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The PL/SQL Debugger
 SYS.DBMS_DEBUG_JDWP
 Native SQL Developer tooling
 $0.00

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A Tale of Two Debugging Methods
 LOCAL
Code/Session originates from SQL Developer
 REMOTE aka EXTERNAL aka Just in Time
Session kicks off and runs from your program, which then connects back
down to SQL Developer for you to debug

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 Required PRIVS: DEBUG CONNECT SESSION &
EXECUTE for PL/SQL
 12c+ : Access Control Lists (Fine Grained Access)
 Open Code/Object in a code editor
 Compile for DEBUG
 Click the big ‘Bug’ button
Local Debugging

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What happens next
 the DATABASE will CONNECT to your Machine
 not CLIENT => SERVER but SERVER => CLIENT
 ACL in 12c+ allows the DB to reach out on the network
 if this is a bridge too far…

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DBMS_DEBUG (PROBE API)
DatabaseDebuggerDisableJDWP=true
CLIENT => SERVER

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 Not officially supported
 Not as feature rich
 External debugging won’t work

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 Set a Breakpoint! OR
 Configure Preferences
 Start Debugging: Step Over
Some Tips

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Breakpoints
‘stops’ execution on a
specific line
OR
If a condition is met

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Step Over vs Step Into
 Step Over – Executes line 51, goes to line 54
 Step Into – Opens program at line 51 for debugging

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Where do we go?
Where do we go now?
Where do we go?
Oh, oh
Where do we go?
(Where do we go now?)
Mind the Call Stack

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Remote/External Debugging – cue APEX!
 APEX runs, calls PL/SQL
 hits breakpoint
 SQLDev takes over
 do debugging
 control back to APEX

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Listen for Debug Requests
SQL Developer Client Machine IP
Make sure SQL Dev is listening when APEX rings the door bell

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Setup Debugger in your Application
execute DBMS_DEBUG_JDWP.CONNECT_TCP(‘sqldev-IP’, port);

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Remember to set a breakpoint!
Executable lines of code

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Run your APEX App
 Session trips breakpoint
APEX will ‘hang’
 SQL Developer will
‘blink’ to life
 Start debugging!

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Debug!