How to view the execution plan in PL/SQL?

There are various ways to view the execution plan in PL/SQL. Two commonly used methods are:

Option 1: Method 1: Utilize DBMS_XPLAN.DISPLAY.

The DBMS_XPLAN.DISPLAY procedure can assist you in viewing the execution plan of a query. You can follow these steps:

Run the query to check the execution plan.

After the query finishes, use the following statement to obtain the execution plan:

SELECT * FROM TABLE(DBMS_XPLAN.DISPLAY);

This will return the execution plan of the query.

Option 2: Utilize the AUTOTRACE feature.

AUTOTRACE is a feature provided by Oracle database that automatically collects and displays execution plan information for queries. You can enable and use AUTOTRACE by following these steps:

Enable AUTOTRACE with the following statement.

SET AUTOTRACE ON;

Run the query you want to examine the execution plan for.

After the query is completed, AUTOTRACE will automatically display the execution plan information and other statistical data.

These methods can assist you in viewing the execution plan of queries in PL/SQL. It is important to note that for complex queries and large datasets, the execution plan may be extensive, hence proper interpretation and analysis are recommended.