PL/SQL DBMS_XMLPARSER.PARSECLOB

The DBMS_XMLPARSER.PARSECLOB function is part of the Oracle PL/SQL XML parsing suite, which provides interfaces to parse XML documents. This function is specifically designed to parse an XML document from a CLOB (Character Large Object) data type. In Oracle databases, CLOBs are used to store large blocks of character data (up to 128 TB depending on the database version and configuration), which makes PARSECLOB particularly useful for handling large XML documents that cannot be accommodated in regular string variables due to size limitations.

Syntax

The basic syntax for DBMS_XMLPARSER.PARSECLOB is as follows:

parser := DBMS_XMLPARSER.newParser;
DBMS_XMLPARSER.PARSECLOB(parser, my_clob);

Here, parser is an instance of an XML parser, created by calling DBMS_XMLPARSER.newParser.
my_clob is the CLOB variable containing the XML document you want to parse.

Usage

Creating a Parser Instance: Before you can parse a CLOB, you need to create a parser instance using DBMS_XMLPARSER.NEWPARSER.

Parsing the CLOB: Use DBMS_XMLPARSER.PARSECLOB, passing the parser instance and the CLOB variable as arguments. This method reads the XML content from the CLOB and parses it into an internal XML DOM (Document Object Model) that can be manipulated using other functions in the XML DB API.

Manipulating the XML DOM: After parsing, you can use other components of the XML DB API, such as DBMS_XMLDOM, to manipulate the DOM, extract values, modify the document, or perform other operations.

Error Handling: Proper error handling should be implemented to catch and handle any exceptions that might arise during parsing, such as invalid XML structures.

Example

DECLARE
  parser XMLPARSER.Parser;
  xml_clob CLOB;
BEGIN
  -- Assuming xml_clob is already populated with XML data
  xml_clob := 'Example';

  -- Create a new parser instance
  parser := XMLPARSER.newParser;
  
  -- Parse the CLOB containing the XML
  XMLPARSER.PARSECLOB(parser, xml_clob);
  
  -- Further processing can be done here
  
  -- Free up resources
  XMLPARSER.freeParser(parser);
EXCEPTION
  WHEN OTHERS THEN
    -- Handle exceptions
    DBMS_OUTPUT.put_line(SQLERRM);
END;

This example demonstrates the basic steps to parse an XML document stored in a CLOB: creating a parser instance, parsing the CLOB, and then handling any potential exceptions. After parsing, the XML data is available in a DOM structure for further processing, such as querying or manipulation.

DBMS_XMLPARSER.PARSECLOB is a powerful tool for working with large XML documents in Oracle databases, allowing developers to leverage the full capabilities of Oracle’s XML processing features within PL/SQL applications.