Is PL/SQL the language to learn if you have Oracle 11g?

Question

is PL/SQL the language of Oracle 11g? Is there some other langauge that Oracle uses? I don't mean front end applications that use other languages, just if I am in the database directly. I ask because I know SQL Server will let you use various .NET languages and didn't know if Oracle had something other than pl/sql.

Thanks.

EDIT: I just want to make sure pl/sql is not dead or anything. I'd hate to learn it and build procedure in the database with it and someone say...well you should have used....x.

Answer 1

For the most part, I think the answer is "Yes". I think that it's also possible to load Java and C modules so they can call/be called by PL/SQL code in the database, but I myself have never seen this done. I'm not sure where to look for information on this, but now you have other leads to research ;)

Example of a Java stored procedure: http://www.developer.com/db/article.php/3337411/Oracle-and-Java-Stored-Procedures.htm

..and don't worry about PL/SQL being dead or dying. I think it's still the way most stored procedures and in-database code is written for Oracle.

Answer 2

From Oracle:

PL/SQL is an imperative 3GL that was designed specifically for the seamless processing of SQL commands. It provides specific syntax for this purpose and supports exactly the same datatypes as SQL. Server-side PL/SQL is stored and compiled in Oracle Database and runs within the Oracle executable. It automatically inherits the robustness, security, and portability of Oracle Database.

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/features/plsql/index.html