Why is this check for null associative array in PL/SQL failing?

Question

I have an associative array created by a type of rowtype of a table column.

To give an example, this is how it is(the table names are different, but the structure is the same):

This is the DDL of the table

CREATE TABLE employees
  (
     id     NUMBER,
     name   VARCHAR2(240),
     salary NUMBER
  ); 

Here's what my procedure is doing:

DECLARE
    TYPE table_of_emp
      IS TABLE OF employees%ROWTYPE INDEX BY BINARY_INTEGER;
    emp TABLE_OF_EMP;
BEGIN
    IF emp IS NULL THEN
      dbms_output.Put_line('Null associative array');
    ELSE
      dbms_output.Put_line('Not null');
    END IF;
END; 

I assume this should result in "Null associative array" being printed. However, the if condition fails and the execution jumps to the else part.

Now if I put in a for loop to print the collection values

DECLARE
    TYPE table_of_emp
      IS TABLE OF employees%ROWTYPE INDEX BY BINARY_INTEGER;
    emp TABLE_OF_EMP;
BEGIN
    IF emp IS NULL THEN
      dbms_output.Put_line('Null associative array');
    ELSE
      dbms_output.Put_line('Not null');

      FOR i IN emp.first..emp.last LOOP
          dbms_output.Put_line('Emp name: '
                               || Emp(i).name);
      END LOOP;
    END IF;
END; 

then the program unit raises an exception, referencing the for loop line

ORA-06502: PL/SQL: Numeric or value error

which I presume is because of the null associative array. Is the error being raised because of null associative array?

So why is the first check failing then? What am I doing wrong?

The database server is Oracle 11g EE (version 11.2.0.3.0 64 bit)

Answer 1

I assume this should result in "Null associative array" being printed. That assumption is wrong for associative arrays. They exist when declared, but are empty. It would be correct for other types of PL/SQL collections:

Until you initialize it, a nested table or varray is atomically null; the collection itself is null, not its elements. To initialize a nested table or varray, you use a constructor, a system-defined function with the same name as the collection type. This function constructs collections from the elements passed to it.

You must explicitly call a constructor for each varray and nested table variable. Associative arrays, the third kind of collection, do not use constructors. Constructor calls are allowed wherever function calls are allowed. Initializing and Referencing Collections

Compare:

SQL> declare
  2      type varchar2_100_aa is table of varchar2(100) index by binary_integer;
  3      test varchar2_100_aa;
  4  begin
  5      test(1) := 'Hello';
  6      dbms_output.put_line(test(1));
  7  end;
  8  /
Hello

PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.

SQL> declare
  2      type varchar2_100_va is varray(100) of varchar2(100);
  3      test varchar2_100_va;
  4  begin
  5      test(1) := 'Hello';
  6      dbms_output.put_line(test(1));
  7  end;
  8  /
declare
*
ERROR at line 1:
ORA-06531: Reference to uninitialized collection
ORA-06512: at line 5

Variable array done correctly:

SQL> declare
  2      type varchar2_100_va is varray(10) of varchar2(100);
  3      test varchar2_100_va;
  4  begin
  5      test := varchar2_100_va(); -- not needed on associative array
  6      test.extend; -- not needed on associative array
  7      test(1) := 'Hello';
  8      dbms_output.put_line(test(1));
  9  end;
 10  /
Hello

PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.

Because the associative array is empty first and last are null, which is why your second example results in ORA-06502: PL/SQL: Numeric or value error:

SQL> declare
  2      type varchar2_100_aa is table of varchar2(100) index by binary_integer;
  3      test varchar2_100_aa;
  4  begin
  5      dbms_output.put_line(test.count);
  6      dbms_output.put_line(coalesce(to_char(test.first), 'NULL'));
  7      dbms_output.put_line(coalesce(to_char(test.last), 'NULL'));
  8      test(1) := 'Hello';
  9      dbms_output.new_line;
 10      dbms_output.put_line(test.count);
 11      dbms_output.put_line(coalesce(to_char(test.first), 'NULL'));
 12      dbms_output.put_line(coalesce(to_char(test.last), 'NULL'));
 13  end;
 14  /
0
NULL
NULL

1
1
1

PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.

EDIT Also note that associative arrays can be sparse. Looping over the numbers between first and last will raise an exception for any collection that is sparse. Instead use first and next like so: (Last and prev to loop the other direction.)

SQL> declare
  2      type varchar2_100_aa is table of varchar2(100) index by binary_integer;
  3      test varchar2_100_aa;
  4      i binary_integer;
  5  begin
  6      test(1) := 'Hello';
  7      test(100) := 'Good bye';
  8      dbms_output.put_line(test.count);
  9      dbms_output.put_line(coalesce(to_char(test.first), 'NULL'));
 10      dbms_output.put_line(coalesce(to_char(test.last), 'NULL'));
 11      dbms_output.new_line;
 12  --
 13      i := test.first;
 14      while (i is not null) loop
 15          dbms_output.put_line(to_char(i, '999')  || ' - ' || test(i));
 16          i := test.next(i);
 17      end loop;
 18  end;
 19  /
2
1
100

   1 - Hello
 100 - Good bye

PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.