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DDL and commands like TRUNCATE are not allowed in Oracle PL/SQL blocks. However, there is a workaround. Native dynamic SQL with the EXECUTE IMMEDIATE command will do the trick. Here is an example:
create procedure MyProc
as
begin
execute immediate 'truncate table MyTable';
end;
The SQL is executed as if from a host application. Pretty much anything you can run from a SQL prompt can be run from inside a PL/SQL block this way. Because running dynamic native SQL executes a string containing SQL, PL/SQL suddenly becomes very flexible. Dynamic native SQL in Oracle allows you to combine the benefits of a host language with the benefits of stored procedures. Here's an example of the previous procedure changed to include a parameter for the name of the table name to be truncated:
create procedure MyProc (pTable in varchar2)
as
begin
execute immediate 'truncate table ' || pTable;
end;
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