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PL/SQL / Advanced PL/SQL

Autonomous transaction

Learn Autonomous transaction in PL/SQL through a focused explanation, a dedicated construct-specific example, an engineering boundary, and a mastery check.

10 min read • Advanced

Autonomous transaction is an atomic PL/SQL topic inside Advanced PL/SQL. This lesson focuses on how the Autonomous transaction construct is written, what it changes, and when it is the right tool.

Trace the example line by line. Identify the exact syntax for Autonomous transaction, the input state before it runs, and the resulting value, control flow, database state, hardware behavior, or runtime effect afterward. Neighboring lessons use different constructs rather than renamed copies of this one.

Topic-specific example

plsql-08-07-autonomous-transaction.sql
plsql Try It Live 
CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE write_audit(p_msg VARCHAR2) IS PRAGMA AUTONOMOUS_TRANSACTION; BEGIN INSERT INTO audit_log(message) VALUES(p_msg); COMMIT; END; /
Edge case / engineering note

For Autonomous transaction, test the boundary that belongs to this exact feature rather than a generic failure case. Check invalid or empty input, NULL/unknown state, numeric limits, transaction or exception behavior, synthesis/runtime constraints, ownership/permission rules, or backtracking/control-flow effects where they apply.

Content source & attribution
Original Syntaxis Content · Original Syntaxis Content

Lesson quizzes

Autonomous transaction Mastery Check →
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