Comparison operators compare one expression to another. The result is always either TRUE, FALSE, or NULL.
If the value of one expression is NULL, then the result of the comparison is also NULL.
如果一个表达式的值为NULL,那么比较的结果也是NULL。
The comparison operators are:
- IS [NOT] NULL Operator
- Relational Operators
- LIKE Operator
- BETWEEN Operator
- IN Operator
CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE print_boolean (
b_name VARCHAR2,
b_value BOOLEAN
) AUTHID DEFINER IS
BEGIN
IF b_value IS NULL THEN
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE (b_name || ' = NULL');
ELSIF b_value = TRUE THEN
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE (b_name || ' = TRUE');
ELSE
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE (b_name || ' = FALSE');
END IF;
END;
/
1. IS [NOT] NULL Operator
The IS NULL operator returns the BOOLEAN value TRUE if its operand is NULL or FALSE if it is not NULL. The IS NOT NULL operator does the opposite.
Comparisons involving NULL values always yield NULL.
To test whether a value is NULL, use IF value IS NULL, as in these examples:
1.1 Variable Initialized to NULL by Default
In this example, the variable counter has the initial value NULL, by default. The example uses the “IS [NOT] NULL Operator” to show that NULL is different from zero.
DECLARE
counter INTEGER; -- initial value is NULL by default
BEGIN
counter := counter + 1; -- NULL + 1 is still NULL
IF counter IS NULL THEN
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('counter is NULL.');
END IF;
END;
/
-- run result
counter is NULL.
1.2 Procedure Prints BOOLEAN Variable"
DECLARE
PROCEDURE print_x_and_y (
x BOOLEAN,
y BOOLEAN
) IS
BEGIN
print_boolean ('x', x);
print_boolean ('y', y);
print_boolean ('x AND y', x AND y);
END print_x_and_y;
BEGIN
print_x_and_y (FALSE, FALSE);
print_x_and_y (TRUE, FALSE);
print_x_and_y (FALSE, TRUE);
print_x_and_y (TRUE, TRUE);
print_x_and_y (TRUE, NULL);
print_x_and_y (FALSE, NULL);
print_x_and_y (NULL, TRUE);
print_x_and_y (NULL, FALSE);
END;
/
-- run result
x = FALSE
y = FALSE
x AND y = FALSE
x = TRUE
y = FALSE
x AND y = FALSE
x = FALSE
y = TRUE
x AND y = FALSE
x = TRUE
y = TRUE
x AND y = TRUE
x = TRUE
y = NULL
x AND y = NULL
x = FALSE
y = NULL
x AND y = FALSE
x = NULL
y = TRUE
x AND y = NULL
x = NULL
y = FALSE
x AND y = FALSE
1.3 Searched CASE Expression with WHEN … IS NULL
DECLARE
grade CHAR(1); -- NULL by default
appraisal VARCHAR2(20);
BEGIN
appraisal :=
CASE
WHEN grade IS NULL THEN 'No grade assigned'
WHEN grade = 'A' THEN 'Excellent'
WHEN grade = 'B' THEN 'Very Good'
WHEN grade = 'C' THEN 'Good'
WHEN grade = 'D' THEN 'Fair'
WHEN grade = 'F' THEN 'Poor'
ELSE 'No such grade'
END;
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE ('Grade ' || grade || ' is ' || appraisal);
END;
/
-- run result
Grade is No grade assigned
2. Relational Operators
Operator Meaning
Operator | Operator |
---|---|
= | equal to |
<>, !=, ~=, ^= | not equal to |
< | less than |
> | greater than |
<= | less than or equal to |
>= | greater than or equal to |
Topics
- Arithmetic Comparisons
- BOOLEAN Comparisons
- Character Comparisons
- Date Comparisons
2.1 Relational Operators in Expressions
This example invokes the print_boolean procedure print the values of expressions that use relational operators to compare arithmetic values.
BEGIN
print_boolean ('(2 + 2 = 4)', 2 + 2 = 4);
print_boolean ('(2 + 2 <> 4)', 2 + 2 <> 4);
print_boolean ('(2 + 2 != 4)', 2 + 2 != 4);
print_boolean ('(2 + 2 ~= 4)', 2 + 2 ~= 4);
print_boolean ('(2 + 2 ^= 4)', 2 + 2 ^= 4);
print_boolean ('(1 < 2)', 1 < 2);
print_boolean ('(1 > 2)', 1 > 2);
print_boolean ('(1 <= 2)', 1 <= 2);
print_boolean ('(1 >= 1)', 1 >= 1);
END;
/
-- run result
BEGIN
print_boolean ('(2 + 2 = 4)', 2 + 2 = 4);
print_boolean ('(2 + 2 <> 4)', 2 + 2 <> 4);
print_boolean ('(2 + 2 != 4)', 2 + 2 != 4);
print_boolean ('(2 + 2 ~= 4)', 2 + 2 ~= 4);
print_boolean ('(2 + 2 ^= 4)', 2 + 2 ^= 4);
print_boolean ('(1 < 2)', 1 < 2);
print_boolean ('(1 > 2)', 1 > 2);
print_boolean ('(1 <= 2)', 1 <= 2);
print_boolean ('(1 >= 1)', 1 >= 1);
END;
/
2.2 BOOLEAN Comparisons
By definition, TRUE is greater than FALSE. Any comparison with NULL returns NULL.
2.3 Character Comparisons
By default, one character is greater than another if its binary value is larger.
For example, this expression is true:
'y' > 'r'
Strings are compared character by character. For example, this expression is true:
'Kathy' > 'Kathryn'
2.4 Date Comparisons
One date is greater than another if it is more recent.
For example, this expression is true:
'01-JAN-91' > '31-DEC-90'
3. LIKE Operator
LIKE Operator
The LIKE operator compares a character, string, or CLOB value to a pattern and returns TRUE if the value matches the pattern and FALSE if it does not.
Case is significant.
The pattern can include the two wildcard characters underscore (_) and percent sign (%).
Underscore matches exactly one character.
Percent sign (%) matches zero or more characters.
To search for the percent sign or underscore, define an escape character and put it before the percent sign or underscore.
3.1 LIKE Operator in Expression
The string ‘Johnson’ matches the pattern ‘J%s_n’ but not ‘J%S_N’, as this example shows.
DECLARE
PROCEDURE compare (
value VARCHAR2,
pattern VARCHAR2
) IS
BEGIN
IF value LIKE pattern THEN
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE ('TRUE');
ELSE
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE ('FALSE');
END IF;
END;
BEGIN
compare('Johnson', 'J%s_n');
compare('Johnson', 'J%S_N');
END;
/
-- run result
TRUE
FALSE
4. BETWEEN Operator
The BETWEEN operator tests whether a value lies in a specified range.
The value of the expression x BETWEEN a AND b is defined to be the same as the value of the expression (x>=a) AND (x<=b) . The expression x will only be evaluated once.
4.1 BETWEEN Operator in Expressions
This example invokes the print_boolean procedure print the values of expressions that include the BETWEEN operator.
BEGIN
print_boolean ('2 BETWEEN 1 AND 3', 2 BETWEEN 1 AND 3);
print_boolean ('2 BETWEEN 2 AND 3', 2 BETWEEN 2 AND 3);
print_boolean ('2 BETWEEN 1 AND 2', 2 BETWEEN 1 AND 2);
print_boolean ('2 BETWEEN 3 AND 4', 2 BETWEEN 3 AND 4);
END;
/
-- run result
2 BETWEEN 1 AND 3 = TRUE
2 BETWEEN 2 AND 3 = TRUE
2 BETWEEN 1 AND 2 = TRUE
2 BETWEEN 3 AND 4 = FALSE
PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.
5. IN Operator
The IN operator tests set membership.
x IN (set) returns TRUE only if x equals a member of set.
5.1 IN Operator in Expressions
This example invokes the print_boolean procedure print the values of expressions that include the IN operator.
DECLARE
letter VARCHAR2(1) := 'm';
BEGIN
print_boolean (
'letter IN (''a'', ''b'', ''c'')',
letter IN ('a', 'b', 'c')
);
print_boolean (
'letter IN (''z'', ''m'', ''y'', ''p'')',
letter IN ('z', 'm', 'y', 'p')
);
END;
/
-- run result
letter IN ('a', 'b', 'c') = FALSE
letter IN ('z', 'm', 'y', 'p') = TRUE
PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.
5.2 IN Operator with Sets with NULL Values
This example shows what happens when set includes a NULL value. This invokes the print_boolean procedure
DECLARE
a INTEGER; -- Initialized to NULL by default
b INTEGER := 10;
c INTEGER := 100;
BEGIN
print_boolean ('100 IN (a, b, c)', 100 IN (a, b, c));
print_boolean ('100 NOT IN (a, b, c)', 100 NOT IN (a, b, c));
print_boolean ('100 IN (a, b)', 100 IN (a, b));
print_boolean ('100 NOT IN (a, b)', 100 NOT IN (a, b));
print_boolean ('a IN (a, b)', a IN (a, b));
print_boolean ('a NOT IN (a, b)', a NOT IN (a, b));
END;
/
-- run result
100 IN (a, b, c) = TRUE
100 NOT IN (a, b, c) = FALSE
100 IN (a, b) = NULL
100 NOT IN (a, b) = NULL
a IN (a, b) = NULL
a NOT IN (a, b) = NULL
PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.