In Oracle application development, what are the main advantages of using PL/SQL for business logic and database operations?

Introduction / Context:
Once you understand what PL/SQL is, the next step is to understand why organisations choose to use it. Oracle promotes PL/SQL because it complements SQL and offers a number of advantages in terms of performance, maintainability, and security. This question focuses on those advantages so that you can explain why PL/SQL remains important in enterprise systems.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The database platform is Oracle and supports PL/SQL natively.
• Applications need to implement business rules, validations, and batch processes that are tightly bound to database data.
• Multiple applications or client technologies may connect to the same database.
• There is a requirement for robust error handling and secure access to data.

Concept / Approach:
PL/SQL provides several key benefits. It is block structured, which encourages modular code through procedures, functions, and packages. Because PL/SQL runs inside the database engine, it can process data locally without sending many small SQL statements over the network, which improves performance. Business logic written in PL/SQL can be reused by many clients, centralising rules and reducing duplication. The language also has a rich exception mechanism for handling errors and allows fine grained control over privileges through stored program security models.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Highlight performance advantages, noting that PL/SQL sends blocks of work to the server instead of many chatty individual SQL calls.Step 2: Explain maintainability benefits, where common business rules such as tax calculations or validations are implemented once in stored procedures and reused by different applications.Step 3: Describe robustness, emphasising that PL/SQL has structured exception handling so that errors can be caught, logged, and handled in a controlled way.Step 4: Mention security advantages, where users can be given access to execute stored programs without having direct privileges on underlying tables.Step 5: Summarise that these aspects make PL/SQL a strong choice for core data centric logic, which aligns with option A.

Verification / Alternative check:
In practice, moving logic from a middle tier into PL/SQL often reduces network latency and makes complex data operations faster. Analysing execution plans and runtime statistics usually shows fewer round trips and more efficient use of server resources. Audit requirements may also be easier to meet when key logic and logging reside in stored procedures, confirming the practical advantages of PL/SQL.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B incorrectly claims that PL/SQL is about user interface rendering rather than database work. Option C misrepresents transaction control; PL/SQL fully respects explicit commits and rollbacks. Option D suggests PL/SQL is rarely used and only replaces shell scripts, which is inconsistent with its widespread use in core Oracle applications.

Common Pitfalls:
Overusing PL/SQL for business logic that frequently changes can make deployments slower if every change requires database updates. Poorly written PL/SQL that does not leverage bulk operations or efficient SQL can negate its performance advantages. A balanced design uses PL/SQL where it adds clear value while keeping systems modular and maintainable.

Final Answer:
PL/SQL offers block structured programming with tight SQL integration, better performance through reduced network traffic, centralized and reusable business logic, strong exception handling, and improved security by running code inside the database.