Outer Joins

An outer join retrieves a row even when one of the columns in the join contains a null value. Oracle outer join operator is a plus character in parentheses (+).

(+) means optional.


CREATE TABLE departments
(department_id             number(10)            not null,
 department_name           varchar2(50)      not null,
 CONSTRAINT departments_pk PRIMARY KEY (department_id)
);

insert into departments ( department_id, department_name )values(1,'Data Group' );
insert into departments ( department_id, department_name )values(2,'Purchasing' );
insert into departments ( department_id, department_name )values(3,'Call Center' );
insert into departments ( department_id, department_name )values(4,'Communication' );

CREATE TABLE employees
( employee_id          number(10)      not null,
  last_name            varchar2(50)      not null,
  job_id               varchar2(30),
  department_id        number(10),
  salary               number(6),
  manager_id           number(6),
  CONSTRAINT           employees_pk PRIMARY KEY (employee_id),
  CONSTRAINT           fk_departments FOREIGN KEY (department_id) 
                       REFERENCES departments(department_id)
);
insert into employees( employee_id, last_name, job_id, salary,department_id ,manager_id)
values(                1001,        'Lawson',  'MGR',  30000, 1,             1004);
insert into employees( employee_id, last_name, job_id, salary, department_id ,manager_id)
values(                1002,        'Wells',   'DBA',  20000, 2,             1005 );
insert into employees( employee_id, last_name, job_id, salary, department_id ,manager_id)
values(                1003,        'Bliss',   'PROG', 24000, 3,             1004);
insert into employees( employee_id, last_name, job_id, salary, department_id, manager_id)
values(                1004,        'Kyte',    'MGR',  25000 ,4,             1005);
insert into employees( employee_id, last_name, job_id, salary, department_id, manager_id)
values(                1005,        'Viper',   'PROG', 20000, 1,             1006);
insert into employees( employee_id, last_name, job_id, salary, department_id,manager_id)
values(                1006,        'Beck',    'PROG', 20000, 2,             null);
insert into employees( employee_id, last_name, job_id, salary, department_id, manager_id)
values(                1007,        'Java',    'PROG', 20000, 3,             1006);
insert into employees( employee_id, last_name, job_id, salary, department_id, manager_id)
values(                1008,        'Oracle',  'DBA',  20000, 5,             1006);


SQL> select e.employee_id, e.last_name, d.department_name
  2  from employees e, departments d
  3  where e.department_id = d.department_id(+)
  4    and e.job_id = 'MGR';

EMPLOYEE_ID LAST_NAME            DEPARTMENT_NAME
----------- --------------------------------------------------
       1001 Lawson               Data Group
       1004 Kyte                 Communication


SQL>
SQL> select e.employee_id, e.last_name, d.department_name
  2  from employees e, departments d
  3  where e.department_id(+) = d.department_id
  4    and e.job_id = 'MGR';

EMPLOYEE_ID LAST_NAME         DEPARTMENT_NAME
----------- --------------------------------------------------
       1001 Lawson            Data Group
       1004 Kyte              Communication

SQL>
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Join:
  1. Table Join
  2. Using Table name to reference duplicate names
  3. Table Alias
  4. Cartesian Products
  5. Join more than two tables
  6. Join Conditions and Join Types
  7. Outer Joins
  8. Left and Right Outer Joins
  9. Outer join Error
  10. Self Join
  11. Outer Self Join
  12. Inner Joins Using SQL/92
  13. Joins with USING Keyword
  14. Inner Joins with More than Two Tables Using SQL/92
  15. Inner Joins on Multiple Columns Using SQL/92
  16. Outer Joins in SQL/92 Syntax
  17. Self Joins Using SQL/92
  18. Cross Joins Using SQL/92
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