PL/SQL for Beginners: 15 Free Resources for Learning

Official Oracle Documentation
Oracle documentation is the #1 source. Everything here is official and as detailed as possible: syntax, code examples, best practices. The downside is that the material is dry and intended for those who already know how to read technical texts.

Beginners should review code examples rather than trying to read everything, and it is useful to combine this with practice on online platforms: SQLFiddle, dbfiddle.uk, and others.

Courses

Beginners Guide: Oracle PL/SQL Part 1 by Aly Dawood
A short Udemy course that teaches the basics of PL/SQL in the Oracle LiveSQL environment without requiring installation. Topics covered include: blocks, IF/LOOP statements, SQL in PL/SQL, error handling, collections, cursors, and small practical exercises.

Oracle/PLSQL Tutorial by TechOnTheNet
Here, the material is presented step-by-step: from basic SQL queries and working with tables to creating functions, procedures, triggers, packages, and database administration. Lessons are accompanied by code examples, making the learning process highly practical and accessible even without prior preparation.

PL/SQL Tutorial: Everything You Need To Know About PL/SQL by Edureka
A detailed blog course that sequentially explains basic language constructs, working with variables, functions, procedures, conditions, loops, and exception handling. The material is presented with code examples, which helps not only to read the theory but also to try it out in practice immediately.

PL/SQL Tutorial by TutorialsPoint
The course covers the entire basic syntax of the language: variables, constants, loops, conditions, cursors, procedures, functions, triggers, error handling, and transactions. Additionally, the site offers quick reference guides, a Q&A section, and practical exercises, making it an excellent starting point for mastering PL/SQL.

Books

Learning Oracle PL/SQL by Bill Pribyl, Steven Feuerstein
A practical guide for beginner developers and database administrators. The book clearly explains the basics of Oracle's PL/SQL language, including syntax, variables, loops, conditions, cursors, procedures, and functions. In 424 pages, it presents practical examples and recommendations for building simple web applications, as well as tips for securing code.

Oracle PL/SQL Programming: Covers Versions Through Oracle Database 12c by Bill Pribyl, Steven Feuerstein
A detailed guide for professionals and experienced developers. The book covers the PL/SQL language up to Oracle 12c, explaining advanced programming techniques, optimization, and best practices in detail. Hundreds of code examples show how to create, test, debug, and manage PL/SQL programs, as well as how to build modular and easily maintainable applications with procedures, functions, packages, and triggers.

Beginning PL/SQL: From Novice to Professional by Donald J. Bales
Drawing on more than 20 years of experience, the author applies the 80/20 principle, focusing on the most in-demand aspects of the language. The book emphasizes the object-oriented capabilities of PL/SQL and shows how to apply them to solve business problems, helping readers quickly move from theory to writing production code.

Oracle Database 12c PL/SQL Programming by Michael McLaughlin
The book explains how to create and manage programs for Oracle Database 12c, with code examples, the use of SQL and PL/SQL, triggers, collections, and data protection methods, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced developers.

YouTube Videos

Video Course "Programming in PL/SQL (ORACLE)"
A series of detailed lessons from Prime Soft studio and Ilya Khokhlov for beginners, where the structure of PL/SQL, basics of working with Oracle, and practical code writing examples are broken down step by step. The material is presented in an accessible language, and the videos are accompanied by transcripts and discussions in the comments, which helps to master the theory faster and move on to practice.

PL/SQL Tutorial for beginners by Manish Sharma RebellionRider
The channel offers an extensive series of free video lessons on PL/SQL, starting with the most basic topics—block structure, variable declaration, and conditional statements—and gradually moving on to more complex aspects such as loops, cursors, triggers, collections, and dynamic SQL.

Oracle PL/SQL Online Training by TutorialsPoint
A video course consisting of 14 lessons that step-by-step introduces the PL/SQL language: from basic introduction and first steps to working with loops, conditional statements, cursors, exception handling, as well as creating procedures, functions, packages, and triggers.

Oracle PL/SQL Full Course by IT Expert
A course lasting about seven hours. The video sequentially covers key concepts: procedures, functions, exception handling, packages, and other important language elements, while the presentation remains simple and clear even for those encountering Oracle for the first time.

Communities and Chats

Stack Overflow with the [PL/SQL] tag
One of the largest communities where programmers can ask questions and find solutions for working with Oracle PL/SQL. It contains more than 29,000 discussions: from basic topics like variable declaration and working with cursors to complex tasks such as query optimization, trigger configuration, and the use of dynamic SQL.

Reddit /r/Oracle
Here, more than 28,000 participants discuss company news, share experiences in configuring and optimizing systems, post technical questions, and give advice to colleagues. Users can find live discussions on practical tasks and exchange PL/SQL work hacks.