How to create procedures without inserts (newbie switching from Sybase to Oracle)

OK, I've been using SQL Sybase stored procedures as a datasource for Crystal Reports. I'm trying to learn Oracle as we are switching environments.

I see in Oracle that when you try to do standard select statements within a procedure that they are always combined with insert statements into a table. I'm not looking to insert anything into a table. Just trying to draw out the data for use in a report.

So, am I correct in that in order to do this I will need to start using ref cursors within a package? If so, does anyone have any good sources of examples, etc. that I could use in learning how to go about writing them?

Also a bit off the primary subject, I have an example bit of code that another department wrote that includes the following:

v_hiercd cdcur;
v_sqlselect_st varchar2(9000);

I can't find anything anywhere on those two (v_****). The closes I can find is a few references to v_sql and sqlselect. Nothing as written. I think the hiercd may be in reference to a field name in the database. Can someone explain to me exactly what is going on there? (And why does my Oracle book say varchar2 can be no larger than 4000?) Received on Fri Oct 01 2004 - 13:49:05 CDT