Unable to debug package

[jacew]

Hi,
I can debug some packages within a database schema but not others. When i click on the "Start Debugger" icon in some packages it will go to the first line of the precedure and i have all the debug icons available and they all work and i can see variable values throughout. However for another package the procedure just runs straight to the end giving the correct value in the output, but not allowing me to step in.
Does anybody know why this might be?
Jason

 

[Marco Kalter]

Perhaps you are not connected as the owner of the package? Another user's package bodies will only be visible if you have select privileges on the sys.dba_objects and sys.dba_source views. The "Use DBA views if available" preference (Tools > Preferences > Options tab page) needs to be enabled. To debug another user's package bodies you additionally need the "create any procedure" system privilege.

If you are using Oracle10g, it can also be that the package is not compiled "with debug information". To fix this, right-click on the package and select "Add debug information".

 

[jacew]

Hi Marco,

I'm logged in as the schema owner, i can see the package body fine.

I can also debug a number of other packages in my schema fine.

It appears that a couple of packages wont allow debugging an any procedures within them.

We are using 10g and the package has been recompiled with "Add debug Info".

Any other ideas?

 

[Marco Kalter]

When you right-click on the package, is there a check-mark before the "Add debug information" menu item?

 

[jacew]

Yes.

Normally if this is not checked, you can still debug i.e. step though the code, but you get no debug info such as variable values.

I can only assume it's something in the package itself causing this behaviour as other packages work OK.

 

[dennisd]

Did you ever get this resolved? I am having the same exact problem.

 

[jacew]

No, certain packages just aren't able to be steped into. My guess is it's something to do with the package structure, but i never did find out what it was.

Sorry.

 

[Claus Pedersen]

We experience problems of the same nature. If the packages get too big, sometimes we are not able to debug them or the debugger hangs so we will have to kill the session. In rare cases the compiler even gives an Oracle error saying "package too big".

It is not the package size itself that creates the problem, we have packages with more lines of code that work fine. I beleive that it is a combination of package size and the number of objects inside the package. If you have many procedures and functions and maybe also constants, types etc. you may well have a debugging problem. For us, the method of choice has been to split large packages into two smaller packages, but it is not the most elegant solution.

Does anyone know of any database limitations of package sizes/and or number of objects in the package?