• Browser-based development environment. (see Screenshot)
  Development interface is implemented as a web-based application so it doesn't depend on operating system and can be accessed from any HTML 4.0 compliant web browser, and the development is possible even when Telnet, FTP or Net8 connections to server are not available.
  
  
• No intermediate steps like uploading or compilation required.
  The DPSP object source code can be executed via built-in interpreter right from the object editor which allows developers to see effect of the changes immediately. Still any DPSP object can be compiled into a PL/SQL package when it is ready for deployment. Compilation allows hiding the source code by wrapping the package code and deploying ready-to-use application on customer's server. Standard Oracle permissions can be granted to compiled DPSP objects and database objects they access to regulate data access and limit the scope in which DPSP objects are visible/executable.
  
  
• Changes in applications can be done fast and easily.
  Since DPSP objects can be executed right from the object editor, result of any change in the source code becomes visible immediately. Instant execution is extremely useful for debugging and speeds up development process.
  
  
• Separates page presentation from business logic.
  Visual presentation of pages can be created with any HTML design tool you like, e.g. Macromedia Dreamweaver. After the static HTML is finished, you just add PL/SQL code that will provide dynamic content for the page or handle user input.
  
  
• No additional software except Oracle8i database server, HTTP server and web browser is required.
  It means Oracle Client need not be installed on the developer computer. Also, there is no need for any kind of database connectivity drivers like ODBC, ADO, etc. So, all modern features of the latest versions of Oracle are always available and therefore no compatibility problems occur. Another useful consequence is that development can be performed from any computer on the Internet/intranet - work, home, anywhere. All your code, data and development instruments are on the server and are accessible from a web browser.
  
  
• Easy to learn and use.
  Only basic knowledge of HTML and Oracle PL/SQL is required to start develop simple applications. Ability to quickly see result of any change in source code allows to develop application step by step, so it is extremely useful for sequential system learning.
  
  
• Platform independence.
  Dynamic PSP is implemented as a set of PL/SQL packages, so it works everywhere Oracle8i database does. Oracle supports a lot of different hardware and software platforms, including Windows NT/2000 and various flavors of Unix and Unix-like operating systems (Linux).

Dynamic PSP implements the concept of server pages (PL/SQL Server Pages). It is an evolutionary extension of Oracle PSP technology. Oracle works with '.psp' files stored on hard disk and uses pspload utility to parse them, upload into the database and compile. Unfortunately, when client and server computers are connected via Internet such approach is often impossible for security reasons. In many cases direct connection via Net8 or Telnet protocol (if '.psp' files are stored in server file system) cannot be established. Contrastingly, Dynamic PSP requires only HTTP protocol on port 80, which already exists since we are developing Web application. Therefore Internet connection and web browser are enough; even Oracle Client need not be installed.

In Dynamic PSP the source code is stored in CLOB objects in the database and can be edited by a web-based editor, which is working in browser window. Each source code object as well as the whole application can be executed from the editor immediately "on-the-fly" without compilation and any other intermediate steps. Resulting page will be shown in another browser window. By this approach two major goals are gained:

1. Application can be developed remotely by distant programmers, working simultaneously in "real-time" (that is what exactly happens in the case of our company).
2. Debugging time is greatly reduced.

Flexibility. Although Dynamic PSP is simple it is an extremely flexible tool for creating complex business applications. It supports and induces the division of a big project into small modules, which are implemented as DPSP objects. Each DPSP object can call any other DPSP object in the same application scope with any number of run-time parameters. This is another feature that distinguishes Dynamic PSP from Oracle PSP.
While developing with the help of Dynamic PSP you are not constrained to use any modern web technologies like XML/XSLT, WAP and so on. For example, XML documents can be embedded with PL/SQL code and created dynamically using database data. It is the so-called XSP (XML Server Pages) technology. Of course you can include JavaScript code or CSS in your pages, and they can be dynamically generated as well.

Advantages. In comparison with others server side scripting solutions such as JSP or ASP, Dynamic PSP have following advantages:

1. Dynamic PSP does not require compilation of source code or uploading, it allows "on-the-fly" execution, that speed up the developing process;
2. there is no need for direct database access from developer's seat;
3. absolutely all features of Oracle SQL are available;
4. the performance is better than that of external server pages (and since Oracle9i, PL/SQL code can even be compiled into native machine code).
5. no need to learn yet another programming language. PL/SQL is Oracle's primary programming language and any Oracle developer is already familiar with it.
6. the program code is very clear and transparent, because PL/SQL is specially designed for database access;
7. low hardware requirements developer seat since only a web browser is required there.

Performance. Dynamic PSP takes just a little overhead for parsing and executing PSP pages in interpretation mode, and almost no additional overhead on the final stage of the project when all pages are compiled into PL/SQL packages and there is no more overhead for parsing. At the moment, PL/SQL stays the fastest language to do something in database. Java code still works much slower in Oracle than PL/SQL. Since Oracle9i can compile PL/SQL into native machine code, PL/SQL performance improved even further on 9i.

Low cost. Dynamic PSP imposes very modest requirements for hardware and software configuration both server and client computers. No need to buy additional software or hardware. If you have Oracle8i server and a web browser then you have everything you need to use Dynamic PSP.

Not only Server Pages. Because we designed and implemented Dynamic PSP from scratch, it is not based on Oracle PSP engine; we could include some additional functionality into it. Dynamic PSP provides developer with a number of useful built-in functions for PSP objects interaction, sending email, debugging, code profiling and errors processing.