What does “%Type” mean in Oracle sql?

Question

I\'m getting my first experience with Oracle and TOAD (I know SSMS). I came across this \"%Type\" next to an input parameter in an update procedure and I have no idea what it is

Answer 1

Apart from the purpose pointed by OMG Ponies, %TYPE is also used for inheriting the same data type used by a previously declared variable.

The syntax is :

 DECLARE
            L_num NUMBER(5,2) NOT NULL default 3.21;
            L_num_Test L_num%TYPE := 1.123;

So there is no need to declare the data type for the second variable i.e L_num_Test.

Comment if anyone needs further clarification regarding this topic.

Reference: https://docs.oracle.com/cd/B19306_01/appdev.102/b14261/fundamentals.htm#BEIIGBBF