ORA-06550: PL/SQL compilation error

ORA-06550: line N, column N:

An anonymous PL/SQL block failed to compile. ORA-06550 only gives the position: the real error is the PLS- line right after it. Read that one, and go to the line and column shown.

What ORA-06550 means

ORA-06550 wraps a PL/SQL compilation error, so one code does not tell you much. The next line holds the actual problem, such as PLS-00201: identifier must be declared or PLS-00103: Encountered the symbol …. The line and column are counted from the start of the block, which matters if a tool sent only a part of your script.

Common causes of ORA-06550

• A syntax error, such as a missing semicolon, reported as PLS-00103.
• An unknown name or a missing privilege, reported as PLS-00201.
• Wrong arguments in a call, reported as PLS-00306.
• A called object that is invalid, reported as PLS-00905.

How to fix ORA-06550

1. Read the PLS- message below ORA-06550; that is the real error.
2. Go to the line and column shown. With PLS-00103 the real mistake is often at the end of the line before.
3. For a stored unit, check USER_ERRORS or run SHOW ERRORS.
4. Recompile invalid dependencies: ALTER PACKAGE … COMPILE.

ORA-06550 example

A missing semicolon after NULL:

BEGIN
  NULL
END;
/
-- ORA-06550: line 3, column 1:
-- PLS-00103: Encountered the symbol "END" when expecting one of the following: ...

BEGIN
  NULL;
END;
/

In SQLlightspeed

When a statement fails, SQLlightspeed’s error panel shows the error code with a plain-language explanation and a suggestion for what to do next, together with Oracle’s own message and a link to Oracle’s documentation — for this error and dozens of other common ones.

Related errors

PLS-00201PLS-00306ORA-06502 All Oracle errors →

Oracle documentation for ORA-06550. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation. SQLlightspeed is not affiliated with Oracle.