Preamble
The Oracle OR condition (also called the OR statement) is used to check several conditions in which records are returned when a particular condition is true. It can be used in SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE or DELETE.
Syntax for OR condition in Oracle/PLSQL
WHERE condition1
OR condition2
…
OR condition_n;
Parameters and arguments of the condition
- condition1, condition2, condition_n – All conditions that must be met for the selected records.
condition1 OR condition2 logic:
| condition1 | condition2 | condition1 OR condition2 |
| TRUE | TRUE | TRUE |
| TRUE | FALSE | TRUE |
| TRUE | NULL | TRUE |
| FALSE | TRUE | TRUE |
| FALSE | FALSE | FALSE |
| FALSE | NULL | NULL |
| NULL | TRUE | TRUE |
| NULL | FALSE | NULL |
| NULL | NULL | NULL |
Note:
- Oracle condition OR allows checking 2 or more conditions.
- The Oracle condition OR requirement, so that all conditions (condition1, condition2, condition_n) must be met for the entries that are included in the resulting set.
Example with the SELECT operator
The first example of the Oracle OR condition, which we will consider, is included in the SELECT operator with 2 conditions:
SELECT *
FROM customers
WHERE state = 'Nevada'
OR available_credit > 700;
This example Oracle OR conditions will return all customers who are either in state ‘Nevada’ or available_credit above 700. Since SELECT uses *, all fields from the customers table will fall into the result set.
Example of a SELECT operator (with 3 conditions)
The following example of the Oracle OR condition is a SELECT operator with 3 conditions. If any of these conditions are not met, the record will be included in the result set.
SELECT supplier_id
FROM suppliers
WHERE supplier_name = 'INTEL'
OR city = 'Boston'
OR offices > 7;
This example Oracle condition OR will return all supplier_id values where supplier_name is either ‘INTEL’ or city ‘Boston’ or offices is greater than 7.
Example with the INSERT operator
Oracle condition OR can be used in INSERT operator.
For example:
INSERT INTO suppliers
(supplier_id, supplier_name)
SELECT account_no, name
FROM customers
WHERE city = 'Las Vegas'
OR city = 'Denver';
This Oracle example OR condition will insert into the suppliers table, all account_no records, name from the customers table that are in the city ‘Las Vegas’ or ‘Denver’.
Example with UPDATE operator
Oracle condition OR can be used in UPDATE operator.
For example:
UPDATE suppliers
SET supplier_name = 'Nike'
WHERE supplier_name = 'Adidas'
OR available_products < 9;
This example Oracle condition OR will update all values in the supplier_name field of the supplier table in ‘Nike’ where supplier_name was ‘Adidas’ or its availabe_products was less than 9.
Example with DELETE
Oracle condition OR can be used in DELETE operator.
For example:
DELETE FROM suppliers
WHERE supplier_name = 'Epson'
OR employees >= 60;
In this Oracle example, the OR conditions will remove all entries from the suppliers table whose supplier_name was ‘Epson’ or their employees were greater than or equal to 60.
PL/SQL tutorial: WHILE Loop in Oracle Database
About Enteros
Enteros offers a patented database performance management SaaS platform. It proactively identifies root causes of complex business-impacting database scalability and performance issues across a growing number of clouds, RDBMS, NoSQL, and machine learning database platforms.
The views expressed on this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Enteros Inc. This blog may contain links to the content of third-party sites. By providing such links, Enteros Inc. does not adopt, guarantee, approve, or endorse the information, views, or products available on such sites.
Are you interested in writing for Enteros’ Blog? Please send us a pitch!
RELATED POSTS
Smarter Retail IT: How Enteros Enhances Performance Management and Cost Attribution for SaaS Database Ecosystems
- 9 December 2025
- Database Performance Management
Introduction The retail industry is undergoing one of the most significant digital shifts in modern history. From omnichannel commerce and real-time inventory visibility to personalized customer experiences powered by AI and data analytics, retailers rely heavily on SaaS-based platforms and high-performance databases to keep their digital operations running seamlessly. Yet, this digital acceleration brings new … Continue reading “Smarter Retail IT: How Enteros Enhances Performance Management and Cost Attribution for SaaS Database Ecosystems”
Unlocking Financial Performance: How Enteros Elevates Database Optimization with Intelligent Cost Attribution
Introduction The financial sector operates in a landscape where precision, performance, and transparency are non-negotiable. Banks, investment firms, payment providers, and fintech enterprises depend on massive data ecosystems to power transactions, risk models, compliance reporting, customer analytics, and digital-first experiences. As these data workloads scale across hybrid and multi-cloud environments, ensuring optimal database performance and … Continue reading “Unlocking Financial Performance: How Enteros Elevates Database Optimization with Intelligent Cost Attribution”
The Future of Financial RevOps: Enteros’ AIOps-Powered Framework for Precision Cost Estimation
- 8 December 2025
- Database Performance Management
Introduction The financial sector is undergoing a massive transformation driven by digital acceleration, regulatory pressure, cloud migration, AI adoption, and rising customer expectations. Banks, insurance companies, fintechs, and wealth management firms now operate in a hyper-competitive landscape where agility, accuracy, and operational efficiency determine long-term success. Within this environment, Revenue Operations (RevOps) has emerged as … Continue reading “The Future of Financial RevOps: Enteros’ AIOps-Powered Framework for Precision Cost Estimation”
What Technology Teams Gain from Enteros’ GenAI-Driven Database Performance and Cloud FinOps Intelligence
Introduction The technology sector is entering a new era—one where rapid innovation, distributed architectures, and cloud-native systems fuel unprecedented digital acceleration. Yet behind this momentum sits a challenge that every CTO, DevOps leader, and cloud architect knows all too well: how do you maintain high performance, manage cost efficiency, and ensure seamless database reliability across … Continue reading “What Technology Teams Gain from Enteros’ GenAI-Driven Database Performance and Cloud FinOps Intelligence”