One area called the data dictionary cache
Shared Pool
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The data dictionary is accessed so often by Oracle Database that two special locations in memory are designated to hold dictionary data. One area is called the data dictionary cache, also known as the row cache because it holds data as rows instead of buffers (which hold entire blocks of data). The other area in memory to hold dictionary data is the library cache. All Oracle Database user processes share these two caches for access to data dictionary information.
Oracle Database represents each SQL statement that it runs with a shared SQL area (as well as a private SQL area kept in the PGA). Oracle Database recognizes when two users are executing the same SQL statement and reuses the shared SQL area for those users.
When a new SQL statement is parsed, Oracle Database allocates memory from the shared pool to store in the shared SQL area. The size of this memory depends on the complexity of the statement.
Oracle Database processes PL/SQL program units (procedures, functions, packages, anonymous blocks, and database triggers) in much the same way it processes individual SQL statements.
Results of queries and query fragments can be cached in memory in the SQL query result cache. The database can then use cached results to answer future executions of these queries and query fragments. Because retrieving results from the SQL query result cache is faster than rerunning a query, frequently run queries experience a significant performance improvement when their results are cached.
A PL/SQL function is sometimes used to return the result of a computation whose inputs are one or several parameterized queries issued by the function. In some cases, these queries access data that changes very infrequently compared to the frequency of calling the function. You can include syntax in the source text of a PL/SQL function to request that its results be cached in the PL/SQL function result cache and (to ensure correctness) that the cache be purged when tables in a list of tables experience DML.
