This package is necessary because normal SQL functions do not operate on RAWs, and PL/SQL does not allow overloading between a RAW and a CHAR datatype. UTL_RAW also includes subprograms that convert various COBOL number formats to, and from, RAWs.

UTL_RAW is not specific to the database environment, and it may actually be used in other environments. For this reason, the prefix UTL has been given to the package, instead of DBMS. UTL_RAW allows a RAW "record" to be composed of many elements. By using the RAW datatype, character set conversion will not be performed, keeping the RAW in its original format when being transferred through remote procedure calls. With the RAW functions, you can manipulate binary data that was previously limited to the hextoraw and rawtohex functions.

There are many functions in this package to perform logical operations like AND, OR, COMPLEMENT, EXCLUSIVE OR, and casting function to cast from one datatype to another data type and it also contains functions to COMPARE, CONCAT, CONVERT etc.

• UTL_RAW.BIT_AND Function
• UTL_RAW.BIT_COMPLEMENT Function
  
• UTL_RAW.BIT_OR Function
  
• UTL_RAW.BIT_XOR Function
  
• UTL_RAW.CAST_FROM_BINARY_NUMBER Function UTL_RAW.CAST_FROM_BINARY_FLOAT Function UTL_RAW.CAST_FROM_NUMBER Function UTL_RAW.CAST_TO_BINARY_NUMBER Function UTL_RAW.CAST_TO_BINARY_FLOAT Function
  
• UTL_RAW.CAST_TO_NUMBER Function
  
• UTL_RAW.CAST_TO_RAW CAST_FROM_BINARY_NUMBER Function UTL_RAW.CAST_FROM_BINARY_FLOAT Function UTL_RAW.CAST_FROM_NUMBER Function
  
• UTL_RAW.CAST_TO_VARCHAR2 Function
  
• UTL_RAW.CAST_TO_NVARCHAR2 Function
  
• UTL_RAW.COMPARE Function
  
• UTL_RAW.CONCAT Function
  
• UTL_RAW.CONVERT Function
  
• UTL_RAW.COPIES Function
  
• UTL_RAW.LENGTH Function
  
• UTL_RAW.OVERLAY Function
  
• UTL_RAW.REVERSE Function
  
• UTL_RAW.SUBSTR Function
  
• UTL_RAW.TRANSLATE Function
  
• UTL_RAW.TRANSLITERATE Function
  
• UTL_RAW.XRANGE Function