As you know, since 10g Oracle can optimize PL/SQL loops with moving code out of loops for reducing number of identical code executions.
If you have not read yet about it, I advise you to first read these two articles:
1. “PLSQL_OPTIMIZE_LEVEL: The optimization strategy of Oracle” by Saurabh K. Gupta
2. “PL/SQL optimisation in 10g” by Adrian Billington
But since 11g Oracle also can optimize code with deterministic functions too. For this to happen, code must meet the following conditions:
1. PLSQL_OPTIMIZE_LEVEL greater or equal 2
2. Parameters should not be changed in the loop body. Strictly speaking, there should not be any assignment of parameters.
3. Should not be any implicit conversions of parameters in function call, i.e. all variables/literals must be the same type as input parameters declared.
4. Should not be any call of non-deterministic functions (except some standard sql functions like to_date, to_char, nvl) or procedures in the loop
Note that this rules concerns only same scope level as this loop and not inner loops or another blocks.
Let me show how it works on simple examples: