5 comments about Oracle PL/SQL For Dummies.

1. This book has a lot of good technical data, but it's not well organized for learning, more of a reference. Also, it assumes you are already an experienced SQL programmer.



2. I am very pleased w/ the purchase of the book. If your goal is to learn PL/SQL quickly and comprehensively, this is the book to buy. It covers all the fundamentals you need to know about PL/SQL and it is excellently written. I have been a developer for 20 years in many languages. Learning new languages from overly technical books and writters, I find, often times make your learning process slow and ineffective. I took this class at Oracle, but there were topics that the training manual and the instructor did not do a good job presenting. This book clarified many of the topics I that were presented in class in a simpler, clearer, and more effective manner. I highly recommend it.



3. Fantastic text for beginners in PL/SQL. Clearly laid out concepts and samples, and hints at naming conventions and other standards to be used. A very solid introduction to the language.



4. This is absolutely, hands-down, the worst computer-related book I've ever had the misfortune to read. It's also the first "For Dummies" book I've read, so it may be the fault of the series rather than the book.
   
   The book is poorly written and poorly edited. There are errors in the code examples and numerous inconsistencies in the text. The book doesn't really say anything except, to paraphrase, "There are many things that you should know, but they're beyond the scope of this book. Check somewhere else."
   
   I bought this book based on the recommendations on this page-- my mistake. I'll never buy a "For Dummies" book again.



5. Easily one of the best programming books I've ever bought, in my life. I can't tell you how many strange programming assignments I have been able to pull off because of this book. From cursors to clobs and whatnot. Everyone in the office thinks I'm a wizard because of this book. It is also a very good reference book with great examples anyone can pick up easily. I agree, with one of the reviewers, not really really a beginners book, but if you write PL/SQL for about 3 months this should be an indispensable resource.

5 comments about Oracle JDeveloper 10g for Forms & PL/SQL Developers: A Guide to Web Development with Oracle ADF (Osborne Oracle Press).

1. This book served well our need to train Oracle Forms developers in JDeveloper/ADF. The first part is a good technological review, the second a hands-on to build an application that not only tells what to do and how to do it, but explains it fully. It was useful even after attending formal Oracle training.



2. This is an excelent book for begining web development, it explains you step by step how things work and "glue" together. The only reason for me to give it 4 stars is that, in the book it explains how to build part of an application (tuhra) and it tells you to look for the rest (of the app.) on the web site..... I looked for it but it is nowhere to be found... (they only have the parts of the app. that you develope while doing the books excercises).



3. Great



4. exellent Book
   
   Goods Tips for programming Oracle ADF
   
   greetings from Toluca, EdoMex, Mex.



5. Being a traditional pl/sql developer, I was drawn to the title of the book immediately. I know I need to eventually buckle down and learn Java, but what better way than by drawing parallels to pl/sql and Forms.
   
   I like the hands-on examples that has you build a fairly complete application from scratch. I say fairly complete because its only a 500 page book and it allows the reader to go out and research ways to improve it.
   
   One of my favorite parts of the book is a summary section that shows up after a large chunk of instructions called "What did you just do?" This sums up what the reader just performed - explaining in layman's terms what you actually just did.
   
   Although I'm sure you can get similar tutorials on OTN somewhere, having a book to flip back through is always nice.

No comments about Oracle Database 11g DBA Handbook (Osborne Oracle Press).

5 comments about Mastering Oracle SQL, 2nd Edition.

1. Half of this 450 page book surveys basic SQL, and the other half is on features Oracle added to SQL in versions 9i and especially 10g. I bought the book because I believed the title, and the reviews here that said it was an excellent reference. But, to quote one of its authors, "This book is NOT a reference manual, and it is NOT an administrator's guide". It's an overview of SQL only. It is not an introduction; nor can it be used, reference book-fashion, all by itself.
   
   So for my purposes, I was quite disappointed. But the book has some utility, in its explanations of what can be done with Oracle SQL. Especially in the explanations of analytic functions, regular expressions, and XML. It's like a series of magazine articles, with discussion and examples.
   
   The book has some weaknesses:
   
   * The index is very skimpy and incomplete. This is what you'd expect actually, in a book that isn't ever meant to be referred back to.
   
   * The focus on SQL is diluted and inconsistent. For example, there is an explanation on how to set up partitioning. Another section compares Oracle's implementation of regular expressions to Perl's . Sometimes background and comparisons are present, sometimes they're not.
   
   * There isn't much explanation of *why* you'd want to do some of the *whats* that can be done. Yes, it's possible to build classes and objects into a database, but why do it in SQL instead of Java? (Of course the *hows* would be quite inadequate, if this were a how-to book).
   
   * There is too much explanation of how things used to be done in 8i. That version was five years old back when this edition was published. 8i shouldn't take up more than a paragraph or three in a book that purports to cover 9i and 10g.
   
   In summary, if you don't read trade magazines, and you don't care to spend your time on Oracle websites and forums, and you know you won't have access to 11g anytime soon, you may find this book a decent (altho somewhat pricey) way to broaden your horizons of what you can do with Oracle SQL.



2. I'm no SDE, but I had a need to learn enough SQL to enable me to hit my company's Data Warehouse tables directly and employ some complex joins. This was the book recommended to me, and it did the trick. I sat down and began reading it and was quickly writing increasingly complex queries. I found the explanations easy to follow, and the format intuitive. The only fault I found is that there is a lack of more complex join examples, as when there are more than one field being joined on or more than two tables being joined.



3. The goal of the authors is to explain how to write good readable SQL queries in Oracle 10g. The book starts with how to construct SELECT statements to group, filter and format result sets for dates, reports and data analysis. Then it proceeds to cover Oracle-specific queries and functions for hierarchies (data in tree structures), object-oriented types, XML documents, regular expressions and models (spreadsheet-like objects). Where relevant, there are notes about the differences between SQL for Oracle 10, Oracle 9 and the ANSI standard.
   
   As expected from the title, the chapters using declarative programming (i.e. SQL queries) for relational data, hierarchical data and reports are the most comprehensive. Chapters on interfacing Oracle SQL with other technologies such as scripting (Oracle's PL/SQL), object-oriented types, XML and regular expressions, or on optimization, are brief but sufficient to get you started, especially if you have a existing background in those technologies.
   
   This is the 2nd edition, so it's not surprising that the scope of the book is well-defined and that the writing is easy to read and polished. The example data and queries are just complex enough to demonstrate the issues without obscuring the main points. Minor annoyance about Chapter 15, "SQL Best Practices", which does not explain how to use the query analyzer and bind variables.
   
   I was already familiar with basic Oracle SQL but didn't really understand the language; this book blew away many of the fuzzy concepts in my mind and provided me the framework to tackle more complex problems.
   
   Kam-Hung Soh, 21 May 2007.
   [...]



4. The book does a nice job of dissecting the syntax of SELECT statements and their various components, but in my opinion would fall short for most practical users. The examples are closer to what you might find in one of those "SQL for Smarties" books than what a normal developer writing applications that interface with Oracle databases might be looking to master. For example, there isn't in depth coverage of flow-of-control mechanisms and only a few pages in the first chapter covering DML operations.



5. It's the only Oracle book I seem to need. Great explanations. Includes new Oracle features. One of the best descriptions on inner, outer, left, right joins. Saved my tail a couple of times. It includes just the right amount of information.

3 comments about Oracle Essentials: Oracle Database 11g (Essentials).

1. This book is for people of all levels of Oracle experience and includes database administrators, system administrators, and application developers. Even though there is some introductory material that more experienced people might be tempted to skip over, it is probably best to go through the book from beginning to end just to make sure you don't miss some minute point of Oracle. It does not try to teach database theory, though. You need to be familiar with that in a general sense before you read this book.
   
   The main purpose of this fourth edition is to add information relevant to the newest release, Oracle Database 11g. Appendix A is handy in that it contains, in a condensed form, what is new for 11g. The book manage to concentrate on the most important Oracle issues and principles. It isn't possible to write one book that encompasses everything about Oracle, particularly syntax details, so you'll need to refer to Oracle documentation for complete details. The following is the table of contents of the book, which is currently not included in the product description:
   
   Chapter 1. Introducing Oracle
   Section 1.1. The Evolution of the Relational Database
   Section 1.2. The Oracle Database Family
   Section 1.3. Summary of Oracle Database Features
   Section 1.4. Database Application Development Features
   Section 1.5. Database Connection Features
   Section 1.6. Distributed Database Features
   Section 1.7. Data Movement Features
   Section 1.8. Database Performance Features
   Section 1.9. Database Management Features
   Section 1.10. Database Security Features
   Section 1.11. Oracle Development Tools
   Section 1.12. Embedded Databases
   
   Chapter 2. Oracle Architecture
   Section 2.1. Databases and Instances
   Section 2.2. Deploying Physical Components
   Section 2.3. Instance Memory and Processes
   Section 2.4. The Data Dictionary
   
   Chapter 3. Installing and Running Oracle
   Section 3.1. Installing Oracle
   Section 3.2. Creating a Database
   Section 3.3. Configuring Oracle Net
   Section 3.4. Starting Up the Database
   Section 3.5. Shutting Down the Database
   Section 3.6. Accessing a Database
   Section 3.7. Oracle at Work
   
   Chapter 4. Oracle Data Structures
   Section 4.1. Datatypes
   Section 4.2. Basic Data Structures
   Section 4.3. Additional Data Structures
   Section 4.4. Extended Logic for Data
   Section 4.5. Data Design
   Section 4.6. Constraints
   Section 4.7. Triggers
   Section 4.8. Query Optimization
   Section 4.9. Understanding the Execution Plan
   Section 4.10. SQL Advisors
   Section 4.11. Data Dictionary Tables
   
   Chapter 5. Managing Oracle
   Section 5.1. Manageability Features
   Section 5.2. Oracle Enterprise Manager
   Section 5.3. Fragmentation and Reorganization
   Section 5.4. Backup and Recovery
   Section 5.5. Working with Oracle Support
   
   Chapter 6. Oracle Security, Auditing, and Compliance
   Section 6.1. Security
   Section 6.2. Auditing
   Section 6.3. Compliance
   
   Chapter 7. Oracle Performance
   Section 7.1. Performance Tuning Basics
   Section 7.2. Oracle and Disk I/O Resources
   Section 7.3. Oracle and Parallelism
   Section 7.4. Oracle and Memory Resources
   Section 7.5. Oracle and CPU Resources
   Section 7.6. Database Resource Manager
   
   Chapter 8. Oracle Multiuser Concurrency
   Section 8.1. Basics of Concurrent Access
   Section 8.2. Oracle and Concurrent User Access
   Section 8.3. Oracle's Isolation Levels
   Section 8.4. Oracle Concurrency Features
   Section 8.5. How Oracle Handles Locking
   Section 8.6. Concurrent Access and Performance
   Section 8.7. Workspaces
   
   Chapter 9. Oracle and Transaction Processing
   Section 9.1. OLTP Basics
   Section 9.2. Oracle's OLTP Heritage
   Section 9.3. Architectures for OLTP
   Section 9.4. Oracle Features for OLTP
   Section 9.5. High Availability
   Section 9.6. Oracle Streams and Advanced Queuing
   Section 9.7. Object Technologies and Distributed Components
   
   Chapter 10. Oracle Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence
   Section 10.1. Business Intelligence Basics
   Section 10.2. Data Warehouse Design
   Section 10.3. Query Optimization
   Section 10.4. Analytics, OLAP, and Data Mining in the Database
   Section 10.5. Managing the Data Warehouse
   Section 10.6. Other Software for the Data Warehouse
   Section 10.7. The Metadata Challenge
   Section 10.8. Best Practices
   
   Chapter 11. Oracle and High Availability
   Section 11.1. What Is High Availability?
   Section 11.2. System Failure
   Section 11.3. Protecting Against System Failure
   Section 11.4. Recovering from Failures
   Section 11.5. Complete Site Failure
   Section 11.6. Data Redundancy Solutions
   Section 11.7. Rolling Upgrades
   
   Chapter 12. Oracle and Hardware Architecture
   Section 12.1. System Basics
   Section 12.2. Uniprocessor Systems
   Section 12.3. Symmetric Multiprocessing Systems
   Section 12.4. Clusters
   Section 12.5. Non-Uniform Memory Access Systems
   Section 12.6. Grid Computing
   Section 12.7. Disk and Storage Technology
   Section 12.8. Which Platform Deployment Solution?
   
   Chapter 13. Oracle Distributed Databases and Distributed Data
   Section 13.1. Accessing Multiple Databases As a Single Entity
   Section 13.2. Moving Data Between Distributed Systems
   
   Chapter 14. Oracle Extended Datatypes
   Section 14.1. Object-Oriented Development
   Section 14.2. Extensibility Features and Options
   Section 14.3. Using the Extensibility Framework in Oracle
   
   Chapter 15. Beyond the Oracle Database
   Section 15.1. Application Express
   Section 15.2. Oracle Fusion Middleware
   Section 15.3. Oracle SOA Suite
   
   Appendix A. What's New in This Book for Oracle Database 11g
   Section A.1. Introducing Oracle
   Section A.2. Oracle Architecture
   Section A.3. Installing and Running Oracle
   Section A.4. Data Structures
   Section A.5. Managing Oracle
   Section A.6. Oracle Security, Auditing, and Compliance
   Section A.7. Oracle Performance
   Section A.8. Oracle Multiuser Concurrency
   Section A.9. Oracle and Transaction Processing
   Section A.10. Oracle Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence
   Section A.11. Oracle and High Availability
   Section A.12. Oracle and Hardware Architecture
   Section A.13. Oracle Distributed Databases and Distributed Data
   Section A.14. Oracle Extended Datatypes
   Section A.15. Beyond the Oracle Database
   
   Appendix B. Additional Resources
   Section B.1. Web Sites
   Section B.2. Books and Oracle Documentation



2. Oracle Essentials, Oracle Database 11g, 4th edition
   Rick Greenwald et al.
   O'Reilly - 4th Edition (11g)
   http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596514549/index.html
   
   This is a very detailed overview of the inner workings of Oracle. Each chapter is a small book in itself going into the detail of the subject. This might be confusing to those without a clear understanding of how databases work in general, and a background in computer science would help. Overall, the author does a nice job of explaining each topic in such a way that it would be reasonably clear either way though. There are many diagrams, tables, lists, and pictures to help explain the material. This would not be so much a reference for programming Oracle as it explains what is available in Oracle and how Oracle provides its features. The book should be usefully to Oracle DBAs and system administrators. It will also appeal to those that want a book that goes beyond stating what Oracle can do and shows how Oracle actually does what it can do.
   
   Generally chapters cover:
   
   Overview
   Architecture
   Installation and Running
   Data Structures (B*-trees, etc.)
   Management
   Security
   Performance
   Concurrency
   Transactions
   Warehousing, Business Intelligence
   Availability
   Hardware
   Distributed Databases
   Object Oriented Development
   New Features of 11g
   
   Summary:
   
   - The internal workings of Oracle are clearly explained through out.
   - A great book for system administrator, DBAs, and those who take care of Oracle databases.



3. The 4th updated edition of ORACLE ESSENTIALS is a must for any library strong in databases in general and Oracle in particular, offering an easily-read reference packed with tips on data structures, installation, networking, and customization processes. Features beyond the Oracle database: Express, Fusion Middleware, and more - compliment specifics on the latest Oracle Database 11g, providing a comprehensive reference for new and old users alike!
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

5 comments about Oracle Discoverer 10g Handbook (Oracle).

1. Oracle Discoverer is a complex tool and much more than a single understanding of the functionality is required to use it effectively for business intelligence.
   
   Armstrong-Smith has achieved this goal in a pragmatic book that not only shows the "how" but the "why", with simple illustrative examples from real-world systems.



2. This is THE book to get for Oracle Discoverer. What more can I say, it's well written, clear with good examples.



3. The book was so useful that we (LDEQ) had Michael visit us for a week. It was great having you here.



4. I bought this book recently to understand some advanced features of 10G and also get more hold on admin tasks and setups.
   
   I am not through with the entire book yet, but whatever i have red till now is really well written. All features - desktop and admin are well explained with examples and screen shots. Notes at the end of items provide special remarks which are very useful as well.
   
   A very helpful book for beginners as well as advanced users.



5. This handbook is extremely helpful to the novice Discoverer User. I appreciated the ease in locating specific items that I needed help with. It is user friendly and very enlightening!

5 comments about Oracle PL/SQL Programming, 4th Edition.

1. Steven's book is the best reference available for PL/SQL. No other book comes close. While he may cover Oracle user-defined types and object-relational technology, I regret that he only approaches the use of PL/SQL as a procedural language. Still, it's the best reference on the market for PL/SQL.



2. No doubt you must own this book if you start learning PL/SQL or if you want to improve your coding. Steven reveals many traps that may be in your code. It explains how to take advantage of multiple techniques like BULK COLLECT.
   
   It may serve as a reference book too



3. It is clear, concise, and as far as I can tell, correct. The writing is friendly, and the examples useful. I learned far more about PL/SQL from this book than from the Oracle documentation. I recently heard the author speak at a conference, and his good personality is reflected in the book.



4. As with the three previous editions, all of which I own, this book sets the standard for PL/SQL texts. Crammed with information, it provides a thorough and insightful reference and always has a place on my desk.



5. I've worked with Oracle and PL/SQL on and off for ages. I never really took a dive into the details of anything until recently. I knew the basics of PL/SQL blocks, writing procedures/functions and some of the "advanced" column/data types and interactions with them(XML with XPath, for example).
   
   Being a professional software engineer for some time now and working with Oracle regularly has lead me down a path of basic knowledge. This book took that knowledge and pushed the boundaries further than I could have imagined. Great detail, simple/concise/powerful examples and explanations coupled with the author's ability to write with humor make this a wonderful read from beginner to intermediate.
   
   Advanced users/developers may find it useful merely as a reference, however. It is something that will surely be worn out as time goes on.

2 comments about Oracle Database 11g PL/SQL Programming (Oracle Press).

1. Michael McLaughlin has delivered the most comprehensive book on PL/SQL on the market. No matter where you are, novice or master, you will find this book helpful. The book is loaded with practical, working examples and detailed descriptions that will help you from getting lost. Even the most complex topics are covered thoroughly and comprehensively in a way that makes them feel simple. Even if you are not on 11g yet, you need to buy this book. It's not only a great reference, but an interesting and captivating read that will give you ideas and understanding which will help in any project.
   
   Most of all, this book reveals the power of PL/SQL as a viable and fully-featured programming language. It covers complex subjects such as Object Oriented Programming and utilizing Large Objects (LOBS) with striking detail. It also contains a primer on using PHP and Java with PL/SQL! You'll also find a revealing discussion on using Functions, Procedures, and Packages that enhance understanding in a way that no other book does. Other books teach you the "how", this book covers the "what" and the "why" so that you not only can write the code, but you understand everything that it is doing.
   
   I would highly recommend this book to anyone that uses PL/SQL no matter your current skill level. There's great content for everyone.



2. This is one of the best technical books I have read. It makes PL/SQL easy to learn for the beginners and it is so detailed that very experienced users will find it extremely useful. It covers the usage of PL/SQL with many different types of applications such as JAVA, XML, PHP, etc. I have recommended very few language books in my time, because, I have found them to be written with the writer's logic as to how the writer thinks the code would be better executed. However this is the first book that I have seen that is written logically based on how the language would be better used to efficiently interact with the database. In short, I give this book my highest recommendation. I would like to congratulate Michael on writing such a great book.

5 comments about Oracle Automatic Storage Management: Under-the-Hood & Practical Deployment Guide (Oracle).

1. Someone recenlty mentioned that Oracle Automatic Storage Management (ASM) is probably the best thing ever happened to Oracle next to SQL*Plus. I would second that. However there was no definitive text available in the market and Nitin & co perfectly filled the gap with this classic one.
   
   This book starts with the basics of the storage technology and moves towards the center of the ASM with deep discussions on ASM data structures, ASM in operation and ASM troubleshooting. Nitin probably probably knows more about ASM than anyone I know and excels in explaining the complex technologies in easy to understand manner. You will immensely benefit from his wisdom and real life experience.
   
   A must read for Oracle Storage Administrators and DBAs working with RAC/ASM.



2. One of the authors of this book is the director of development for ASM. Who would know more about it than the developers? The other 2 implement it in many different environments. Lastly, the technical reviewer Charles Kim wrote the 11g new features book for Apress. There could not be a better group of people to write a book about ASM and review it than these individuals.
   
   I would highly recommend this book for any DBA that will be working with ASM and / or RAC. The high performance, ease of use, and low cost make it a very attractive solution. This book will teach you everything you need to know about ASM (that's why it's called an "Under-the-Hood" guide). It also makes an excellent reference.



3. Oracle Automatic Storage Management Under-the-Hood & Practical Deployment Guide.This is a must have book for those who are working on ASM or who are planning to implement ASM.Chapters like "ASM Space Allocation and Rebalance","ASMLIB Concepts and Overview","Managing Database in ASM" and "ASM and Storage Array Configuration" gives you in detail information.
   
   After reading the book I can say that now I know what actually is ASM/How it works/How to Implement ASM and I don't need any more training on ASM.
   
   
   -MOHAMMED MOINUDDIN UMAIR
   Senior Tuning Consultant,LEHMAN BROTHERS,NEW JERSEY



4. Other than Oracle documentation, this is the only ASM source of information that I know of. This book is a relatively fast read and comes in at under 300 pages.
   
   The first chapter is very helpful and I learned some information about disk storage that I did not know. I am more comfortable talking with SAN and system administrators now. They also get the feel that I know what I am talking about. After the first chapter, the book dives right into ASM architecture and management. Each chapter is well written and easy to understand. This book also covers the new features in Oracle 11 and you can see that Oracle is dedicated to maturing ASM. ASM is here to stay and it will gain in popularity.
   
   One of the areas that I thought could have been better is the discussion and explanation of RAC, ASM and how the cluster registry is affected. It would have been nice to have a chapter on OCFS just as a supplement. Some shops will utilize both OCFS and ASM. OCFS will host the OCR and voting file as ASM can not be used.
   
   If you are new to ASM or you are an expert, this book is a good read. If you are new to ASM will get more out of it (obviously) since it covers everything you need to know to install and maintain ASM. Fortunately since this is the only ASM book (as of today) and it is great source of information you will not be wasting your time. This book comes highly recommended.
   
   George Loewenthal
   Denver, Colorado



5. This is a essential book for beginners and advanced users. DBAs can have good references to implement ASM without problems. There are many information not found in conventional forums.

5 comments about Oracle Database 10g Real Application Clusters Handbook (Osborne Oracle Press).

1. I did a fair level of research before purchasing this book. One of the reasons that biased me toward it was the fact that one of the RAC specialists from Oracle India carried with him as a reference.
   The book goes into great detail on RAC internals and oracle locks/enqueues, and as the author points out, some chapters/topics require several passes to sink in. The book is no hands-on step by step installation/management handbook, although it does cover a two node cluster installation. The author focuses on understanding the concepts underlying Oracle RAC, as he sees this as key to being successful in managing and supporting the technology. As in all things computer, only hands-on experience brings this to bear.
   I would like to see more practical information on the different ways in which services can be configured, used and monitored.
   I also found the coverage of the $CRS_HOME/bin utilities too light.
   All in all, a great reference and invaluable concepts guide which would be well supplemented with a practical hands-on book.



2. On some of the topics this book is excellent.Looks like this book focussed on topics those are not covered in other books or manuals.
   
   I suggest first read some simple installation and administration manuals.
   Later refer this book for specific information.Then you can take more from this book.
   
   THanks,
   Mansoor.



3. I had the fortune to work with Gopal on a RAC troubleshooting project. While a book cannot replace the real person it is a good summary of his experiences learned over many customer engagements.
   The book covers all aspects of RAC from the history lesson and installation overview, to locking and even extended RAC. My favorite chapters are 10 "RAC Performance Management" and 14 "RAC Troubleshooting". They should be mandatory reading for any DBA supporting RAC. Require your developers to read chapter 16 "Developing Applications for RAC" before they start coding.



4. By far one of my favorite books on RAC internals.
   
   I especially like the section on Cache Fusion and how locking works with Oracle 10g RAC and OPS.
   
   My only request is that it covered more details on command line utilities but other books cover that so not that big of a deal.
   
   It really is the guru internals guide to RAC for consultants!
   
   I have the other book by Gopal on Oracle 10g Wait tuning and that is a great tech reference as well.



5. RAC Handbook is an excellent RAC book for new and experienced DBAs. The book is not one of the several 600 page RAC books that contain pages of not-so valuable information. The RAC Handbook is around 400 pages and it is packed with excellent detail on how to install RAC and troubleshoot common performance issues. The author of this book, K Gopalakrishnan is also the author of "Oracle Wait Interface: A Practical Guilde to Performance Diagnostics & Tuning" by Oracle Press. This book won an Oracle award and it one of the best performance tuning books. The RAC Handbook features an excellent chapter on Cache Fusion and several easy to understand examples of how blocks are transferred amongst multiple nodes. The RAC Handbook also has a decent chapter on ASM which could have been a little longer and could have gone into more detail. The chapter on RAC installation will walk you though using the cluster verify utilities which can and will alleviate many headaches that can be experienced during a RAC installation. This book is a great read for anyone that wants to build their RAC skills. Gopalakrishnan is an excellent author and I trust his research.