5 comments about Oracle Database 10g New Features: Oracle10g Reference for Advanced Tuning & Administration (Oracle In-Focus series).

1. When the New Features books come out with each version of Oracle, I look forward to grabbing the best one and sitting down and reading it. This book has everything that I wanted, the New Features explained thoroughly and examples that help me understand any new concepts. Yes, this book seems like it does rehash the Oracle documentation to, but what book can not somewhat? The good thing is this book goes beyond the Oracle documentation giving you much more. I highly recommended this book for all DBA's who want to keep up on the latest and greatest coming out of Redwood Shores, CA.



2. I have the Freeman 10g new features book, but I found this one to be a much better value because it has more detailed information about the 10g new features. I was also happy that the book shows working examples and it contains a full wealth of "how to" use the new features and not just a rehash of the 10g documents.



3. I have both of the 10g new features book, and this one has more details that I needed when I moved my 9i database to 10g. The other book is OK, but this one has more inteligence in choosing which features to feature. The organisation is also good.



4. After wasting my money on the Freeman book I got this one because it has far more comprehensive coverage. I detest Oracle Press books and it is refreshing to see the top authors like Mike Ault coming into their own with books that are made for real people.



5. This was one of the earliest books on Oracle10g new features. As a fact, I believe it was THE earliest book on Oracle10g new features. I didn't have choice, thinking at least I can use it as a reference book.
   I was wrong.
   It is just a collection of trivial things very badly organized. Every topic gets it's two or three very short paragraphs.
   Also, this book is not a normal sized book as other Oracle books I have. Every page can barely content even the very short two or three paragraphs, just make it harder to read.
   Anyway, it had been on my book shelf collecting dust for about a couple of years. Last week we were doing spring cleaning. I decided to get rid off it. At first, I was thinking to sell it on eBay, but couldn't bear the thought that someone will be cursing my name. ;). So I just put it into the recycle bin, (not the Windows one, but the one for Waste Management).

5 comments about Practical Oracle8i(TM): Building Efficient Databases.

1. Once you pass your certification, get this book and read it from cover to cover, or at least the bulk of the chapters. It will go fast and enjoyable, and it will give an extra perspective over what you just learned.

   As another reviewer said, don't worry about it not being 9i.




2. Once you pass your certification, get this book and read it from cover to cover, or at least the bulk of the chapters. It will go fast and enjoyable, and it will give an extra perspective over what you just learned.

   As another reviewer said, don't worry about it not being 9i.




3. Before reading this book, I was getting tired of books that just repeated the manual, adding little information.
   
   This resourceful book is for experienced DBAs / developers that want new ideas about Oracle database design.



4. I work with many legacy 8i databases on Oracle and this book is excellent reference for more advanced topics. The author has an excellent way of teaching concepts and examples as well.



5. This is not your average book of tips without proof. Highly technical stuff with lots of incredible insights.

5 comments about Oracle DBA Exam Cram: Test 1 and Test 2: Exam: TEST 1 & TEST 2.

1. This book is completely out of date. It covers only Oracle7, with little to no applicability to the current market. Is this guy ever going to come out with an Oracle8 book?



2. This book is a very good exam cram. Usually Oracle books are very long and thick. I guess it's because they are written using cut and paste. But not this one. It's one of the shortest book (I mean number of pages) but it gives you all required infromation for these two exams. There are a few mistakes, but they are obvious and not confusing.

   I passed both exams with a good score. But you should remember, that these exams'll be retired in August, 2000. Probably, if you have strong Oracle 7 background it would be easier to you to get Oracle 7 certificate and then upgrade it to Oracle 8. I did it and it was very easy because there is another Coriolis book for the upgrade exam and it's also very nice.




3. I am an IT consultant and Oracle DBA with 8 years of experience in high-end technology, working for a large international bank in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I have decided to become Oracle certified because it would certainly give me more visibility in my work. Now, I am an Oracle8 OCP DBA with an average score of 97% in the five exams of the Oracle8 DBA track.

   I must admit it was very difficult at first to find out what the best way would be to prepare for the tests. It took me some time to understand that the exams are entirely based on the original Oracle course books and that the practice tests offered by Self Test Software are a superset of the real exams. Now I have a keen perception of what the whole process is all about. The real trick to get a 90+% score is to attend the Oracle classes and cram with the STS practice tests. However, this is a rather expensive way to study,......................

   When I fist set off my study, I bought Mr. Jason Couchman's Oracle8 DBA Certification Guide by Oracle Press. Bad choice... It was completely out of synch with the real exam contents and had a lot of typos and gross conceptual errors. I do feel sorry for those people who were caught unawares buying the big red book. I wonder how Oracle signed off on it.

   I also bought the 'Oracle 7 Exam Cram Tests 1 and 2' by Mr. Michael Ault and 'Oracle 7 Exam Cram Tests 3 and 4' by Mr. Ault Mrs. Anne Pascavage. They were both better than Mr. Couchman's, but a bit confusing, especially because they mixed two tests in each book. Besides, they did not cover Oracle8.

   As a last resort, I borrowed the original course materials from an acquaintance, with the exception of the Network Administration book. I read the reviews on Mrs. Pascavage's 'Oracle8: Network Administration', and decided to order it ......... I was surprised. This book is really great ! It was evident that the author was careful to study the original oracle course material and practice test, giving priceless tips and accurately separating the chapters according to those of the course books and the exams sections. Also, the questions in the book are very close to the real ones one would encounter. Congratulations, Mrs. Pascavage !




4. The only worthwhile part of the book, like all exam cram books, is the full exam at the end. There were several errors or vaguely worded questions that wouldn't make it past a beta exam. The chapters are pretty much photo copies of the oracle documentation with one main difference -- there are VERY FEW examples. Do not waste your money on this or any other exam cram books.



5. I bought mine from 'Surpluscomputerbooks'. This seller is very
   unscrupulous! I thought it was for Oracle8i, but it turned out to be for Oracle7 !!! Beware of what you buy into, someone might be dumping out of date material on you!

2 comments about Technology and Privacy: The New Landscape.

1. This book is somewhat slanted toward "technology is bad" but not excessively so. The focus is on political issues and opinions. How well one likes these chapters depends on one's political leaning; few of the chapters manage to be balanced. The one chapter on technical matters is a nice but simple introduction to computer security. Many chapters have long reference lists for further study.



2. From Virginia Postrel's pollyannish embrace of technology to Reg Whitakers musings of government devolving power (the state withering away-an old notion yet to be validated by experience) to Jerry Furland's utterly terrifying vision, this latest entry, "Technology and Privacy: The New Landscape" at least allows that the jury is still out on this issue. Except for Furland, ("Transfer-the end of the beginning")each falls short of addressing what one can "DO" with this new technology and actually provides a credible blueprint in novel form. I recommend each of these authors, but I put my money on Furland being right.

1 comments about Implementing Oracle(r) Financial Analyzer: Delivering Value-added Business Processes with Oracle(r) Analytic Solutions.

1. This book uniquely draws on the authors' wide experience as OFA professionals to harness common knowledge from many projects and offer insights gained from implementing a number of OFA projects. It effectively bridges the existing gap between functionality-focused courses, and unstructured experience to offer you a comprehensive guide to successfully implementing OFA projects. Aimed at business analysts, technical architects, project managers and OFA implementers and administrators, this book will give you invaluable support, whether you are working on a first project of are extending an existing one. The book starts with an overview, followed by in-depth discussion of project scoping for OFA, assisting the business analyst in identifying the business processes to which it should be applied. It then focuses in detail on the key features of OFA and goes on to consider related issues of Enterprise Resource Planning systems and the Data Warehouse. All principles and practices discussed are explained through references to a number of case studies and each chapter is roadmapped, assisting you in structuring your reading of the book to meet your own project requirements. OFA project implementation principles covered: sponsorship; business process modelling; change management; planning; design of the application architecture; database design; infrastructure specification documentation; roll-out and continuing change management; backup and recovery

4 comments about Oracle9i PL/SQL: A Developer's Guide.

1. I like the organization of this book as well as its focus on Oracle 9i's new PL/SQL functionality. If you have prior experience with PL/SQL and need to get up to speed with the latest features quickly, this is the right book for you. I like the coverage on Native Dynamic SQL, Bulk Binds, and Object Relational features. The sample code is very helpful to demo the new language syntax. To me this book has been serving as a handy reference as I code for Oracle 9i for the first time.



2. I've just finished the first 100 pages of the book, so my views are definitely incomplete. Nevertheless, I would like to share some of my feelings toward this book:

   1. Many code fragments are repeated unnecessarily, making the book a bit too thick (around 670 pages)

   2. In avergage, I think, every page contains a "Tip" or "Caution" box, which I think should tell you some important insights from the author. However, most of the tips are as simple as "Never fetch from a cursor before opening it" or "Don't fetch from an already closed cursor". Maybe I'm too picky, but it's really annoying (and time-consuming) to read so many plain-simple tips.

   3. The formatting of code is terrible. Although code formatting is a personl style issue, I think the author/formatter should at least make sure the parenthesis are easily identified, and each "successive" indentations are of the same length (say, each level of identation = 3 spaces). But this book fails to do so.

   On the other hand, as far as I've read, the content is mostly correct, and the code fragments run as expected.




3. This book really makes PL/SQL concepts very clear. I was actully refreshing my PL/SQL concepts after 3 years and this book was very helpful to me. The way each and every topic is presented in here left no doubt about that topic in my mind. This book is worth reading even for them who are new to PL/SQL. All the topics starting from Cursors, Packages, Stored Procedures, Functions, Triggers, Exceptions....etc are presented in the most conceptual and clear format.



4. Bulusu Lakshman gets a standing ovation for a brillantly written book. If your PL/SQL skills lag behind Oracle 9i, then this book will bring you up to date with clearly written text and excellent examples.
   
   It should really be billed as more of an advanced text on PL/SQL, as the beginner is likely to have a difficult time if Bulusu's work is his first exposure to PL/SQL.
   
   However, for the veteran PL/SQL developer who does not know reference cursors, cursor expressions, bulk binding, dynamic SQL, etc., this is the book to lead you to clear understanding.
   
   Kudos to Bulusu Lakshman.

5 comments about The New Imperialists.

1. Perhaps this book begun as a story for the Washington Post and it should have stayed there. It is a very easy read but does not delve into the actual work and daily battles of the "chosen five." I was surprised by the gossipy tone and focus on the minutia. It seemed that Leibovich could not penetrate through the PR watchdogs during his interviews. Thus, he chose to focus on the wardrobe, the surroundings, and the mannerisms. The book was entertaining but I kept waiting for deeper insight...it never came.



2. I had heard the names of the five "New Imperialists," but knew little about them as individuals. I wondered what made them tick, what they have given back to society, and what were the common factors that distinguish these men from the rest of us. This book has answered all of these questions.
   Smoothly, and with seeming ease, the author has pierced the formidable administrative and personal barriers that protect thse men. He is an astute observer and an excellent student of human behavior, who has recorded his observations clearly and objectively. He meticulously checked his facts and sources, and interviewed many associates, family members, neighbors, and childhood friends of his subjects. The result is an insightful psychologic portrait of each of these rich and powerful men. The picture is not a pretty one; we are shown greed, arrogance, ruthlessness, grime, and childish behavior that do not make them an appealing group. Despite attempts at image building, the scorecard thus far shows that they have taken much more than they have given back to society. In the Epilogue, the author admits that the only thing that sets these men apart from us is that they are driven, smart, and very, very, lucky.
   The author has combined his clout as a reporter for the Washington Post, with hard work, deep psychologic insight, and journalistic integrity. This has produced a well written, informative, and enjoyable book.



3. This book offers great insights into the minds of todays business leaders. The diversity of this group is amazing and compelling reading. Each has a different style, beliefs, and background that have shaped their lives. I'm not a big reader, but I could not put this one down. Highly recommended.



4. Leibovich's use of the word "imperialist" is apt to the extent that each of the five "restless kids" (Case, Chambers, Bezos, Gates, and Ellison) grew up to "virtually rule the world" and now preside over the 21st century's equivalent of an empire. Thus each can be viewed as a modern-day emperor. In that sense, they are (at least for now) among the "royalty" of the contemporary business world. Frankly, I find them much more interesting as ordinary human beings in most respects but who do indeed possess a few extraordinary talents which help to explain why each has achieved so much thus far.

   Leibovich organizes her excellent material with five chapters, each dedicated to one of the "new imperialists." Having just read Florence Stone's The Oracle of Oracle: The Story of Volatile CEO Larry Ellison and the Strategies Behind His Company's Phenomenal Success, I was already well-prepared for the first chapter. Stone's comments about Ellison are remarkably;y consistent with Leibovich's, both agreeing that Ellison is one of the most complicated, sometimes contradictory, and on occasion infuriating people they have as yet encountered. Consider Leibovich's account of a conversation with Adda Quinn, to whom Ellison was once married, years before the founding of Oracle: "Quinn calls Ellison the most charming, brilliant, and non-boring man she has ever known. He also gave her an ulcer, she says, with his deceptions, darting interests, and changing moods....He had an explosive temper and Quinn said she feared for her safety as their marriage was ending. The couple kept guns in the house -- they lived in a rough part of Oakland and had been burglarize -- and she thought that Ellison was becoming increasingly erratic." There are many other similar comments by whose who had direct and frequent contact with Ellison. Obviously, Ellison is an exceptionally intelligent man but also "volatile" and, when it serves his purposes ruthless.

   The chapter which interested me the most is the one devoted to John Chambers. He and the other four "achieved their dominance seemingly overnight. and to a degree that has exploded any previous notion of commercial scope and scale. Moreover their wired age goals go beyond mere geographic expansion; they incorporate a kind of lifestyle imperialism in which traditional lines of media and commerce are constantly being pushed." However, to a much greater extent than any of the others, Chambers has helped Cisco Systems to achieve its dominance through aggressive M&A initiatives and strategic partnerships. His preferred approach is collegial rather than confrontational. I also find it significant that Chambers' personality and leadership style are far less flamboyant than those of Ellison, Bezos, and Case. Also, based on the information provided, he conducts himself in a manner which suggests that he is much less competitive than Gates. However, it is important to remember that this may well be a skillfully cultivated perception rather than a reality.

   What we have here are mini-biographies, albeit more substantial than "portraits," of five uncommon men, all of whom are distinguished by "their quest for social ubiquity, a sense of manifest destiny that is captured in America Online's corporate mantra, `AOL Anywhere.' It's a poignant statement, not just of one company's voracious aims, but of the kinds of boundless goals that the networked economy now allows for." Thanks to Leibovich, we have in a single volume what will help us to understand "one of the most transforming and tumultuous eras in American history." Leibovich has rigorously examined where five of its greatest leaders came from and "what they've grown up to be"...at least so far.




5. In case you are not familiar with the people who "virtually" rule our technology-laden world, according to Washington Post technology reporter Leibovich, they are Microsoft's Bill Gates, Amazon.com's Jeff Bezos, American Online (AOL)'s Steve Case, Oracle Corporation's Larry Ellison, and Cisco Systems' John Chambers.

   Software-manufacturer Microsoft, of course, needs no introduction; Oracle developed the data management software used in ATMs and credit card terminals; Internet retailer Amazon.com, like most of its adversaries, uses hardware developed by Cisco to finalize consumer purchases of books, movies and CDs, among other products; and the world's most successful Internet service provider, AOL, recently became part of the world's largest media conglomerate when it merged with Time Warner.

   Leibovich spent 18 months interviewing the book's subjects, and their families, friends and acquaintances, with the goal of looking at "what formed the desperate edges to their ambitions."

   Gates and Ellison, at the time of writing, were the world's two richest people, respectively.

   Ellison attributes his drive for success to the fear of its alternative. "I can't imagine anything worse than failing," he says. Also fearful of aging, he helps fund research on a hormone believed by some to slow the process.

   Ellison is in the middle of building a compound near San Francisco which includes "an 8,000-square-foot main house; five guest residences [where guests will select food from a computer screen and have it delivered to them by boat], an underground network of basements and tunnels; a forest of cherry trees...streams, waterfalls, ponds, and a lake...a tea house, boathouse, amphitheater, indoor basketball court and recreation centre; a horse stable; three garages for Ellison's 14 cars; and a sprawling garden to be maintained by a staff of 20. The lake will be filled with purified drinking water."

   Quite a step up from the apartments he lived in as a child where his adoptive father frequently told him he "would never amount to anything."

   Aggressive when it came to growing his business, Ellison reportedly ended meetings by chanting, "kill, kill, kill." In his personal life, he went on "Oprah" to make "a public plea for a wife" after divorcing his first three.

   Envisioning a small but successful Internet bookstore when he conceived Amazon.com in 1994, Jeff Bezos quickly discovered he was onto something and soon branched out into other product lines. In a nutshell, he's the one responsible for turning "computer screens into the new store windows," as Leibovich notes.

   Bezos is known for a laugh so loud and unusual "that his younger siblings used to refuse to sit with him in movie theatres." In grade 12, his library card was revoked for laughing too loudly in the library.

   Bezos is well known for scrutinizing prospective employees and Leibovich shares a story about how, when Bezos was interviewing a candidate for the position of chief financial officer for Amazon.com he asked why she had placed 2nd instead of 1st out of 27,000 when she wrote her CPA exam. The candidate replied that it was because she hadn't studied.

   She got the job.

   As a child, Bezos read a lot of science fiction books and would say later, "It was a great way of expanding your ideas of what's possible and what's not." Meanwhile, his mother let him watch "Star Trek" and the "Three Stooges," which could explain both the laugh and his fascination with cyberspace.

   Cisco is the primary manufacturer of the equipment people and businesses use to connect to the Internet, and Leibovich describes Cisco's John Chambers as being "the executive personification of all the Internet's promise and prosperity, a man floating on the new-economy balloon. Until it popped."

   A fellow Cisco executive declares, "John will often say, this will be really challenging, but isn't it really fun?!"

   In the year 2000, Chambers, who has dyslexia, was paid a total of $157.3 million for running Cisco. At their highest point, Cisco shares had risen 100,000 percent since their initial public offering.

   It is here that we learn of the angst Bill Gates experienced during the recent antitrust trial which would give Microsoft the dubious distinction of becoming known as "America's most embattled company." He takes his work - and Microsoft's future - seriously, saying, "If I'm worried about something at work, it's there 24 hours a day."

   When he started Microsoft, he resolved the company should not take on debt, while insisting it maintain enough money to survive for one year with no sales. Obviously, that year never came. Gates currently has a net worth somewhere in the neighbourhood of $54 billion. In an interview, Leibovich asked Gates if there is "a burden in being so wealthy and having everyone know it." Gates responded, "Sure. But there is an offsetting benefit."

   Gates was born into a wealthy family in Seattle, and when his mother, via intercom, asked him what he was doing in his room as a child, he ignored her. If she persisted, he'd yell, "Thinking!"

   The thinking would eventually pay off, especially when he started thinking about computers, an obsession that started when he was 12.

   America Online founder Steve Case is reputedly called "the Wall" at AOL due to his lack of emotion.

   Of Case's childhood, Leibovich writes, "These were the dark ages before chat rooms and instant messaging, when kids called one another together by bouncing a basketball on a driveway." Case spent so much time in his room his parents called it his "office," and getting mail (the old-fashioned kind) made his day. When he wasn't in his room, the basketball games he played with his brother and childhood friends were extremely competitive, and he was known for "a penchant for the board game, Risk, where the object of the game was world domination."

   Strange that later in life he would come to dominate the world's Internet service provider market.

   Leibovich's book is a powerful read, providing us with a critical look at these men and their companies, and what is most interesting is how their vastly different personalities each seem suited to success.

5 comments about Oracle DBA Exam Cram: Test 3 and Test 4: Exam: TEST 3 & TEST 4.

1. Finding an error on page 3 re: an import command shook my confidence right off of the bat! It comes with a 'crib sheet' to memorize and do a brain suck on before you take the exam...pleeze don't pursue a Professional Certification this way. Buy something like Oracle Press - Couchman read it, understand it, build you biceps and be prepared for the exam and the job.



2. The book delivered. I passed both exams at the first time. Much is covered quickly. The numerous tests in the book uncovered weak areas, so then you can go find in depth material - like Oracle online docs. I couldn't make it through the Oracle Press 5 inch tome, too tediously detailed, but this series worked for me. Book #1 was weak in the sql/plsql area, but DB Admin in it was fine. Overall, a useful Exam Cram.



3. If you read reviews here you can be amazed how different they are. Some people put 5 stars and other just 1. Wonder why?

   I used this book as the only tutorial for both exams and I passed them with a good score. The book really helps you to prepare. It's pretty slim but it contains all required information. Test examples are very good and very similar to real ones.

   But there are some bad things. In a few places it has mistakes and some of them maybe confusing. It's not very important for exams preparation but probably it's annoying enough for some people to put 1 star. Another reason is a book structure. It's not supposed to be a general Oracle tutorial. It's just the exam cram. You can easily pass exam using this book but it's also true that you won't have complete Oracle vision in your head. I guess, some people don't like it too. But according to me it's a plus, not minus.

   And don't forget that these exams will be retired at August, 2000!




4. I am an IT consultant and Oracle DBA with 8 years of experience in high-end technology, working for a large international bank in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I have decided to become Oracle certified because it would certainly give me more visibility in my work. Now, I am an Oracle8 OCP DBA with an average score of 97% in the five exams of the Oracle8 DBA track.

   I must admit it was very difficult at first to find out what the best way would be to prepare for the tests. It took me some time to understand that the exams are entirely based on the original Oracle course books and that the practice tests offered by Self Test Software are a superset of the real exams. Now I have a keen perception of what the whole process is all about. The real trick to get a 90+% score is to attend the Oracle classes and cram with the STS practice tests. However, this is a rather expensive way to study, since each course costs around US$ 1,000 and each practice test costs US$ 99, not to mention the exam price itself (US$ 125).

   When I fist set off my study, I bought Mr. Jason Couchman's Oracle8 DBA Certification Guide by Oracle Press. Bad choice... It was completely out of synch with the real exam contents and had a lot of typos and gross conceptual errors. I do feel sorry for those people who were caught unawares buying the big red book. I wonder how Oracle signed off on it.

   I also bought the 'Oracle 7 Exam Cram Tests 1 and 2' by Mr. Michael Ault and 'Oracle 7 Exam Cram Tests 3 and 4' by Mr. Ault and others. They were both better than Mr. Couchman's, but a bit confusing, especially because they mixed two tests in each book. Besides, they did not cover Oracle8.

   As a last resort, I borrowed the original course materials from an acquaintance, with the exception of the Network Administration book. I read the reviews on Mrs. Pascavage's 'Oracle8: Network Administration', and decided to order it from Amazon.

   I was surprised. This book is really great ! It was evident that the author was careful to study the original oracle course material and practice test, giving priceless tips and accurately separating the chapters according to those of the course books and the exams sections. Also, the questions in the book are very close to the real ones one would encounter. Congratulations, Mrs. Pascavage !




5. Although this was an easier read than Oracle's DBA Certification Exam Guide, I expected that it would be more up to date. Oracle has had RMAN since version 8 and there is not even a reference to its existence in this book! Exam 3 is heavily weighted on RMAN and understanding it is critical to your success on the test along with your sucess as a DBA. This book needs to be updated!

5 comments about Oracle Backup & Recovery 101.

1. I would rate this book 5 stars for the material. But, gosh, is there any Oracle book without mistakes? When would authors and publishes care enough to eliminate them, or at least minimise them? Even errata contains only about 50% of necessary corrections - after 6 months from being published.
   What is the value of instructions if you can't follow them?
   If you know how to correct them by yourself, then you can buy this book, otherwise it would be another pain.



2. Oracle backup and recovery can be very complex. The standard Oracle documentation is hard to follow and missing examples and scenarios. I've read this book cover to cover, and the authors have done an excellent job at capturing the information you need to know to backup and recover your Oracle database. The Linux discussions are applicable to any Unix platform as well. This book is a great reference to have before disaster strikes.



3. This book has almost one error per page which is much too high for a technical book. It is unfortunate that the authors did not put in the effort to proof read the book and to check their solutions. It is interesting to note that the solutions on the web site are not consistent with the exercises in the book.

   I wonder how the authors authors keep their real jobs if their attention to detail is the same as demonstrated in this book.




4. I thought this book was great! I really enjoyed the material and the analogies. I really get Oracle backup & recovery now. Forget about the typo's -- the material is what counts.



5. I think that this book is excellent. Backup and recovery can be hard to understand at times, especially for those who are new to it. It is a great book that is all hands on, and that's the way you learn B/R, not just by reading. If you have a little bit of knowledge of B/R then this book will really help you a lot. I know people complained about the typos, but that is not that big of an issue, plus they already have an errata out for it. The only downside I guess is that everything is done using Oracle 8i and some commands are different. But if you combine this book with the Oracle9i Backup and Recovery documentation then you're all set! I think it explains things very well and makes you do things so you can see what exactly is going on. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has a little knowledge of Oracle B/R but would like to put that knowledge into practice. I want to give it 4.5 stars because of the minor typos and using 8i, but can't :) BUY THE BOOK!
   Good Luck!!

5 comments about Oracle Built in Packages.

1. Oracle should just have O'Reilly publish all of their documentation. Though I haven't had a need to use 85% of Oracle's packages, the ones that I have read are thoroughly documented. Even the author (Steve Feuerstein) mentioned that there are even MORE builtin packages that he didn't put into his book. Word is that he may add more of them.

   Excellent book.

   Gio




2. Very little about Oracle build-in packages. Much more about O'reilly's own build-in packages, it is more like a kind of ads.

   I want to use packages, doesn't mean I want O'reilly packages. If you want to sell O'reilly packages, name the book accordingly.

   I wanted to know more about the numerous oracle standard build-in packages, this book didn't help me.




3. This book is absolutely necessary to get oriented in Oracle documentation. It covers PL/SQL packages that are of major interest both for application developers and those of us who want to automate DBA functions. Wonderful writing and excellent code samples are very helpful!

   Some examples of DBA-related packages are DBMS_SQL which takes care of dynamic SQL (chapter 2) and DBMS_JOB for cron-type PL/SQL scripts.

   Chapter 3 covers DBMS_PIPE and DBMS_ALERT packages necessary to implement servers running inside Oracle independently from host operating system.

   Chapter 6 describes DBMS_OUTPUT and UTL_FILE. DMS_OUTPUT is well-known for its put_line procedure which prints short (up to 256 bytes) strings to SQLPLUS console. However, from this book one can find out how to increase standard overall output size for this package - which may be crucial for testing. UTL_FILE takes care of ASCII file I/O for PL/SQL.

   Considering Large Objects management (chapter 8), we remember this is 1998 book, it does not cover latest Oracle object-related features like types or collections. Now ASCII documents (such as news articles) can be kept in VARARRAYs rather than in CLOBs.

   ORACLE BUILT-IN PACKAGES is more of a reference than a tutorial, it leaves for the reader to find out what functionality is actually needed and for what technical purpose.




4. I code and teach a lot of PL/QL, and this is the only book I have found which goes into any depth on these built-ins. It tells me most everything I want to know. However, you have to dig through tons of sample code from his PL/SQL products. In most cases, you won't find a clear example of the Oracle built-in packages (you know, the ones the book is supposed to be about?). Instead, there are huge, unneccesarily complex examples of how to use the author's bloated code (which is for sale, btw).

   There is no doubt he is the foremost author on PL/SQL, but it's not worth digging through the junk and arrogance. To quote the back cover:
   "I work with built-in packages every day, and nobody kicks sand in my face-- at least when it comes to PL/SQL!" Given the amount of his own code he buried them under, I doubt he ever even *sees* the Oracle built-ins anymore.
   We have used his other books as texts for professional training, and the students have the same complaints. They are better than the manuals which come with Oracle, but not by much. (If you want a good PL/SQL book, check out Oracle PL/SQL Programming by Scott Urman. Doesn't cover built-ins much, but its far better than the Feuerstein PL/SQL or Advanced PL/SQL books).
   Summary: Better than the manuals, if you like searching for needles in haystacks.




5. This serves as a good reference book. Saved lot of time many, many times. I bought this book 2+ yrs ago and still helps me out. But I think this book needs a major update. Oracle8i is a new beast altogether (I didn't work with 9i yet) and there are tons of new built-in packages that are very useful.