5 comments about Mastering Oracle PL/SQL: Practical Solutions.

1. The book takes a bottom-up approach: the first part shows useful coding and optimizing techniques, while the second one gives real world applications and tips on program design.
   
   I have two minor complaints, however:
   
   Most chapters assume at least a good knowledge of PL/SQL and build on that, which I think is fair for a book titled "Mastering ...". On the other hand, two of the chapters (Triggers especially, and PL/SQL Debugging to a degree) take a different approach and start from the beginning, explaining the basics, too. It may be just me, but I think those pages are wasted.
   
   Furthermore, there is a certain amount of overlap with Tom Kyte's Expert One-on-One Oracle, also from Apress.



2. With 15 years experience in Oracle as DBA and developer, I wrote a lot of packages and found in this book true advices and practical solutions, wich sound good to me. The best feature is that you can experiment all the code found in it and see by yourself the advantage of using the way proposed by McDonald. I like these books where autors breaks some common ideas ans show by "A + B" that the right solution is not the most common. A real useful book written by a true professional.



3. As a Developer working predominantly with Oracle Databases for over five years, I'm always looking for books to help me produce better code. I have to say this is one of them. The author has produced a book that explains concepts in a practical manner that is also easy to read. I began reading this book just before starting a major development project and the code insights and examples assisted me greatly in this project.
   
   Probably more a information and guidence book rather than a reference book. I found I read it from cover to cover and used the information as a platform for future developing. Some great code examples which I have used to great effect though!



4. The book is good but many solutions are not tested fully so its not that they can be cut and pasted directly out of the book. you may have to troubleshoot many of them. Otherwise a real good book.



5. This is great book, It has a lots of example and explained really well. Great Work!

5 comments about Oracle SQL by Example (3rd Edition) (Prentice Hall PTR Oracle Series).

1. The content look deceptively simple. However upon further reading one finds that it covers many aspects or ORACLE SQL plus differences between ORACLE and ANSI standard.
   One does need to know some relational database theory before starting to read this book though. It does cover the basic of the relational database theory but not in a depth.
   However the ORACLE SQL statements and functions are very well presented and the book does cover details and use cases.



2. You will like this book! I knew absolutely nothing about SQL, but this book will put your mind at ease. The author is easygoing and writes what could be a very tough topic in a non-intimating way. Believe me, this book will quickly become your best friend when it comes to learning SQL/Oracle. This book is so detailed that it covers every conceivable aspect of SQL/Oracle. Personally, I just wanted to learn SQL and really don't know what database I want to use at this point, but this book is an excellent way to learn SQL -- especially for those that like to learn at their own pace like I do. So, if you are a "learn-it-yourselfer" like I am, you will love it. It even has end of chapter review questions to reinforce in the learning. Plus, it's a terrific resource after you complete the chapters.
   
   Now the downside: I would say the only confusing part is uploading the tutorial database (which you have to do from the author's website. It will take a little brainpower and a few aspirin because the directions on the author's website assume some previous knowledge. But trust me; you will eventually get it to work. I should tell you that it would be helpful, not necessary, but helpful to know a little bit about relational databases (like MS Access) before you tackle Oracle. Anther thing to know is that the author tells you that you need the Standard or Professional full editions, which would be very expensive and only necessary if you own a Fortune 500 company! But, thankfully, you do not need the full versions. All you need is the Express Edition to practice on and the book tutorials are well suited to it. The Express Edition is free software downloadable from Oracle's website, and really, it's all the casual hobbyist needs anyway and it's plenty powerful. Now, for those who are not familiar with Oracle, it has a completely different look and feel from ...like MS Access, for example. Oracle looks like DOS and initially feels just as clunky. But, it will grow on you. You also can apply the SQL concepts to Microsoft SQL Server if you want to learn another DB.
   
   So if you are really serious and dedicated about learning databases, and don't mind a difficult initial set up, buy this book.



3. This is an excellent book to explore the mechanics of Oracle's implementation of SQL. It has a good organization generally but it is a bumpy read through the material. The exercises are actually teaching points. Some of the teaching points aren't found anywhere else in the book. Reshuffling the material would make it more readable to beginning SQL developers.
   
   The hierarchical query section needs to be updated, and the chapters detailing indexes should be expanded in a future release. This is an excellent intermediate book but may be a bit of a challenge for a newbie.
   
   The coverage of normalization is weak and poorly done but it isn't touted as a database design book either. That should be improved in a future release.



4. This a good book for anyone that is interested in learning Oracle SQL. If you have a basic understanding of SQL commands, you should have no problem picking this up quickly. If you don't have any experience, the reading is easy; you shouldn't have trouble either.



5. I had picked up a copy of O'Reilly's "Oracle SQL*Plus" text. Read through the first few pages, got discouraged, and the book sat on the shelf for five years.
   Since then, I have become a strong believer of "Learning by doing". Last year, I had bought this book with the same philosophy in mind. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. As the other reviewers have pointed out, the author starts with simple examples and builds on the material. Every concept is followed by at least one example.
   
   The questions at the end of each chapter reinforce the concepts covered in the chapter. The answers (to the questions) introduce more concepts followed by more examples, and the learning process goes on and on ...
   
   All in all, an excellent resource to learn Oracle's sqlplus.
   
   Having said that, what this book is not is a certification guide. For those aspiring to write the Oracle certification exams will have to go an extra mile of investing time & money in another text that is specifically geared towards certifications. And this is where I am heading next.

5 comments about Oracle Shell Scripting: Linux and UNIX Programming for Oracle (Oracle In-Focus series).

1. This book has helped me impress my colleagues and boss..I originally browsed through it at Border's (and found myself sitting on the ground with a notepad scrambling to copy as much as possible)..of course, then I realized I had to have it, so I bought it online..I knew the publisher was a trustworthy source because I'm always using Don Burleson's DBA tips online.. this author's approach is easy-to-follow and concise; yet it's a thorough guide that is like a catalyst for your own creativity...it has made me look forward to extracting the power of the shell.
   
   It's a lot better than parsing through thick UNIX encyclopedias or cycling through fragmented online material..as an OCP 10g/9i DBA, I still feel like there are not enough practical day-to-day guides like this one for junior/mid/senior-level administrators, since over half our work is directly/indirectly connected to the shell.



2. A well written book. A great way to learn shell scripting. Relevant and useful examples throughout the book (downloadable code).



3. Oracle administrators of all levels will find benefit in this book. The author has put together the basics in shell scripting and OS fundamentals in aid of maintaining and monitoring scalable production Oracle environments. Each example is easy to read and follow and leaves the reader with room to explore and extrapolate on their own with little effort. A great lookup source for old timers and "must have" for newbies,
   
   
   I highly recommend this book
   -Rat



4. My first impression of "Oracle Shell Scripting" was not a good one. After looking for the download site for the scripts in the book I was frustrated. The first chapters seemed a little rudimentary. This book is not a learn how to script book. The first five chapters give a scripting refresher. If you have no experience with korn, or bash scripting this is not the book to start with. If you have used Oracle on UNIX/Linux this books puts all those nuggets you have gathered over the years and some you have missed in one place. This book has scripts that you use in every day DBA work. This book deals with Oracle, sqlplus and UNIX/Linux scripting. I bought this book to help me transition from korn scripting in Solaris UNIX to bash scripting in Linux. I consider it worth the investment. Caution avoid the frustration of looking for the script download website. It is not in the book. You have to email the author to get the site. There is not enough information on using scripting with Oracle Application Server.



5. I found this to be a good book. It was a quick and easy read, I read the whole thing in about a week. The subject matter was a bit simpler then I had expected, yet it filled in some of the basic details that the more advanced books just skip over. This is was a great book for beginning unix shell scripting.

5 comments about Oracle Database 10g: A Beginner's Guide (Osborne ORACLE Press Series).

1. It is okay book to get started.



2. Setting expectations: My last Oracle training was for my OCP certification on Oracle 8i but needed to be up to speed on 10g in less then 3 days.
   
   Read 4 of the 9 chapters and here is what I found.
   Chap 1: Database Fundamentals, Chap 2: SQL, Chap 3: Database Administration, Chap 5 Back and Recovery, then onto Chap 9. Large Database Features.
   
   Summary: Basic structure of 10g is the same as 8i (Control files and background processes). What's new is that Oracle has added Grid computing - the ability for distributed computing across heterogeneous systems - from what I can tell this is a `work in progress' type of feature.
   
   Also new to Oracle 10g is additional self management for tuning and many helper Agents and GUI utilities. The Oracle Data Pump is also new.
   
   RAC and Clusters are discussed but at a VERY high level - would have liked more info here. Automatic Storage Management is discusses and appears to be VERY cool feature.
   
   What is also new is Oracle's ability to support ANSI Joins, e.g., s.Cust_id(+) becomes `right outer join'. However, I like the old non-ANSI format myself - more intuitive in my book.



3. Just like other reviewers have written, it is really a poor guide... from the fisrt pages you know that the book is missing it's target...



4. The problem with this book is stated on page 4 " In order to work.... you will need to have the Oracle Database 10g software installed and the first database successfully created". Therein lies the problem. If you have the software installed and a database started you are way passed the beginning.
   
   This is an intermediate and overview book of Oracle, it is not a beginner's book. When you install the software you will have at least 19 .exe files that will start certain portions of Oracle. Which one do you start with?? This book will not tell you. There are default passwords you need to know to get started with Oracle. This book will not tell you. There are certain set ups you need to do with the DBA program to start using Oracle. This book will not tell what you need to do.
   
   There are chapters on SQL, Database Administrator, Networking, Backup, PL/SQL, Java, XML and Large Database Features. There is not a single chapter on how to begin and set up Oracle.
   
   This book was written by three authors and five associate authors that are all highly qualified at Oracle. Their knowledge is so far above the beginner, they have no idea or concept of what the beginner needs to know. Nowhere is there a step by step, mouse click by mouse click, command by command on how to start Oracle. As stated before there are at least 19 .exe files installed when you install Oracle. There is no chapter that tells you what these 19 plus programs do and which one to start with or how to set up Oracle.
   
   The book does give some code snippets to use once Oracle is up and running, but they are completely useless if you cannot get Oracle up and running. Instead of having chapters on Networking, Java, XML and Large Databases, there should be chapters on Beginning, Install, Setup, Logging on, and First Database Definition.
   
   At its stated mission or title, this book is a complete, absolute and total failure. If you want a beginning book, pass on this one.



5. I know beginners need a book wich talks about only a few topics, the most important. And it must be clear and not too deep way. But it doesn't mean you can take a time with each topic. This book passes over every chapter at the speed of light, leaving many issues unexplained.
   To all of this, it must be added the fact that the book costs as much as other really wonderfull and longer books.
   It's been frustrating that feeling I had while reading, as I have wasted my money and I'll have to buy another. Any search in google for oracle tutorials gives more information than that book.

5 comments about Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age.

1. I found this an excellent, well-written overview of the history of Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). Not only are major players and products covered (the Alto, Smalltalk, Alan Kay), but the background and collateral history appears as well (DARPA, Vannevar Bush, J.C. Licklider, The Spacewar article in Rolling Stone). Much like Steven Levy's book Hackers, reading this book makes you feel like an expert, like you were there. Moreover, there is so much context and excitement, one feels compelled to find out more about the secondary characters mentioned. Fortunately, electronic copies of such seminal pieces as the Spacewar article and Bush's "As We May Think" essay are easily found online, making quick diversions into supplemental reading not only of interest, but also possible and highly recommended. That is the real beauty of this book: it provides enough information about other relevant topics without wandering too far down tangential paths. I really felt that I learned a lot by reading this book, and my learning wasn't limited to Xerox PARC.
   
   That said, while there is a strong focus on the early history/founding of PARC, it seems that the more recent history is skimmed over if not omitted. After the rich background I encountered in the book's early chapters, I felt as if things were moving a bit fast in the later ones.
   
   Bottom line: If you are interested in the history of computing then this is a must read book.



2. I do not know why this book was never more popular. It is a great read and has lots of detail on the evolution of computer R&D.
   
   It is a very well written and detailed book about the computer R&D from Boston-Washington to Palo Alto at HP - written like a smooth flowing novel. It is mainly about Xerox and the research people and how they eventually decided to move the computer R&D to California. But it includes a lot more stuff. It Includes DARPA funding of the internet and work at MIT, and in house fighting at Xerox, and then the evolution of the projects in California. Xerox did not run with the ball in an effective way post 1980 but the technology and people went on to other companies such as Microsoft, Apple, and HP. Also there was a lot of innovative work that was transferred to industry.
   
   It gives a lot of insight into the evolution of computer systems and the internet and local networks and on and on. It covers the people - grad students, scientists, spin off companies, crazed computer types working all night - that are just as interesting as the wires and machines.
   
   Great book, one of the best ever Tech Books.



3. Perhaps because of Xerox' s phenomenal growth in the 1960s, a number of habits became entrenched in the company's culture. The Xerox management hierarchy became one of rigid top-down control, which paid less attention to the opinions of its customers than the cost-and-quantity inputs of its financial models. At the end of the decade, Xerox was a one-product company that had come to rely more on patents to maintain its monopoly than on copier reliability and customer service, in spite of the company's huge sales force and its highly trained repair network.
   
   While Xerox had set up a lavishly funded laboratory in Webster, New York, that research facility was more concerned with exploiting the remaining advantages of existing patents rather than developing new technologies for the future. In other words, the Webster facility was looking backwards, preserving revenue streams rather than creating wealth.
   
   In spite of the complacency of many in the top ranks of Xerox leadership, Chief Executive C. Peter McColough began to seek to diversify he company into data processing. After all, he was aware of the efforts of both IBM and Kodak to enter the copier field. Thus, he developed a rather fluffy visionary presentation, which claimed that Xerox would create "the office of the future" as well as a new "architecture of information".
   
   To help him to realize this vision, McColough hired Jack Goldman from Ford, where as Chief Scientist he had long been frustrated by the lack of interest in the innovations that his team had developed. Goldman came up with a plan for a research facility entirely separate from the applications-driven Webster facility, a place where basic research could be conducted at a remove from the everyday concerns of Xerox headquarters. McColough gave Goldman an unusually free hand, to open a kind of "research hermitage" whose mission would be to devise technologies "10 years ahead of their time".
   
   For a variety of reasons, Goldman's timing was extremely lucky. First, in large part because of funding from the U.S. Department of Defense for the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), computer technologies were in an unusual state of ferment, an "inflection point" that carried great promise. Not only was the architecture of the mainframe computer reaching its limits by the early 1960s - they were massive and cumbersome machines that researchers had to share, with programming languages so obscure and counter-intuitive that non-specialists found them impossible to operate - but the price of semiconductor memory chips was falling as their complexity and capabilities were increasing exponentially. In addition, the ARPANET had just been invented, which could link computers into communication networks; it was the direct technological precursor to the internet. Finally, a number of visionaries in various universities and labs were pursuing a wide array of fundamental innovations; these included the development of "software" for graphical user interfaces, the "mouse" control to execute commands with a cursor on a television-like screen, and many other devices. If combined properly, these technologies promised to fundamentally transform the computer industry, making computers affordable for the individual as well as easier to use for the layman.
   
   Second, with the Vietnam War swallowing up Defense Department resources, funding for ARPA had dropped abruptly by 1969. It had become, in Hiltzik's words, "a buyer's market for research and engineering talent."
   
   Sensing an opportunity, PARC director George Pake invited Bob Taylor, one of ARPA's top research managers, to visit the facility he was establishing. During the mid-1960s, Taylor had run ARPA's research information-processing program for graphic user interfaces and computer networks. He was gifted, according to his peers, with an "instinctive grasp of the promise of man-computer interaction". Perhaps more important, he was reputed to have "an exceptionally high degree" of leadership and people skills: he could find talent, motivate people to work together towards a common goal, and yet refrain from imposing his own solutions on a problem, in effect allowing the best to do what they did best. In July, 1970, Pake hired Taylor to lead the Computer Science Laboratory (CSL) at PARC; he immediately (and successfully) set out to lure the best researchers to PARC from the network he had created (and funded) while at ARPA.
   
   Taylor created a flat organization, in which CSL members reported directly - and only - to him. This placed him at the heart of the laboratory, aware of what everyone was doing, what they hoped to accomplish, and where they needed to improve. While he directed research with clear end goals in mind, Taylor operated largely as a mediator of ideas, trusting team members to devise the optimal combination of solutions to a given problem or goal; he knew that they were far better qualified than he was to address the various technical challenges. In his view, by helping his researchers to communicate with each other and understand the gestalt of CSL's evolving technologies, he would ensure that the pieces of each project would fit together into a concrete product that would be able to function. It was, in Hiltzik's words, as if CSL "worked like orchestra members, composing and rehearsing a symphony at the same time."
   
   The atmosphere of CSL was freewheeling and personable, full of excitment. They formed a peer group of pioneers, a self-conscious elite that resembled a cult. Taylor's team eventually totaled between 40 and 50 members, by some measures fully two-thirds of the best computer researchers then alive. And they knew it.
   
   Over the next three years, CSL created the Alto, the first programmable personal computer that was user friendy: with mouse, a graphics-oriented monitor, with "icons" and overlapping "pages", an object-oriented programming language and even an ethernet capabilty.
   
   Unfortunately, few at Xerox headquarters understood the importance of these developments. From its beginning, many executives at Xerox headquarters viewed PARC as a kind of uncontrollable island of insolence and arrogance. For their part, PARC researchers viewed headquarters with open disdain at the leadership's inability to understand what PARC was doing. The mutual distrust between headquarters and its Palo Alto lab neither encouraged Xerox executives to learn about how PARC's inventions might fit into the modern office nor enabled PARC's managers to sell their inventions to the company's manufacturing units.
   
   Perhaps worst of all, at this time - mid 70s - Japanese copier manufacturers executed a stunning strategy that succeeded in turning Xerox's supposed comparative advantages (its sales forces and repair facilities and its reliance on patented bits of technology) into liabilities. The Japanese copiers were easier to install, much much cheaper (to buy outright rather than lease and then pay for individual copies), and far less costly to fix. The company was thus suddenly in a fight for its life, after more than a decade as an unchallenged monopoly that had grown flabby.
   
   As a result, PARC's incredibly fecund inventions never got the attention of top Xerox managers, who were too busy studying the TQM methods of the Japanese (an effort that did eventually pay off). As such, it was Apple and MS and IBM who used their ideas to dominate the emerging industry for affordable PCs. (That there were really so few inventions that have created the driving force of Silicon Valley is another story, but also a sign of how over-hyped its accomplishments have been in my humble opinion. In just about every sense, the Alto was the basic prototype of the personal computer of today - it has been refined and incrementally improved, but hardly changed in any fundamental way since 1973.)
   
   Finally, the author does add a lot as a reporter, including an interesting interpretation of Jobs' mythic visit to PARC in 1979: rather than the entrepreneurial epiphany it was touted as, Hiltzik argues that Jobs and his team knew exactly what they were looking for and used PARC's inventions less as an inspiration than as a confirmation of what Apple was plannng to do. This chapter alone is worth the price of admission. THere can be no doubt that Hiltzik is a thoughtful observer who pounded the pavement: he gets the basics right and unearths many details that will be of use to academics.
   
   This is a fascinating tale, but much of this book gets lost in the details of software development, arcana that only true geeks or technology historians should care to look at such a level of minutia. Unfortunately, Hiltzik tries to make it into something far more heroic and dramatic than I think it should be, complete with endless - in my view needlessly romanticized - characterizations of the geeks that did it. Thus, this often lost me, even though I found it extremely useful and informative for a writing project on PARC. While this perspective is personal, and I do not mean to demean the audiences that it would please, I am tryng to warn general non-specialist readers (like me) that it is in certain respects too detailed and in my opinion over-reaching.
   
   Recommended with these caveats in mind. It is a great reference book, but not always that fun a read. I would give this 3.5 stars.



4. DEVOID OF INSIGHT OR ORIGINAL THOUGHT HILTZIG CONTINES TO TAKE CREDIT FOR OTHER PEOPLES RESEARCH AND THEN STATES IN A MOST BORING NANNER.



5. I loved to read this book. It's interesting. It shows you how the thing that we use today, like the GUIs, laser printers, ethernet, and more were developed in XEROX PARC. Who were the people that had the vision to make these things live. They changed everything and ironically were misunderstood in their time. I really enjoyed reading this book,

5 comments about Oracle Database 11g: New Features for DBAs and Developers (Expert's Voice in Oracle).

1. I was very excited to get this book. I like to stay current on Oracle database product changes. There is a great deal of information here (I have the other New Features book from Freeman but have not read it yet).
   
   I have found a few problems with the text (I'm still reading it to be honest). First, several of the examples have errors in the code and generated errors when I tried to run them.
   
   One such case is on page 146. A SQL query demonstrated there has some two obvious SQL errors. Clearly it was not tested, because it could not have run without an error (it bombed on me).
   
   Another example is on page 166 where we find dbms_scheduelr instead of dbms_scheduler. A typo, yes, but one easily caught if the examples were tested.
   
   Another example is on page 165 with a call to dbms_scheduler.set_attribute which has a typo. There are others, but you get the idea. It would also be nice if the code was available online somewhere.
   
   The bottom line is that it seems that at least part of this code was not tested.
   
   It also seems that the authors wrote part of this book on the 11g beta. I ran into one problem with the discussion on invisible indexes. The book indicates that you can use hints to force the use of an invisible index. When I tried this, it did not work (this drove me crazy as I was wondering what I was doing wrong!). After some research I found out that this was true in the beta but was not true in the final production cut of Oracle. Another example of what I think is a beta leftover has to do with SQL Query Result Caching. When I was trying this feature I found I could not set result_cache_mode to AUTO as documented in the book (page 176). When I looked in the Oracle documentation I found that AUTO was not a supported value.
   
   Another problem I have is that examples are incomplete. For example, on page 162 there is a discussion on lightweight jobs. The examples are incomplete. I had to go figure out how to create a program (I had not used the scheduler before to be honest) before I could create the lightweight job. I spent about an hour fiddling with this, because another thing not pointed out by the author (or clearly in the documentation to be honest) are the restrictions on lightweight jobs. I know it's a new features book, and maybe I should know the scheduler, but I think at least the examples should be self-contained if possible.
   
   Another twist appears on page 329. The author talks about a new feature that will eliminate failed loads on external tables. The only problem is that he does not give us any detail on how to actually use this new feature. Instead we get an example of how to create a table in Oracle 10g and he moves on to other features.
   
   In the end, 3 stars seems about right to me. A lot of work went into this book, and I think I learned quite a bit about 11g, but I question now some of what I learned based on problems I've run into. I'll be reading the Freeman book mentioned by another review, shortly. It should provide a good contrast and check and balance.



2. I selected this book because it's written by Alapati. I've read excellent books before by this author. Unluckily, this one is not among them.
   I've finished reading the first three chapters and so far I found too many typing errors, errors in the code and unprecise statements. Obviously it was written in hurry.
   All in all, this book does its purpose to me to learn Oracle 11g new features but I expected higher quality from Alapati and Apress.



3. This is the most detailed 11g book on the market. It has a ton of material on the new Oracle database. Sam Alapati and Charles Kim deliver an excellent reference on 11g.
   
   These 11g enhancements are covered in the book.
   
   Installation, Upgrading, and Managing Change
   Database Diagnostics and Failure Repair
   Database Administration
   Performance Tuning and Management
   Database Security
   Backup and Recovery
   Data Pump
   Oracle Streams
   Storage Management (Direct NFS and ASM enhancements)
   Data Guard
   Application Development
   Data Warehousing
   
   I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is serious about getting up to speed on Oracle 11g.
   
   For LoveOracleBooks,
   
   I see some of the errors you mention. You obviously went through the book. I tried the queries and they worked fine for me (after some minor editing). Any Oracle DBA should be able to figure it out. Still, the book was excellent for me. Sorry you are upset about a couple of typos (which isn't unusual with any technical book like this... especially with lots of examples). Still, I feel it's a really great book and the content within more than makes up for a couple of typos. There are literally tons of examples and the authors went out of their way to not just tell you how or why but to demonstrate how it's done. Many books don't go to such lengths. 99% of the examples work. The effort that clearly went into this books earns it 5 stars all the way.



4. I'd recommend this book for a DBA who already has experience administering Oracle 9i and 10g, and want to maintain his/her knowledge up-to-date. It focus on the main new features of Oracle 11g, and it's certaily worth buying it!



5. For the most part it was a decent book and gave me a great overview of the new features in Oracle 11g. However there are quite a few typos and a bit of inaccurate information (result_cache_mode = AUTO is not valid/supported).
   
   I wouldn't say this is a bad book - it's a nice read and contains the majority of the information. I am impressed by it being one of the first 11g books out. The authors put in a lot of hard work and I congratulate them.

No comments about Pro Oracle Application Express (Pro).

5 comments about Oracle Application Server 10g Administration Handbook (Osborne ORACLE Press Series).

1. As an administrator/implementor of these systems, there are many aspects to administering the 10gAS system. Although the authors do make reference the book intends to simplify the rather large amount of documentation, it falls short of a complete guide.
   
   It is good starting point for a default implementation--detailed installation steps, with moderate emphasis on design (ex. touching on distributed administration and delegation). Thus provides adequate groundwork.
   
   The forefront of administration of this product is design choices. For example, the Internet Directoy piece is major component to the architecture--its design greatly impacts administration of the entire system. Perhaps this book was not intended to be a design resource (since it is designated an "Administration Handbook"), but administration in the field of application servers is highly dependent upon design decisions.
   
   The book would be a fair addition to a reference library, but not necessary if one is willing to sift through the vendor "White Paper" documentation--as large and convoluted as it may be.



2. I have taken the iAS 10 Admin I course from Oracle, and wish that I read this book prior to the class. I found it very valuable especially if you are deploying iAS 10g (9.0.4) on Linux. I highly recommend the book to iAS administrators/DBA's.



3. I used this book to deploy Oracle Application Server 10g infrastructure on Linux and UNIX. I felt that it was a good book and overall I have little ill to say about it. The examples are well written and do a good job of reinforcing what you read in the handbook. You read a little then do an example, then read some more, then add to the example and so on. You don't need any Administrative experience to use this book just a decent understanding of application design. The only criticism I could offer is that the editor should have used arrows when content is being continued on a new line for reasons of page space so that readers will know and understand (beginners can have trouble with this). It's a good book for learning Oracle Application Server 10g as a whole from the ground up and for this reason it's worth the money. It's not an overnight crash course (if that is what you are looking for).



4. thanks this is Good book, but because I need quick reference for me this book rather not detail or too fast on explanation.



5. This is a great book to use for beginners in the administration of OAS 10g. It covers the basics well and provides enough examples to allow the user to get a good grasp on how to install and implement the application.

5 comments about Pro Oracle Database 10<i>g</i> RAC on Linux: Installation, Administration, and Performance (Expert's Voice in Oracle).

1. This is a very hands on command line oriented book. Good understanding of RAC concepts. I found it extremly useful in my day-to-day work.
   
   Highly recommended.
   
   Thanks!



2. Very well written. No mater you are a Pro or a newbie, it will be helpful. A very well written book.
   
   
   Highly recommended.



3. This book delivers what it promises. It contains a great balance of technical detail,examples and theory. It encompasses all aspects of implementing/maintaing 10g RAC on Linux.



4. Many books around Oracle's advanced topics simply parrot the manuals. Julian avoids that. Instead, he describes Real Application Cluster technology from the ground concepts up to full implementation, with practical notes and tips. He gets into topics that the manuals never touch, and much of what he writes can be useful in any RAC environment, not just Linux.
   
   I whole-heartedly recommend this book and own both the paper and eBook version which I often reference.



5. This book can easily be used as a college textbook on Oracle RAC. I am studying for the Oracle Certified Master exam and this is possibly the most high level book on Oracle I have read.
   
   It has 3 major strengths which I found to be superior to any Oracle RAC books I have read (including the manual from Oracle).
   
   1)Technical Depth
   2)Comprehensive Overview and instructions
   3)Quality of writing
   
   
   1)Technical Depth
   The authors write about Linux and Oracle and are high level experts in the subjects. For example, the authors have a very detailed description of how Oracle Cache Fusion handles locking across all the nodes in a RAC environment (probably the crown jewel of RAC technology). They also discuss, in detail, different types of CPU, memory, and storage and contains detailed description of each architecture. Lastly, it contains vast number of "how to" install, configure, change, analyze, backup/restore, and utilize Oracle RAC and Linux.
   
   2)Comprehensive Coverage and Instructions
   No small amount of detail has been skipped. The book contains every utility (there are many) provided by Oracle to implement RAC. It provides a good step-by-step coverage of Linux and Oracle RAC installation as well what each step is adding to the RAC environment. To top it off, it adds how to performance tune, administer, troubleshoot, backup/restore, and use Dataguard in a RAC environment. I can't think of a subject on RAC which the authors did not cover.
   
   3)Quality of Writing
   I was pleasantly surprised how well written this book is. Although far from a Pulitzer Prize material, it certainly belongs in that category amongst the Oracle books. Every praragraph has been well organized and written. The proofreader of this book deserves major praise for their work.

5 comments about Oracle E-Business Suite Manufacturing & Supply Chain Management.

1. This book is very useful for the beginners as well those who want to brush up their knowledge on oracle applications release 11i.
   
   Mostly it covers all Manufacturing & Distribution modules. Financial modules are not covered in this book. I was planning to buy a book and searching for it and finally ended up in buying a very useful book.
   
   Main drawback is not much of screen captures displayed. So if you want to better understand you have to read it by sitting in front of applications screen and switching the forms as you read.
   
   Overall the book is worth having it.



2. I was part of the Oracle implementation team at our company, and I have found this book to be a useful tool for myself in the year since implementation as we continue to explore new functionalities. It is also a useful tool for the application users to learn how Oracle works. In fact, I not only purchased this book for myself, but I have purchased copies for several other people in the company. I refer to it all the time.



3. The tentative date of receipt is 27th Jan 2006 but to i haven't received the book as of today.
   
   Pls send same asap
   
   Arul



4. This book is for users of Oracle Manufacturing and has the end-user in mind Definately not for the the technical minded, site specific Installs and for those who are used to Technical Reference manuals



5. While Gerald & Co's book may look like a good introduction to Oracle's manufacturing & supply chain management modules, it will make little sense to those who have never used the system or don't have access to it. Because I had three years of hands-on experience with Oracle's E-Business Suite, the book is useful and I'm giving it a 3-star rating.
   
   Things that Gerald & Co. could have done better: more illustrations of what they write about. There are many "bells and whistles" in the software, but the book doesn't have enough "screen shots" to show you where they're located on an Oracle "form." I'm not satisfied with the case study, which they have placed in chapter 22. There are no screen shots there either.
   
   Gerald & Co. are assuming you can navigate and know a lot of the Oracle lingo. If you are new to this, don't expect to learn it from this book. The audiences for the book are intermediate and advanced users.
   
   One could also regard this as a reference book. Use it to answer problems you encounter while using the product or better understand what's going on. In this context, I'd rate it 3 stars, too.