Mastering Oracle PL/SQL : Practical Solutions

For someone with prior experience in DB's and SQL but none in Oracle, this book has been a godsend.

From a Java and Sybase (T-SQL) developer moving to Oracle, this book was the one that I kept reaching for. Covering everthing from basic instructions on SQL and PL/SQL to more Oracle/DB based issues of triggers, sequences, procs, functions and optimizing and tuning. It is al written in an easy to understand but not patronising tone, in a great layout.

Far easier to read and learn from than all the Oracle books I've come across.

An Excellent Read (4/4 people found this helpful)

As someone who's kept up to date with PL/SQL over the last 5 years, this book didn't give me absolutely shed loads that was new regarding the language, but it gave me lots of new ideas on how best to use it. The DBA and Web packages sections were both extremely useful. The book has also enhanced my understanding of PL/SQL features I've barely used, such as the object oriented capabilities, and given me other ideas to take on board.

One of this book's strengths is explaining 'thinking outside the box' ideas and insights for squeezing every ounce of use from PL/SQL. One useful trick it's taught me is the ability to tie job submission to a transaction via a trigger. This would allow you to launch a task requiring major processing from a simple transaction, without having to wait for the task to complete. If the simple transaction is rolled back, the job will not be submitted. It's kind of obvious if you think about it, but personally I never did. I'm sure I'm not the only one either. This book is full of tips like that.

Every chapter is clearly and concisely written; the big focus being on proof by example. Anyone who's not brushed up on PL/SQL since Oracle 7 and 8 would do well to give it a read, as it covers all the notable new features of the language up to 10g. For example, if bulk collection and bulk binding are unfamiliar concepts to you and you're still using Cursor For Loops and row by row processing, you would really benefit from reading this book (along with your code performance).

I've not yet reached the section on debugging, but given the abilities of this author to come up with useful surprises, I'm looking forward to what I might find. I'm guessing it won't be the obvious. ;o)

very readable, very interesting, trustable - Oak Quality (5/5 people found this helpful)

Here's he first thing that you will notice when you read this book: it is extremely easy to follow, with every explanation leading naturally to the next one, in a seamless way. Now I understand why the Author's presentations at top-notch Oracle events are always "sold-out" - excellent knowledge mixed with excellent presentation skills is rarely found in the same person, but for sure Connor McDonald is an example of this rare breed. I may say that I "drank" more than "read" the book.

The contents, that goes without saying, are really interesting, and I've already used the improved knowledge and new facts that I've got from the book for my code and designs. Most importantly, I know, given the Author's reputation and method (always try things out and then provide a test case), that what's in the book is correct and works - which, sadly, does not apply for too many books about Oracle out there.
The book now is included in my "gold quality" bookshelf. Since this bookshelf is composed exclusively by books authored by Thomas Kyte, Jonathan Lewis, Steve Adams, Cary Millsap, James Morle, and now Connor McDonald, who are members of the OakTable Network (which i've nicknamed the "Oracle Scientist Club", since in essence, the reason why they are so succesfull it's that they follow the aforementioned method in investigating Oracle), I'm really sure that the "OakTable Press Series" is not to be missed, and I won't miss for sure. Great!

Connor McDonald, Christopher Beck, Joel R. Kallman, David C. Knox

Reader Reviews:

Golden! (1/1 people found this helpful)

An Excellent Read (4/4 people found this helpful)

very readable, very interesting, trustable - Oak Quality (5/5 people found this helpful)

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