Expert PL/SQL Practices is a book of collected wisdom on PL/SQL programming from some of the best and the brightest in the field. Each chapter is a deep-dive into a specific problem, technology, or feature set that you’ll face as a PL/SQL programmer. Each author has chosen their topic out of the strong belief that what they share can make a positive difference in the quality and scalability of code that you write. The path to mastery begins with syntax and the mechanics of writing statements to make things happen. If you’ve reached that point with PL/SQL, then let the authors of Expert PL/SQL Practices show you how to combine syntax and mechanics with features and techniques to really make the language sing. You’ll learn to do more with less effort, to write code that scales and performs well, and to eliminate and avoid defects. These authors are passionate about PL/SQL and the power it places at your disposal. They want you to succeed, to know all that PL/SQL can offer. Let Expert PL/SQL Practices open your eyes to the full power of Oracle’s world-class language for the database engine. Goes beyond the manual to cover good techniques and best practices Delivers knowledge usually gained only by hard experience Covers the functionality that distinguishes PL/SQL as a powerful and scalable programming language for deploying logic inside the database engine

In this book, Steven Feuerstein, widely recognized as one of the world's experts on the Oracle PL/SQL language, distills his many years of programming, writing, and teaching about PL/SQL into a set of PL/SQL language "best practices"--rules for writing code that is readable, maintainable, and efficient. Too often, developers focus on simply writing programs that run without errors--and ignore the impact of poorly written code upon both system performance and their ability (and their colleagues' ability) to maintain that code over time.Oracle PL/SQL Best Practices is a concise, easy-to-use reference to Feuerstein's recommendations for excellent PL/SQL coding. It answers the kinds of questions PL/SQL developers most frequently ask about their code: How should I format my code? What naming conventions, if any, should I use? How can I write my packages so they can be more easily maintained? What is the most efficient way to query information from the database? How can I get all the developers on my team to handle errors the same way? The book contains 120 best practices, divided by topic area. It's full of advice on the program development process, coding style, writing SQL in PL/SQL, data structures, control structures, exception handling, program and package construction, and built-in packages. It also contains a handy, pull-out quick reference card. As a helpful supplement to the text, code examples demonstrating each of the best practices are available on the O'Reilly web site.Oracle PL/SQL Best Practices is intended as a companion to O'Reilly's larger Oracle PL/SQL books. It's a compact, readable reference that you'll turn to again and again--a book that no serious developer can afford to be without.

The authors have revised and updated this bestseller to include both the Oracle8i and new Oracle9i Internet-savvy database products.

If you have mastered the fundamentals of the PL/SQL language and are now looking for an in-depth, practical guide to solving real problems with PL/SQL stored procedures, then this is the book for you.

Beginning PL/SQL is a fast-paced and blissfully short introduction to Oracle's PL/SQL language. PL/SQL is the built-in language that every Oracle developer and database administrator simply must know. The book shows readers how to apply object-oriented PL/SQL to production applications. No other book on PL/SQL does this. It gives the reader practical advice on what works and what doesn’t, and advises on the performance tradeoffs between doing work in SQL versus in PL/SQL. This book gets readers up-to-speed on the core of the language without wasting time on esoteric and seldom used syntax.

Pro Oracle SQL unlocks the power of SQL in the Oracle Database—one of the most potent SQL implementations on the market today. To master it requires a three-pronged approach: learn the language features, learn the supporting features that Oracle provides to help use the language effectively, and learn to think and work in sets. Karen Morton and her team help you master powerful aspects of Oracle SQL not found in competing databases. You’ll learn analytic functions, the MODEL clause, and advanced grouping syntax—features that will help in creating good queries for reporting and business intelligence applications. Pro Oracle SQL also helps you minimize parsing overhead, read execution plans, test for correct results, and exert control over SQL execution in your database. You’ll learn when to create indexes, how to verify that they make a difference, how to use SQL Profiles to optimize SQL in packaged applications, and much more. You’ll also understand how SQL is optimized for working in sets, and that the key to getting accurate results lies in making sure that queries ask clear and precise questions. What’s the bottom-line? Pro Oracle SQL helps you work at a truly professional level in Oracle dialect of SQL. You’ll master the language, the tools to work effectively with the language, and the right way to think about a problem in SQL. Pro Oracle SQL helps you rise above the crowd to provide stellar service in your chosen profession. Endorsed by the OakTable Network, a group of Oracle technologists well-known for their rigorous and scientific approach to Oracle Database performance Comprehensive—goes beyond the language with a focus on what you need to know to write successful queries and data manipulation statements.

This book is an anthology of effective database management techniques representing the collective wisdom of the OakTable Network. With an emphasis upon performance—but also branching into security, national language, and other issues—the book helps you deliver the most value for your company’s investment in Oracle Database technologies. You’ll learn to effectively plan for and monitor performance, to troubleshoot systematically when things go wrong, and to manage your database rather than letting it manage you.