Covering the core of the day-to-day tasks most DBA's are responsible for, this is the perfect complement to all SQL tutorials available. The book also provides syntax diagrams and SQL commands in alphabetical order.

With concise coverage of both Oracle 9i and Oracle 10g, this is the ideal reference for the professional DBA on how to use Perl to automate database tasks. The book covers language selection and concepts, including basic scripting concepts.

One of the most important challenges faced by Oracle database administrators and Oracle developers is the need to tune SQL statements so that they execute efficiently. Poorly tuned SQL statements are one of the leading causes of substandard database performance and poor response time. SQL statements that perform poorly result in frustration for users, and can even prevent a company from serving its customers in a timely manner. In this book, Mark Gurry shares his in-depth knowledge of Oracle's SQL statement optimizers. Mark's knowledge is the result of many hard-fought tuning battles during his many years of providing Oracle tuning services to clients. Mark provides insights into the workings of the rule-based optimizer that go well beyond what the rules tell you. Mark also provides solutions to many common problems that occur with both the rule-based and cost-based optimizers. In addition to the specific problem/solution scenarios for the optimizers, Mark provides a number of handy SQL tuning tips. He discusses the various optimizer hints, telling you when they can be used to good effect. Finally, Mark discusses the use of the DBMS_STATS package to manage database statistics, and the use of outlines to specify execution plans for SQL statements in third-party applications that you can't otherwise modify.

Despite the wide use of SQL *Plus, few developers and database administrators know how powerful it really is. And the syntax can sometimes be tricky. This portable guide provides a quick reference to subjects such as interacting with SQL *Plus, selecting data, formatting reports, writing scripting, and tuning SQL. There's also a command reference.

SQL (Structured Query Language), the heart of a relational database management system, is the language used to query the database, to create new tables in the database, to update and delete fields, and to set access privileges. Aimed at everyone who needs to access an Oracle database using SQL, including developers, DBAs, designers, and managers, this book delivers all the information they need to know about standard SQL, and Oracle's extensions to it.

Support for regular expressions in SQL and PL/SQL is one of the most exciting features of Oracle Database 10G. Oracle has long supported the ANSI-standard LIKE predicate for rudimentary pattern matching, but regular expressions take pattern matching to a new level. They provide a powerful way to select data that matches a pattern, as well as to manipulate, rearrange, and change that data.This concise pocket guide is part tutorial and part quick-reference. It's suitable for those who have never used regular expressions before, as well as those who have experience with Perl and other languages supporting regular expressions. The book describes Oracle Database 10G's support for regular expressions, including globalization support and differences between Perl's syntax and the POSIX syntax supported by Oracle 10G. It also provides a comprehensive reference, including examples, to all supported regular expression operators, functions, and error messages.O'Reilly's Pocket References have become a favorite among developers and database administrators everywhere. By providing a wealth of important details in a concise, well-organized format, these handy books deliver just what you need to complete the task at hand. Whether you're using regular expressions for the first time or applying your skills from other languages to the latest version of Oracle, the Oracle Regular Expressions Pocket Reference is the book to have close by.

Oracle database administration requires a vast amount of information and an ability to perform a myriad of tasks--from installation to tuning to network troubleshooting to overall daily administration. Oracle provides many tools for performing these tasks; the trick is knowing what tool is right for the job, what commands you need to issue (and when), and what parameters and privileges you need to set. And, as every DBA knows, you need to know how do all this under pressure, while you face crisis after crisis. This book provides a concise reference to the enormous store of information an Oracle DBA needs every day (as well as what's needed only when disaster strikes). It's crammed full of quick-reference tables, task lists, and other summary material that both novice and expert DBAs will use time and time again. It covers the commands and operations new to Oracle8, but also provides Oracle7 information for sites still running earlier versions. Oracle Database Administration provides two types of material: DBA tasks--chapters summarizing how to perform critical DBA functions: installation, performance tuning, preventing data loss, networking, security and monitoring, auditing, query optimization, and the use of various Oracle tools and utilities DBA reference--chapters providing a quick reference to the Oracle instance and database, the initialization (INIT.ORA) parameters, the SQL statements commonly used by DBAs, the data dictionary tables, the system privileges and roles, and the SQL*Plus, Export, Import, and SQL*Loader syntax The book also includes a resource summary with references to additional books, Web sites, and other online and offline resources of special use to Oracle DBAs. Oracle Database Administration is the single essential reference you'll turn to again and again. If you must choose only one book to use at the office, keep at home, or carry to a site you're troubleshooting, this will be that book.