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RE: Serious Question (believe it or not)...

From: Mohan, Ross <MohanR_at_STARS-SMI.com>
Date: Thu, 07 Jun 2001 11:54:29 -0700
Message-ID: <F001.00320CDE.20010607112554@fatcity.com> 






Jim, 



It's a good idea!!



Let me add this to your thoughts in progress:  think of a way
to make a very good index for this. Many, many technical books
fall flat on their front cover when it comes to an index. 



So, for example (following our own Greg from this morning) if 
I want to figure out how to decrease PCTUSED in order to
reduce cache buffer chain latching and get that all-important
0.3% performance increase and a paper at IOUG to boot, I don't
know, in the chapter titles you cited whether I'd look in
"SQL", "Tuning", "Miscellaneous", or "Administration". And I 
could make an argument why you'd find it in each. 



So, I hit the index. Now, in a typical Oracle Press book (this, 
btw, does NOT reflect on the authors, but the publisher), the
typical index is something like:




<....>


...


Oracle

        better than MS, 8
        database, 99
        ellison, 101
        larry,   102
        will eat IBM's lunch, 297




P


Q


R

        ROLLBACK, 9
        REDO,   28
S
        SYSTEM tablespace, 68
T
        TABLE, 980
U
        UNDO (see ROLLBACK)




<...>




Well, you get the idea:  there is not much effort put into them. If you
want to see a KICKIN' index, check out anything tome-sized by Donald Knuth. 
There's a boy who understands the need for good search tools....



I'd also steal a page, in spirit, from J. Lewis' book. He is an extremely
personable, available chap, and his anecdotes are great, and while they
certainly feature him as the "guy in the cape", one doesn't get the sense
he is typing with one hand and constantly patting himself on the back 
with the other. The technical material comes through, and nicely. Sometimes,



providing an anecdote gives context no other presentation will.



There's more to say, but I'll leave it there. I wish you the best of luck!






p.s. nice as it was to see my name in your post, all my tricks and tips
essentially come from other people. I just like cadging them from the
cognoscenti i run into. Now, as to the epiphanies, well....find someone
with initials which match the first two letters in that word!
        




|| -----Original Message-----

|| From: Hawkins Family [mailto:jhawkins_at_primary.net]

|| Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2001 12:52 PM

|| To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L

|| Subject: RE: Serious Question (believe it or not)...

|| 

|| 

|| Thanks for the reply, Rachel, and all others who wrote back 

|| offline and

|| through the list.  Basically, here was my idea:

|| 

|| Most DBA topics have been beaten to death, and I would have 

|| nothing new to

|| contribute.  There is one area, however, that I see could be 

|| explored...

|| 

|| Here goes...

|| 

|| "Tips, Tricks, and Epiphanies" by various authors.

|| 

|| I was thinking about putting all those neat little tricks 

|| and tips I've

|| learned over the last few years down in writing.  Examples would be

|| everything from dynamic SQL to connecting as a user without 

|| knowing their

|| password via the encrypted string.  Also, I've had 

|| epiphanies where about 8

|| things all the sudden come together at once in a moment of shining

|| brilliance.  One such thing happened a few weeks ago 

|| courtesy of Rachel

|| herself in describing the recovery using a backup 

|| controlfile (open-ended

|| SCN).  These are the things I think could be useful - things 

|| not normally

|| included in a DBA 101 book.

|| 

|| So here's what we do:  I think of 5 or 10 things like this, 

|| Jared thinks of

|| his, Rachel of hers, Ross of his, April of hers, and anyone 

|| else.  We then

|| make sure there's no overlap.  We then organize these into 

|| the following 5

|| sections: Administration, Backup/Recover, Tuning, SQL or PL/SQL,

|| Miscellaneous.  If we get 10 experts to contribute 10 unique 

|| tips, tricks,

|| or epiphanies, then we have a book.  Someone (me or Jonathan 

|| Gennick from

|| O'Reilly) compiles them all and writes some wrapper material, and

|| voila!....a book!  Easy, right?  I do have a writing 

|| background, so this is

|| why I became interested.

|| 

|| Having said all this, having 3 kids under the age of 4 and a 

|| wife, I also

|| have taken what Rachel said to heart.  Right now, I think it 

|| would just be

|| something to think about.

|| 

|| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

|| Jim Hawkins

|| Lead SAPR/3 Oracle Database Administrator

|| MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc.

|| 501 Pearl Drive

|| St. Louis, MO  63376

|| (636) 474-7832

|| jhawkins_at_memc.com (work)

|| jhawkins_at_primary.net (personal)

|| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

|| 

|| -----Original Message-----

|| Carmichael

|| Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2001 4:40 AM

|| To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L

|| 

|| 

|| Literary background is meaningless in writing a technical 

|| book... I don't

|| have one and I managed :)

|| 

|| Developmental editor if you can't write? Not hardly likely. 

|| That's what I've

|| done on both Marlene Theriault's Networking 101 and Gaja's 

|| Tuning 101 books.

||   You need to be able to write to make the books interesting 

|| and at the same

|| time technical enough.

|| 

|| Technical editor has to know Oracle very well, because you 

|| are responsible

|| for ensuring that the scripts and statements in the book are 

|| absolutely

|| accurate.

|| 

|| Neither is a trivial job. Nor are they ones that can be done 

|| in a spare

|| moment or two.

|| 

|| How did I get started?  I was asked by people I knew to do 

|| the technical

|| edit on a book. Do I recommend that you do this? NO!

|| 

|| Understand that writing a book is NOT something you do in 

|| your spare time.

|| It does not matter how well you think you can write, or if 

|| you know Oracle

|| backwards and forwards. You have a full-time job while you 

|| are doing this,

|| you have (one hopes) a life that you want to keep as well.

|| 

|| You can't slack off on the job, that's what pays the bills. You have

|| deadlines to meet. You can't slack off on those, or the 

|| publisher takes the

|| book away (yes, they can do that). So your life disappears.

|| 

|| Jim, if you really truly think you can do this.... stop and 

|| think again. I

|| spent 6 months of no life writing 101 and this was with 

|| co-authors! Yes it

|| is worth the end product but understand that while you are 

|| going through it,

|| it's hell.

|| 

|| As for how to get started..... Oracle Press has a submission 

|| form on their

|| website for people who are interested in writing a book. 

|| They really do read

|| the submissions.

|| 

|| Am I trying to scare you? You betcha. Because if you STILL 

|| want to do a book

|| after this, then I know that you really will get it done.

|| 

|| Rachel

|| 

|| 

|| >From: "Mohan, Ross" <MohanR_at_STARS-SMI.com>

|| >Reply-To: ORACLE-L_at_fatcity.com

|| >To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L <ORACLE-L_at_fatcity.com>

|| >Subject: RE: Serious Question (believe it or not)...

|| >Date: Wed, 06 Jun 2001 18:30:46 -0800

|| >

|| >  Alex,

|| >

|| >The answer to your question is:  get several certifications

|| >and become a consultant!  <grin, duck, and run like hell>

|| >

|| >Ross

|| >

|| >p.s. anyone certified (or certifiable) who is deeply

|| >wounded by this senseless attack is encouraged to contact

|| >me offlist, where I will supply a heartfelt apology, a few

|| >hugs, and an autographed picture of my Hannibal Lecter in

|| >a speedo with a ponytail impersonation.

|| >

|| >-----Original Message-----

|| >To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L

|| >Sent: 6/6/2001 4:58 PM

|| >

|| >If you do not know Oracle you will get from technical 

|| editor.  If you

|| >cannot

|| >write - there is a development editor available. The 

|| problem is - what

|| >if

|| >one don't know Oracle and cannot write.

|| >

|| >Alex Hillman

|| >

|| >PS. This has nothing to do with Jim

|| >

|| >-----Original Message-----

|| >Sent: Wednesday, June 06, 2001 4:30 PM

|| >To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L

|| >

|| >

|| >All,

|| >

|| >I am very interested in collaborating with others in the 

|| writing of an

|| >Oracle technical book (DBA subject matter).  I am interested in how

|| >those of

|| >

|| >you who have done this (ala Rachel), got started or made the right

|| >connections.  I do have a somewhat literary background, so 

|| I know I can

|| >do

|| >this.

|| >

|| >Jim

|| >

|| >Jim Hawkins

|| >Lead SAPR/3 Oracle Database Administrator

|| >MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc.

|| >600 Pearl Drive

|| >St. Louis, MO  633376

|| >9636) 474-7832

|| >jhawkins_at_memc.com (work)

|| >jhawkins_at_primary.net (home)

|| >

|| >--

|| >Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com

|| >--

|| >Author: Jim Hawkins

|| >   INET: jhawkins_at_primary.net

|| >

|| >Fat City Network Services    -- (858) 538-5051  FAX: (858) 538-5051

|| >San Diego, California        -- Public Internet access / 

|| Mailing Lists

|| >--------------------------------------------------------------------

|| >To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an E-Mail message

|| >to: ListGuru_at_fatcity.com (note EXACT spelling of 'ListGuru') and in

|| >the message BODY, include a line containing: UNSUB ORACLE-L

|| >(or the name of mailing list you want to be removed from).  You may

|| >also send the HELP command for other information (like subscribing).

|| >--

|| >Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com

|| >--

|| >Author: Hillman, Alex

|| >   INET: Alex.Hillman_at_usmint.treas.gov

|| >

|| >Fat City Network Services    -- (858) 538-5051  FAX: (858) 538-5051

|| >San Diego, California        -- Public Internet access / 

|| Mailing Lists

|| >--------------------------------------------------------------------

|| >To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an E-Mail message

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|| >(or the name of mailing list you want to be removed from).  You may

|| >also send the HELP command for other information (like subscribing).

|| >--

|| >Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com

|| >--

|| >Author: Mohan, Ross

|| >   INET: MohanR_at_STARS-SMI.com

|| >

|| >Fat City Network Services    -- (858) 538-5051  FAX: (858) 538-5051

|| >San Diego, California        -- Public Internet access / 

|| Mailing Lists

|| >--------------------------------------------------------------------

|| >To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an E-Mail message

|| >to: ListGuru_at_fatcity.com (note EXACT spelling of 'ListGuru') and in

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|| 

|| _________________________________________________________________

|| Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com

|| 

|| --

|| Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com

|| --

|| Author: Rachel Carmichael

||   INET: carmichr_at_hotmail.com

|| 

|| Fat City Network Services    -- (858) 538-5051  FAX: (858) 538-5051

|| San Diego, California        -- Public Internet access / 

|| Mailing Lists

|| --------------------------------------------------------------------

|| To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an E-Mail message

|| to: ListGuru_at_fatcity.com (note EXACT spelling of 'ListGuru') and in

|| the message BODY, include a line containing: UNSUB ORACLE-L

|| (or the name of mailing list you want to be removed from).  You may

|| also send the HELP command for other information (like subscribing).

|| 

|| -- 

|| Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com

|| -- 

|| Author: Hawkins Family

||   INET: jhawkins_at_primary.net

|| 

|| Fat City Network Services    -- (858) 538-5051  FAX: (858) 538-5051

|| San Diego, California        -- Public Internet access / 

|| Mailing Lists

|| --------------------------------------------------------------------

|| To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an E-Mail message

|| to: ListGuru_at_fatcity.com (note EXACT spelling of 'ListGuru') and in

|| the message BODY, include a line containing: UNSUB ORACLE-L

|| (or the name of mailing list you want to be removed from).  You may

|| also send the HELP command for other information (like subscribing).

|| 


-- 
Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com
-- 
Author: Mohan, Ross
  INET: MohanR_at_STARS-SMI.com

Fat City Network Services    -- (858) 538-5051  FAX: (858) 538-5051
San Diego, California        -- Public Internet access / Mailing Lists
--------------------------------------------------------------------
To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an E-Mail message
to: ListGuru_at_fatcity.com (note EXACT spelling of 'ListGuru') and in
the message BODY, include a line containing: UNSUB ORACLE-L
(or the name of mailing list you want to be removed from).  You may
also send the HELP command for other information (like subscribing).


Received on Thu Jun 07 2001 - 13:54:29 CDT












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