Re: Oracle Begineer from SQL Server DBA

Add me to the list of people who agree with Niall.

As I see it, the problem you face really comes down to expectations and terminology.

You will expect that Oracle does things the same as SQL Server (which is in fact true only to the extent that both use the SQL language) and you will probably get trapped by those elements that MS has 'simplified' or 'enhanced'.

The terminology is a huge stumbling block as there are many, many things that are very similar that have different names and yet things with the same terms are in fact different. As an example - a schema in Oracle's terminology is frequently called a database in other RDBMS terminology.

I strongly recommend the O'Reilly book Oracle Essentials (http://oracle.oreilly.com) to help bridge the terminology and architecture gap.

HTH /Hans

"Daniel A. Morgan" wrote:

> Niall Litchfield wrote:
>
> > I guess you'll get a lot of conflicting advice on this one.
> >
> > I'd say that you will do just fine, but that it will be a steep learning
> > curve. The principles of data storage access and management are well known
> > and fundamental to all RDBMS's, however the implementation and even
> > terminology is very different. So for example what you as a SQL Server DBA
> > call a database is not what I as an Oracle DBA would call a database. This
> > sort of confusion of terminology and implementation details often shows up
> > in this group as what appear to be misguided questions from people from an
> > MS background. Never the less just as a good programmer can know two or
> > three different languages , and choose the appropriate one for the job, a
> > good DBA ought to be able to know two or so DBMS. I rather suspect as well
> > that you will lose a *lot* of your own time getting to grips with oracle.
> > I'd give it a year or so before you were familiar enough with Oracle to
> > implement production datastores on it.
> >
> > If you still wish to proceed then Oracle Education classes are expensive but
> > well well worth it. See if you can get lucent to spring for them.
> >
> > --
> > Niall Litchfield
> > Oracle DBA
> > Audit Commission UK
> > "frank" <frankw_at_qd.lucent.com> wrote in message
> > news:9hehqj$nc3_at_nntpb.cb.lucent.com...
> > > Hi,
> > > I am a SQL Server DBA, and want to use Oracle as our future database, I
 want
> > > to know how hard it will be to get familiar with oracle if I am a SQL
 Server
> > > DBA.
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
>
> I agree so one potential for conflict doesn't exist. The one thing I would add
> is that the biggest mistake SQL Server DBAs make moving to Oracle is the
> assumption that an Oracle DBA does what a SQL Server DBA does. They are wholly
> independent jobs with almost no overlap. A SQL Server DBA is more of a senior
> developer. You will need to learn the job from scratch.
>
> The other, which dovetails with Niall's advice that the terminology is different
> is that the two products are very different. And the more you know Oracle the
> more dramatic the differences. Clear your mind of everything except relational
> theory and basic SQL and you will do far better than if you assume that you can
> just add a few new twists to what you already know.
>
> Best of luck.
>
> Daniel A. Morgan
  Received on Tue Jul 03 2001 - 01:15:26 CDT