Unfortunately, not quite that simple ...

Steve,

My advice would be to learn SQL as your first step. There are a lot of good SQL primers out there, just do a search on Amazon for example and you'll turn up something that will fit your needs and experience. Nearly any good ANSI or Oracle SQL book should do. You will also need a good grounding in relational theory, as Oracle is after all a relational database. You can practice your SQL using the SCOTT/TIGER login. I'm not aware of any books being out there on Personal Oracle per se. However, as far as the basic SQL commands goes the syntax is the same as for Oracle Server. Also, check out the Oracle website, I am sure there is some documentation to at least get you started with Personal Oracle for the time being.

Beyond allowing you to practice your SQL, Personal Oracle won't teach you all that much about Oracle. Sounds silly I know, but the Personal Oracle architecture is significantly different to the Oracle Server architecture. Administration, capabilities, performance issues etc are different. A lot of the powerful tools don't work with the Personal version. Personal Oracle is primarily useful as a *very* surface introduction to Oracle and to allow client software developers to test their programs without the overhead of a full Oracle installation (and allowing them to use Win95/Win98 as their development platform).

Therefore, after learning SQL and relational concepts I think you will need to discard the Personal Oracle in favor of the real thing - if you hope to make much more progress. There are of course a plethora of good books on Oracle. Most of the Oracle Press books are fairly good; the O'Reilly books are excellent, and if you want to get certified check out the Exam Cram and Sybex books as well.

Good luck, and welcome to the world of Oracle! David. Received on Fri Dec 14 2001 - 23:47:18 CST