Re: Advise needed: Can I use/learn Oracle quickly?

Erwin Moller <since_humans_read_this_I_am_spammed_too_much_at_spamyourself.com> wrote in message news:<402a5057$0$559$e4fe514c_at_news.xs4all.nl>...
> Hi group!
>
> This is my situation: I offered a few friends who work in some office
> (financial department) to help them out.
> They have to start using a datawarehouse now, but seriously lack basic SQL
> knowledge, which is a problem because they actually have to check the
> reliability of that data (Planning & Control devision).
>
> So I offered them to teach them some basics. Just a short hands-on course
> with some datatypes, tabledesign, prim. keys, foreign keys, etc.
> Nothing fancy.
>
> They were all very happy, but then the following problem arose: They want me
> to do it on an Oracle database because all their software runs on that.
>
> The problem is I never worked with Oracle before besides 5 minutes on SQL*
> years ago.
> But I am experienced with databasedesign/usage but not on Oracle.
>
> my background:
> PostgeSQL 7.X : I know Postgresql quite well and worked with that for years
> happily.
> M$ SQL Server (7 I think)
> MySQL
> Access (If you can call that a database)
> and a few more obscure perl/php libs for flatfile database.
>
> My question (you guessed):
> How well equiped I am to teach some basics on SQL when I use Oracle?
> I heard PostgreSQL is a little similar to Oracle. Is that true? (That would
> make me happy.)
> What do I need to create a few tables?
> Is there some visual GUI to Oracle database? (I only know commandline SQL*)
> What websites are good for a quickstart?
> Can I download some evaluationversion for free? (I have access to Linux
> Redhat8 and NT4 and Windows2000 Professional)
>
> I hope somebody can get me ontrack with this.
>
> I know how annoying it can be when somebody drops into a newsgroup with
> questions like this (happens to me all the time in c.l.java.*), so please
> forgive me for that. :-)
>
> Thank a lot for your time!
>
> Regards,
> Erwin Moller

There are dozens of books on Oracle at the local bookstore. A large number of them would allow you to compare your current knowledge of table creation syntax and SQL against Oracle's syntax.

The official manuals are available for download. I think you would want to look at the SQL manual.

The Postgresql procedural language is from what I heard very much like Oracle's pl/sql.

I think you will want to get access to Oracle and practice some before you attempt to demo anything. You can download the personal edition (technet.oracle.com) and practice with that or your perhaps your friend can get you access to their test system.

Good luck
-- Mark D Powell -- Received on Wed Feb 11 2004 - 20:11:38 CST