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

I was thrown into an Oracle situation with less experience than you have now, and given a mandate to "make it work". Which I did, so I guess it IS possible ;-)

Here are the references I found most useful, or which knowing what I now know I would have found most useful, had I known about them!

Oracle Concepts Guide for your version.

    http://otn.oracle.com/documentation/index.html Every who knows Oracle will tell you over and over to print it out and (1) skim it (2) then go back and read it. I resisted for a long time, but now that I am on my second reading I have been assimilated. Get it and read it.

Oracle SQL*Plus from O'Reilly

     http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/orsqplus/ Great introduction to using SQL*Plus, which is really a necessary skill for any serious Oracle work. Touches on a lot of other practical day-to-day topics as well.

AskTom web site

     http://asktom.oracle.com
After you have started on the above two, get in the habit of reading this site daily and searching there for any question you have. Mr. Kyte is one of the most amazing technical teachers, writers, and evangalists I have ever encountered.

Expert One-on-One: Oracle by Tom Kyte
Effective Oracle by Design by Tom Kyte

    Obtain from your favorite bookseller. Read daily. These are "arms length" books - they should always be within arms length of where you are working. I have one set on my desk, one set for each of my employees, and one set at home. In fact I am now collecting different editions, which is kind of weird.

The comp.databases.oracle.* Usenet groups you already know about. They really are a great resources but you have to filter out some of the responses, as you already know ;-(

You are probably already familiar with Visual Introduction to SQL by Chappell et. al.

     http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0471412767.html Do the exercises in this book in SQL*Plus and you are in good shape for basic SQL under Oracle.

Now re-read the chapters in the Concepts Guide on read consistency, multi-versioning, and locks. Also read the Tom Kyte chapters on those topics.

If you want a GUI tool, TOAD is great but very expensive. You can try out the freeware version here:

     http://www.toadsoft.com/lic_agree.html

Hope that helps.

sPh Received on Fri Feb 13 2004 - 09:44:01 CST