Re: Seeking Advice: MS SQL DBA learning Oracle?

SQLJoe wrote:

> I am a recently laid off MS SQL DBA of five years. I would like to have to
> some advice on learning Oracle.
>
> 1)How difficult is it to learn Oracle? What are the differences between MS SQL
> and Oracle? I know both are ANSI-92 complaint RDBMS. What is the major
> differences between SQL, SQL plus, and PL/SQL?
>
> 2)Given the fact that both DB2 and MS SQL are taking market share away from
> Oracle, how does its future look like? Is the declining marketshare due to
> lesser technology or dubious pricing schemes by Oracle?
>
> 3)How will someone like me benefit from learning Oracle? How will it increase
> my marketability in the job market?
>
> 4)What are some of the best books to learn Oracle? What is the best way to
> learn Oracle?
>
> 4)How important is Unix knowledge to a Oracle DBA?
>
> Thank you in advance.
>
> Jinsoo
> MCSE+I, MCDBA, MCSD, CCNA
The differences are very large. Not superficially but as you get deeper and deeper into the products. And ANSI-92 compliance isn't one thing. It is many things. Including the ability of vendors to implement the standard by different methods and with different syntaxes.

If you want to learn Oracle your previous experience will be valuable but you will need to approach it with an understanding that much of what you assume is valid may not be. For example Oracle has something basic to its model called multiversioning that doesn't exist in any form in SQL Server. Locks are not a limited resource. Temp tables are almost never used and certainly not built on-the-fly in procedures.

My suggestion would be to start of with Tom Kyte's book "expert one-on-one Oracle." Especially the first three chapters.

Daniel Morgan Received on Wed May 08 2002 - 10:38:01 CDT