Re: Newbie---where to start?

In <Goeshere.2.302AC0F2_at_indy.net> Goeshere_at_indy.net writes:
>
>I'd like to make the switch from DB2 to ORACLE. I don't have access
 to ORACLE
>at work.... and my funds are limited. Any ideas how I can self-train?
 I need
>books, software, etc. All suggestions are welcome. Keep in mind I'm
 looking
>to keep a lid on the $$$'s! Thanks!
>

Dear Goeshere,

You've asked about an inexpensive method for learning about Oracle on your own. This
is a commonly asked question, and one that is easy to answer, but requires a *lot* of
work on your part to do.

That said, let's look at a strategy for learning Oracle on your own, for about a cost of
$500.00 or less, US dollars. This assumes you have a personal computer at home,
running Windows, with at least 8 MB of memory, and a good-size hard drive.

1. Buy a copy of Personal Oracle for Windows for your PC. This will be your major investment. Expect to pay about $400.00 US.
2. Buy a copy of "Mastering Oracle7 & Client/Server Computing" by Steven Bobrowski, SYBEX publishers. This is the best book for folks who are new to Oracle 7 and/or Client/Server concepts. Good overview of *everything*, and enough detail to get you started in any of the products/tools. This should run you in the neighborhood of $40.00 US.
3. Next, install the software, and read the book cover-to-cover. This will give you the big picture. You can return to individual chapters, as needed, when you begin to use the different elements.
4. Start by creating a few simple tables with SQL. Perhaps a mailing list, or a tracking database for your tapes, CDs, movies, etc. Maybe you're involved in coaching a team, and want to track that information. At any rate, make your practice tables something you won't mind using and maintaining.
5. Insert information into the tables - modify existing information. Update entire columns. Alter the database structure. Get in there and *use* SQL. If you learned SQL somewhere else (DB2 or Informix, for instance), notice the differences.
6. Now you're ready to build some simple reports using Oracle's SQL*Plus. Practice changing column heading, column formats, adding titles, putting in breaks, getting sums and averages, grand totals, etc. (This is where it helps if you were interested in the data in the first place. You're building something useful to yourself.)
7. After you've conquered that, you're ready to move on to PL/SQL - Oracle's Procedural Language extensions to SQL. This is where you'll need some more help, for you'll be learning a programming language and it's syntax. Luckily, help will be available in September. Steven Fauerstein has just finished writing the first book on PL/SQL Programming for O'Reilly pubishers. I did a technical review of the book, and it is *excellent*! So buy this book. I think the cost is around $40 US. It will guide you not only through the syntax, but help you with advanced SQL functions, and train you to be a better programmer.
8. Once you've read the book, you'll be ready to start writing simple programs. Begin with inserts, batch processing, perhaps some simple searches - highest values, lowest values, whatever. Get used to the syntax of the language, the loops, the semi-colons, the concept of cursors, etc.
9. Having that done, you'll be ready to try stored named procedures and functions. Try a simple one, then pass in a parameter. Come to understand the difference between IN, OUT, and IN/OUT parameters. Do about 20 - 30 of these until you've got it cold.
10. Okay, you've gone as far as you can with the basic investment and equipment you have at home! Now you have some choices to make. What will you learn next? Where? Do you have the extra money for more Oracle Software?

    Learning Developer 2000 would be a logical next step. (Oracle Reports 2.5,     Forms 4.5, Graphics, etc.) However, this software costs thousands of dollars,     and if you're not going to be an independent Oracle developer, you probably     couldn't justify that cost.

    Taking a short-term (one or two week) course would seem to be the answer.     Oracle charges $350 per student per day for their training. There are also a     number of reputable training organizations that provide quality training for     about half that cost. (I run one of them.) Investigate your options.

    I understand Computer Learning Center (located around the USA) is going to     have a RDBMS Certificate Program that runs for 6 months (2 evenings a week     and alternate Saturdays), starting this January. It's supposed to include     Oracle and Sybase. That might be something for you to look into, as well.     They're pretty good about arranging financing, if you need help there.

So you have your work cut out for you. It won't be easy - self-teaching never is. But if you get stuck you can always ask for help on the net, as you've (wisely) done already.

Perhaps someone at work knows a little about Oracle, and would be willing to help in exchange for a free lunch once in a while? Also, check out your local user's groups. Some of them provide discounted or free training sessions. ( I always offer our courses at a discount to *any* user group - it just makes for good business.)

Another option to explore if your company is migrating towards Oracle and they have a lot of folks to train and *no* training budget is consortium training. That's where a company sets up a training room, installs the software, and brings a trainer on-site. They let the training company provide a public class in their training room free of charge, in exchange for a certain number of free seats per class - often one or two. I have clients that have received tens of thousands of dollars of free training for their
employees this way --because they have a training room that sits around unused half the time. It's a win-win situation. (You could be a hero and suggest this at work -- it might win you some recognition as a cost-saving concept.)

Self-training is time-consuming, but not impossible. All of my learning these days is self-taught, since I have to learn about new software as soon as it comes out, in order to teach it to our students, and write course materials.

I think of it like writing - someone said either the author suffers, or the reader suffers. In training, the teacher suffers so the students won't have to.

Best of luck to you. If I can be of any further help, please feel free to write. Be great!!

Jennifer Blair, President
Blair Technical Training
ORACLE/UNIX Training
Alexandria, VA
email: jblair_at_ix.netcom.com
voice: 703-922-3664 Received on Fri Aug 11 1995 - 00:00:00 CEST