PLSQL for MS Sql server devs?

I am transitioning from MS Sql server's t-SQL to Oracle's PL SQL (incld Oracle Web). I'd like to find a book or faq that can help me with the different concepts, programming practices and concepts.

For example, i get confused over what we mean by instance and schema. Is an Oracle Instance the equivalent to a MS Sql Server Database? or the Server itself? And when we spek of a schema in Oracle, do we mean that that is a database, which is a subset of the Instance? In MS SQL server we had the heirarchy go SERVER.DATABASE.OBJECT. In Oracle is it

INSTANCE.SCHEMA.OBJECT? I installed Oracle 8i personal edition at home. The documentation refers sometimes to a 'database' but this seems interchangeable with the concept of an Instance. So can an Oracle Database Server have > 1 instances each with > 1 schemas?

other questions i have are more directly related to programming practices in PL SQL. In MS SQL server, we relied heavily on #temp tables whereas in PL SQL i noticed (from other people's code) there is great emphasis on cursors. How do you deal with no temp tables? Can a PL SQL function return a 'table' or a recordset datatype as a result? And then that rs be like table object and included in joins to other objects?

If anyone has writen an FAQ or a Book with a title like "PL SQL for ex-MS SQL Server Developers" that'd be great. If not, i'd like help starting one.
thanks Received on Sat May 12 2001 - 13:19:39 CDT