| OverviewNearly a quarter-million PL/SQL programmers--novices and
experienced developers alike--have found the first and
second editions of Oracle PL/SQL
Programming to be indispensable references to
this powerful language. Packed with examples and
recommendations, this book has helped everyone, from Oracle
Forms developers to database administrators, make the most
of PL/SQL.
Authored by renowned PL/SQL experts Steven Feuerstein and
Bill Pribyl, this new edition is a comprehensive update of
the original book, covering all versions of PL/SQL through
Oracle9i Release 2. It adds much-requested new chapters on
how to create and run PL/SQL programs, call Java methods
from within PL/SQL, and define and use database triggers. An
extensive new chapter---designed especially for experienced
PL/SQL developers--describes PL/SQL's runtime architecture
and how to use knowledge of Oracle internals to get the best
performance from PL/SQL. Regardless of the version you are
using, from Oracle 7.3.4 to Oracle 9i, this book will answer
your questions. Editorial ReviewsAmazon.com ReviewIf you're doing database application development in the Oracle environment, you're going to have to know PL/SQL, the company's extended query and update language. If you want your programs to exploit the special capabilities of Oracle software, you'll need to know the language well. That's where the third edition of Oracle PL/SQL Programming comes into play. It's an absolutely comprehensive reference (as well as a rather extensive tutorial) on PL/SQL, ideally suited to answering your questions about how to perform some programming tasks and reminding you of the characteristics of functions, triggers, and other elements of the database programmer's toolkit. The new edition covers calls to Java methods from within PL/SQL programs, autonomous transactions, object type inheritance, and the new Timestamp and XMLType data types. There's also more information about server internals--the way PL/SQL programs are run--than before, better enabling readers to optimize their code for fast and safe execution. Steven Feuerstein takes care to explain, with prose and example code, the characteristics of PL/SQL elements. In explaining number conversions, for example, he explores Oracle's different ways of formatting numbers, then details the behavior of the to_number function under different conditions (with and without a specified format model, and with National Language Support information attached). It's a helpful approach that will have readers using the index to locate places in which Feuerstein mentions language elements of interest. --David Wall Topics covered: How to use Oracle PL/SQL in all its manifestations through Oracle9i. Fundamentals of program structure (loops, cases, exceptions, etc.) and execution get attention, as do data types, transaction management, triggers, and the object-oriented aspects of the language. There's also coverage of calls to external Java and C programs. | Product DescriptionNearly a quarter-million PL/SQL programmers--novices and experienced developers alike--have found the first and second editions of Oracle PL/SQL Programming to be indispensable references to this powerful language. Packed with examples and recommendations, this book has helped everyone, from Oracle Forms developers to database administrators, make the most of PL/SQL. This new edition is a comprehensive update of the original book, covering all versions of PL/SQL through Oracle9i Release 2. It adds much-requested new chapters on how to create and run PL/SQL programs, call Java methods from within PL/SQL, and define and use database triggers. An extensive new chapter--designed especially for experienced PL/SQL developers--describes PL/SQL's runtime architecture and how to use knowledge of Oracle internals to get the best performance from PL/SQL. The book contains information about the latest Oracle9i PL/SQL features, including: - Record-based DML: You can now use records in INSERT and DELETE statements.
- Table functions: These are functions that return a result set (in the form of a PL/SQL collection). Such functions existed in Oracle8i but they are now much expanded.
- New and improved datatypes: Oracle now offers dramatically improved support for timestamps, time zone management, and interval calculations. In addition, the XMLType datatype has now been implemented.
- Inheritance for object types: You can now define a hierarchy of object types (which were first introduced in Oracle8).
- Enhancements to PL/SQL collections. PL/SQL now supports multiple-level collections (nesting collections within collections), as well as associative arrays (previously called index-by tables), which allow you to index by PLS_INTEGER and VARCHAR2.
- Native compilation of PL/SQL code: PL/SQL source code can now optionally be compiled into native object code that is linked into Oracle.
The book is divided into six parts: - Part I, Programming in PL/SQL
- Part II, PL/SQL Program Structure
- Part III, PL/SQL Program Data
- Part IV, SQL in PL/SQL
- Part V, PL/SQL Application Construction
- Part VI, Advanced PL/SQL Topics
Even if you've been a PL/SQL developer for years, you'll find an enormous amount of new and revised information in this third edition and on its companion web site. If you're new to PL/SQL, you'll find Oracle PL/SQL Programming an invaluable companion on the road to mastery. |
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Reader Reviews From Amazon (Ranked by 'Helpfulness') Average Customer Rating: based on 86 reviews. Impossibly long yet incomplete, 2008-04-17 Reviewer rating: This book so incredibly long that it is impossible to use to actually learn PL/SQL. Each of its numerous long chapters is so focused on a small, isolated sub-topic of PL/SQL that it spends over 500 pages just to cover the basics of PL/SQL. At that point, 500 pages into the book it says, "by now you have mastered the basics of PL/SQL" and begins a series of long chapters on small, isolated advanced sub-topics.
Worst of all, the book does not cover or even mention the essential, crucially important "Windows Functions" added to the ISO SQL standard in 2003.
I recommend instead buying "Sql Cookbook" by Anthony Molinaro in preference to this book. The former is direct and to the point. The latter is so convoluted and stretched out that it's useless for a busy professional who does not have unlimited time to spend hundreds of hours reading a 1,100 page book. Granted that "Sql Cookbook" does not cover PL/SQL, but at least it teaches you something you can use on the job immediately.
| MASSIVELY informative... yet surprisingly easy to read for beginners & intermediates, 2008-03-11 Reviewer rating: I've worked with Oracle and PL/SQL on and off for ages. I never really took a dive into the details of anything until recently. I knew the basics of PL/SQL blocks, writing procedures/functions and some of the "advanced" column/data types and interactions with them(XML with XPath, for example).
Being a professional software engineer for some time now and working with Oracle regularly has lead me down a path of basic knowledge. This book took that knowledge and pushed the boundaries further than I could have imagined. Great detail, simple/concise/powerful examples and explanations coupled with the author's ability to write with humor make this a wonderful read from beginner to intermediate.
Advanced users/developers may find it useful merely as a reference, however. It is something that will surely be worn out as time goes on. | The PL/SQL Standard, 2007-11-30 Reviewer rating: As with the three previous editions, all of which I own, this book sets the standard for PL/SQL texts. Crammed with information, it provides a thorough and insightful reference and always has a place on my desk. | If you program in PL/SQL, then you need this book., 2007-10-01 Reviewer rating: It is clear, concise, and as far as I can tell, correct. The writing is friendly, and the examples useful. I learned far more about PL/SQL from this book than from the Oracle documentation. I recently heard the author speak at a conference, and his good personality is reflected in the book. | The most famous PL/SQL author, 2007-09-19 Reviewer rating: No doubt you must own this book if you start learning PL/SQL or if you want to improve your coding. Steven reveals many traps that may be in your code. It explains how to take advantage of multiple techniques like BULK COLLECT.
It may serve as a reference book too |
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