随缘的专栏

This book introduces you to many aspects of the Oracle database software. Chapter 1 starts with the concept of a database and how Oracle is structured so that you understand the fundamentals. Chapter 2 covers installing the software that you are going to need to try things out. We have provided a step-by-step guide to installing the software on Linux, but if you wish to install it on another platform, this chapter will help you understand the choices that you need to make when installing the database. Once your database is installed, you will need to communicate with it; in order to do this, you may need to install Oracle client software to access the database. Chapter 3 on connecting to Oracle will guide you through the tasks that can often be complex, but we provide information on how to keep it simple. Once the database is installed and you can communicate with it, you need to speak the languages that the database understands. We provide you with a solid introduction to Structured Query Language (SQL) in Chapter 4, as well as Oracle’s own programming language, PL/SQL, in Chapter 5. These two chapters will help you create robust interactions with the database to get data into and out of your database. The administration of the Oracle database is largely a function of the people who work closely with Oracle’s software. Thus, we provide you with a deep introduction to these functions and features. In Chapter 6 we will show you what database administrators (DBAs) do on a daily, weekly, and other basis. In Chapter 7 we provide guidance on how to do backups and, in case things really go wrong with your database, how to restore your old database. Oracle 11g has many features that are at the leading edge of technology, and Oracle Rapid Application Clusters (RAC) and Automatic Storage Management (ASM) are important technology in the order to support the high-availability needs of today’s applications. Take time in Chapter 8 to become familiar with all of this technology to ensure that you understand how today’s databases are deployed and optimized for performance and availability. Finally, in Chapter 9 we discuss features that apply to large databases. As you will learn or are already aware, databases are growing at an exponential rate. We need to use the facilities of the database that address this growth and ensure that we optimize the investment an organization makes in its Oracle software. This book closes by discussing many of the features that will become everyday necessities in your Oracle job. There is one thing you must keep in mind as you travel around the pages of this book: Oracle Database 11g is a complex product with many, many more features and facilities than we can discuss here. We have chosen topics based on our own experiences of what Oracle customers use 90% of the time, but realize that this is just the start of a very interesting journey. As we say, “You have to start somewhere.” Oracle Database is an exciting product, and one that will provide you with limitless chances to learn more about it. This book is one of your first steps; we hope you take from it the curiosity to dig deeper into the topics.