In this compact book, Steven Feuerstein, widely recognized as one of the world's leading experts on the Oracle PL/SQL language, distills his many years of programming, teaching, and writing about PL/SQL into a set of best practices-recommendations for developing successful applications. Covering the latest Oracle release, Oracle Database 11gR2, Feuerstein has rewritten this new edition in the style of his bestselling Oracle PL/SQL Programming. The text is organized in a problem/solution format, and chronicles the programming exploits of developers at a mythical company called My Flimsy Excuse, Inc., as they write code, make mistakes, and learn from those mistakes-and each other. This book offers practical answers to some of the hardest questions faced by PL/SQL developers, including: What is the best way to write the SQL logic in my application code? How should I write my packages so they can be leveraged by my entire team of developers? How can I make sure that all my team's programs handle and record errors consistently? Oracle PL/SQL Best Practices summarizes PL/SQL best practices in nine major categories: overall PL/SQL application development; programming standards; program testing, tracing, and debugging; variables and data structures; control logic; error handling; the use of SQL in PL/SQL; building procedures, functions, packages, and triggers; and overall program performance. This book is a concise and entertaining guide that PL/SQL developers will turn to again and again as they seek out ways to write higher quality code and more successful applications. "This book presents ideas that make the difference between a successful project and one that never gets off the ground. It goes beyond just listing a set of rules, and provides realistic scenarios that help the reader understand where the rules come from. This book should be required reading for any team of Oracle database professionals." --Dwayne King, President, KRIDAN Consulting

Get started with PL/SQL, the built-in language that every Oracle developer and database administrator must know, in Beginning PL/SQL, a fast-paced and example-filled tutorial. Learn from author Don Bales extensive experience to discover the most commonly used aspects of PL/SQL, without wasting time with obscure and obsolete features. Bales takes his 20+ years of experience and a wealth of statistics he's gathered on PL/SQL usage over those years and applies the 80/20 rule: cover what's most needed and used by PL/SQL professionals and avoid what's not necessary! The result is a book that covers all the key features of PL/SQL without wasting your time discussing esoteric and obsolete parts of the language. Learn what really matters, so that you can get to work feeling confident with what you know about PL/SQL. Discover the 20% of PL/SQL that gives you 80% of the bang! Key topics covered include variables and datatypes, executing statements, working with cursors, real-world objects, debugging, testing, and more. Learn how to write production-level, object-oriented PL/SQL. You'll explore relational PL/SQL, but unlike most other books on the subject, this one emphasizes the use of PL/SQLs object-oriented features as well. Work through real examples of using of PL/SQL. You'll learn PL/SQL by applying it to real-world business problems, not by heavy theory.

Find tips for creating efficient PL/SQL code If you know a bit about SQL, this book will make PL/SQL programming painless! The Oracle has spoken—you need to get up to speed on PL/SQL programming, right? We predict it'll be a breeze with this book! You'll find out about code structures, best practices, and code naming standards, how to use conditions and loops, where to place PL/SQL code in system projects, ways to manipulate data, and more. Discover how to Write efficient, easy-to-maintain code Test and debug PL/SQL routines Integrate SQL and PL/SQL Apply PL/SQL best practices Use new features introduced in Oracle 9i and 10g

Key Features Architecture, syntax, development and composition of Business Processes and Services using BPEL Advanced BPEL features such as compensation, concurrency, links, scopes, events, dynamic partner links, and correlations Oracle BPEL Process Manager and BPEL Designer Microsoft BizTalk Server as a BPEL server Book Description Web services provide the basic technical platform required for application interoperability. They do not, however, provide higher level control, such as which web services need to be invoked, which operations should be called and in what sequence. Nor do they provide ways to describe the semantics of interfaces, the workflows, or e-business processes. BPEL is the missing link to assemble and integrate web services into a real business process BPEL4WS standardizes process automation between web services. This applies both within the enterprise, where BPEL4WS is used to integrate previously isolated systems, and between enterprises, where BPEL4WS enables easier and more effective integration with business partners. In providing a standard descriptive structure BPEL4WS enables enterprises to define their business processes during the design phase. Wider business benefits can flow from this through business process optimization, reengineering, and the selection of most appropriate processes . Supported by major vendors - including BEA, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Microsoft, Novell, Oracle, SAP, Sun, and others - BPEL4WS is becoming the accepted standard for business process management. This book provides detailed coverage of BPEL4WS, its syntax, and where, and how, it is used. It begins with an overview of web services, showing both the foundation of, and need for, BPEL. The web services orchestration stack is explained, including standards such as WS-Security, WS-Coordination, WS-Transaction, WS-Addressing, and others. The BPEL language itself is explained in detail, with Code snippets and complete examples illustrating both its syntax and typical construction. Having covered BPEL itself, the book then goes on to show BPEL is used in context. by providing an overview of major BPEL4WS servers. It covers the Oracle BPEL Process Manager and Microsoft BizTalk Server 2004 in detail, and shows how to write BPEL4WS solutions using these servers. What you will learn Chapter 1 provides a detailed introduction to BPEL and Service Oriented Architecture (SOA). It discusses business processes and their automation, explains the role of BPEL, web services, and Enterprise Service Buses (ESB) in SOA, provides insight into business process composition with BPEL, explains the most important features, compares BPEL to other specifications, provides an overview of BPEL servers, and discusses the future of BPEL. Chapter 2 provides a detailed introduction to the Web Services Technology Stack. It discusses the important standards and specifications for using BPEL and implementing SOA with web services, such as WS-Security, WS-Addressing, WS-Coordination, WS-AtomicTransaction, WS-BusinessActivity, WS-Reliable Messaging, etc. Chapter 3 discusses the composition of web services with BPEL. The chapter introduces the core concepts of BPEL and explains how to define synchronous and asynchronous business processes with BPEL. The reader gets familiar with BPEL process structure, partner links, sequential and parallel service invocation, variables, conditions, etc. Chapter 4 goes deeper into the BPEL specification and covers advanced features for modeling complex business processes. Advanced activities, scopes, serialization, fault handing, compensations, event handling, correlation sets, concurrent activities and links, process lifecycle, and dynamic partner links are covered in detail. Chapter 5 explains how to use the Oracle BPEL Process Manager for deploying and executing business processes defined in BPEL. It describes the server architecture, tools, features, and common approaches for managing and debugging BPEL processes. The chapter also looks at graphical development of BPEL processes using Oracle BPEL Designer for JDeveloper and for Eclipse. Chapter 6 takes a detailed look at the advanced features of the Oracle BPEL Process Manager including extension functions, dynamic parallel flows, Web Services Invocation Framework, Java embedding, Notification service, Workflow service, Identity service, and Oracle BPEL Server APIs. Chapter 7 discusses MS BizTalk Server 2004 and its support for BPEL. It explains how to develop business processes in BizTalk and export them to BPEL. It also explains how to import BPEL processes into BizTalk and how to use the Orchestration Designer tool to define processes graphically, and compares BizTalk and BPEL constructs. Appendix A provides a syntax reference for BPEL version 1.1. The appendix covers standard BPEL activities and elements, functions, attributes, and faults. Who this book is for This book is aimed at architects and developers in the design, implementation, and integration phases of advanced information systems and e-business solutions, developing business processes and dealing with the issues of composition, orchestration, transactions, coordination, and security. The book presumes knowledge of XML and web services, web services development (either on J2EE or .NET), and multi-tier architecture

PL/SQL, Oracle's powerful procedural language, has been the cornerstone of Oracle application development for nearly 15 years. Although primarily a tool for developers, PL/SQL has also become an essential tool for database administration, as DBAs take increasing responsibility for site performance and as the lines between developers and DBAs blur. Until now, there has not been a book focused squarely on the language topics of special concern to DBAs Oracle PL/SQL for DBAs fills the gap. Covering the latest Oracle version, Oracle Database 10g Release 2 and packed with code and usage examples, it contains: A quick tour of the PL/SQL language, providing enough basic information about language fundamentals to get DBAs up and running Extensive coverage of security topics for DBAs: Encryption (including both traditional methods and Oracle's new Transparent Data Encryption, TDE); Row-Level Security(RLS), Fine-Grained Auditing (FGA); and random value generation Methods for DBAs to improve query and database performance with cursors and table functions Coverage of Oracle scheduling, which allows jobs such as database monitoring andstatistics gathering to be scheduled for regular execution Using Oracle's built-in packages (DBMS_CRYPTO, DBMS_RLS, DBMS_FGA, DBMS_RANDOM,DBMS_SCHEDULING) as a base, the book describes ways of building on top of these packages to suit particular organizational needs. Authors are Arup Nanda, Oracle Magazine 2003 DBA of the Year, and Steven Feuerstein, the world's foremost PL/SQL expert and coauthor of the classic reference, Oracle PL/SQL Programming. DBAs who have not yet discovered how helpful PL/SQL can be will find this book a superb introduction to the language and its special database administration features. Even if you have used PL/SQL for years, you'll find the detailed coverage in this book to be an invaluable resource.

Experienced PL/SQL programmers and Oracle developers will learn to master Oracle's procedural extension to industry-standard SQL. Using this authoritative resource, readers will become experts at developing robust, high-performance enterprise applications with PL/SQL. Detailed examples describe the practical aspect of each feature, and provide ideas to the reader of how they can best exploit the functionality.

For the past ten years, O'Reilly's Oracle PL/SQL Programming has been the bestselling book on PL/SQL, Oracle's powerful procedural language. Packed with examples and helpful recommendations, the book has helped everyone--from novices to experienced developers, and from Oracle Forms developers to database administrators--make the most of PL/SQL. The fourth edition is a comprehensive update, adding significant new content and extending coverage to include the very latest Oracle version, Oracle Database 10 g Release 2. It describes such new features as the PL/SQL optimizing compiler, conditional compilation, compile-time warnings, regular expressions, set operators for nested tables, nonsequential collections in FORALL, the programmer-defined quoting mechanism, the ability to backtrace an exception to a line number, a variety of new built-in packages, and support for IEEE 754 compliant floating-point numbers. The new edition adds brand-new chapters on security (including encryption, row-level security, fine-grained auditing, and application contexts), file, email, and web I/O (including the built-in packages DBMS_OUTPUT, UTL_FILE, UTL_MAIL, UTL_SMTP, and UTL_HTTP) and globalization and localization. Co-authored by the world's foremost PL/SQL authority, Steven Feuerstein, this classic reference provides language syntax, best practices, and extensive code, ranging from simple examples to complete applications--making it a must-have on your road to PL/SQL mastery. A companion web site contains many more examples and additional technical content for enhanced learning.

IBM's definitive guide to writing DB2 SQL PL stored procedures, triggers, UDFs, and dynamic compound SQL Fully updated to reflect the entire DB2 UDB product family, and new SQL PL improvements for Windows, UNIX, Linux, iSeries, and zSeries Presents expert tips and best practices drawn from extensive experience in real customer environments Covers everything from basic program structure through advanced techniques Includes up-to-the-minute coverage of optimization and troubleshooting Using the IBM DB2 SQL Procedural Language (SQL PL), programmers can drive major improvements in database performance, manageability, and time-to-market. Now, IBM's own experts present the definitive guide to DB2 SQL PL development on any platform: Windows, UNIX, Linux, iSeries, or zSeries. DB2 SQL PL, Second Edition shows developers how to take advantage of every facet of the SQL PL language and development environment. The authors offer up-to-the-minute coverage, best practices, and tips for building basic SQL procedures, writing flow-of-control statements, creating cursors, handling conditions, and much more. Along the way, they illuminate advanced features ranging from stored procedures and triggers to user-defined functions. The only book to combine practical SQL PL tutorials and a detailed syntax reference, DB2 SQL PL, Second Edition draws on the authors' unparalleled expertise with SQL PL in real business environments. Coverage includes Using SQL PL to improve manageability and performance, while clearly separating DBA and development roles Writing more efficient stored procedures, triggers, user-defined functions (UDFs), and dynamic compound SQL Identifying SQL PL performance bottlenecks--and resolving them Leveraging new language enhancements for Windows, UNIX, and Linux: improved table function support, session based locking, nested save points, new prepare options, and more Using new features for iSeries V5R3: built-in string and date/time manipulation functions, SEQUENCE objects, and more Utilizing zSeries Version 8's integrated stored procedures debugging and improved SQL Conditions support Mastering DB2 Development Center, the unified development environment for creating DB2 stored procedures Whether you're developing new SQL PL applications, migrating or tuning existing applications, or administering DB2, you'll find this book indispensable.

Like most PL/SQL programmers, you've found Oracle PL/SQL Programming to be a reference book you can't do without. Packed with examples and recommendations, it's a book that has helped everyone, from Oracle Forms developers to database administrators, make the most of PL/SQL. But you can't always carry it with you, and even at your desk there are times when you just need a reminder, a quick answer to a problem you're up against. For times like those, PL/SQL experts Stephen Feuerstein, Bill Pribyl, and Chip Dawes have written a new edition of Oracle PL/SQL Language Pocket Reference. Updated for Oracle9i, this little book is easy to take with you and use anywhere for quick problem solving. The second edition of the Oracle PL/SQL Language Pocket Reference boils down the most vital information from Oracle PL/SQL Programming into a convenient quick reference to PL/SQL basics. This compact book will be indispensable for new and seasoned Oracle database developers alike. It summarizes features available in Oracle9i and provides essential information on PL/SQL block structure, fundamental language elements, control statements, and use of procedures, functions, packages, triggers, Oracle objects, external procedures, and methods of calling Java classes from PL/SQL. O'Reilly's Pocket References have become a favorite among developers and database administrators everywhere. By providing a wealth of important details in a concise, well-organized format, these handy books deliver just what you need to complete the task at hand. When you've reached a sticking point in your work and need to get to a solution quickly, the new edition of Oracle PL/SQL Language Pocket Reference is the book you'll want to have.

The hands-on, rapid-mastery guide to Oracle PL/SQL Web development. Start building Oracle 9i PL/SQL Web applications—hands on Covers the entire development lifecycle, from design to deployment Provides instruction for PL/SQL Server Pages, the PL/SQL Web Toolkit, and the Oracle 9i Application Server Introduces Web basics—HTML, JavaScript, basic UNIX and FTP, and image handling Reviews PL/SQL and SQL concepts Includes practical tips and troubleshooting help Leverage your SQL and PL/SQL experience to build powerful data-driven Web and e-business applications—starting right now! In this book, a team of Columbia University PL/SQL instructors cover the core pieces of what you need to know, from preliminary configuration to deployment of dynamic, data-driven applications. You'll find practical examples, hands-on exercises, and dozens of practical tips and solutions designed to save you time, effort, and frustration. One step at a time, discover how to: Configure Oracle's Internet Application Server Control Web applications and servers remotely Build Oracle Web applications with PL/SQL Create dynamic, data-driven pages Test, debug, troubleshoot, and deploy your applications Maintain and optimize running Web applications Whether you've been writing simple queries or complex PL/SQL code, this book takes your database development skills onto the Web—and into the future!

Build Oracle PL/SQL applications—now. Fully updated for Oracle 9i No Oracle PL/SQL experience necessary. Real-life labs and "Test Your Thinking" Q&As Start developing applications with Oracle PL/SQL—fast. This integrated book-and-Web learning solution teaches all the Oracle PL/SQL skills you need, hands on, through real-world labs, exercises, projects, and a complete Web-based training site. Completely updated for Oracle 9i, it covers all the fundamentals—and a whole lot more. Master PL/SQL syntax, iterative and conditional control, scoping, anchored datatypes, cursors, triggers, security, tables, and packaging—plus powerful new techniques for working with exceptions, cursors, collections, and records. Your free Web-based training module includes a Virtual Study Lounge where you can interact with other learners, work on new projects, and get updates. Totally integrated with a FREE, state-of-the-art Oracle 9i learning Web site. Every Prentice Hall Oracle Interactive Workbook is fully integrated with its own exclusive Web site, giving you all this and more: "Test Your Thinking" project solutions and detailed explanations Additional self-review exercises with instant feedback and explanations An exclusive Virtual Study Lounge where you can interact with other students. Just the facts. No endless, boring discussions here. You'll learn hands on through practical exercises, self-review questions, and real-world answers. Exclusive "Test Your Thinking" projects guarantee you'll go beyond rote knowledge to really master the subject. It's an integrated learning system that's proven to work. Dozens of exercises cover the real-world tasks that matter most. Hundreds of self-review questions and answers make sure you understand.

Nearly 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. 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 The book is divided into six parts: 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.

Concise and practical, this indispensable volume brings the world’s most popular Relational Database Management System (RDBMS), its query language SQL, and its programming language PL/SQL into clear focus for today’s busy database professional or business analyst. Covering the most commonly used Oracle features, is ideal for the developer or business user challenged with implementing, maintaining, and retrieving mission-critical data within the Oracle database environment. Oracle SQL and PL/SQL Handbook Broadly designed as both a basic reference and how-to, this book offers extensive coverage of Oracle’s SQL language and database concepts, providing an excellent review for the Oracle certification exams. The initial chapters offer a complete introduction to the relational database environment, including a discussion of how to use the logical data model to understand the database. Oracle database objects are explored, along with uses of the Data Definition Language (DDL), the Data Control Language (DCL), and the Data Manipulation Language (DML). Later chapters offer complete coverage of the Select command used to retrieve information from the database. Also included are coverage of Oracle’s new analytic functions, a chapter on performance-tuning techniqes needed for complex SQL, and a detailed overview of Oracle’s PL/SQL language. In addition, many chapters provide practice questions designed to reinforce newly introduced concepts, as well as numerous examples of SQL techniques. The broad-based and comprehensive coverage also includes: Understanding the database using entity relationship diagrams and database schema diagrams Applying the Data Definition, Data Control, and Data Manipulation languages to create and maintain the database Using the SQL language to retrieve information from the database Creating special business information using Oracle’s new analytic functions Making your SQL perform better with common troubleshooting techniques Producing business information with business objects Using Java with PL/SQL Authoritative and practical, provides today’s administrator and business analyst alike with the most comprehensive sourcebook of solutions and techniques for improving their use of Oracle. Oracle SQL and PL/SQL Handbook 0201752948B07152002

PL/SQL, Oracle's programming language for stored procedures, delivers a world of possibilities for your database programs. PL/SQL supplements the standard relational database language, SQL, with a wide range of procedural features, including loops, IF-THEN statements, advanced data structures, and rich transactional control--all closely integrated with the Oracle database server. Knowing where to start with Oracle's procedural language is not always obvious to a newcomer, especially considering the language's feature set and the sheer size of the official documentation (not to mention Oracle's ever-increasing number of pre-built PL/SQL programs). But Learning Oracle PL/SQL offers the signposts and guidance you need to come up to speed on the language, delivered in a manageable number of pages while covering all the essentials. Topics include: PL/SQL--what is it, and why use it? Why use PL/SQL instead of Java? Syntax and examples of all core language constructs Creating, using, and reusing stored procedures, functions, and packages Building web-based applications using PL/SQL features available "out of the box" (such as PL/SQL Server Pages) Securing PL/SQL programs against attack Benefits of third-party developer tools and integrated development environments Connecting PL/SQL to email, Java, and the Internet Meticulously crafted with all-new examples downloadable from examples.oreilly.com/learnoracle, the book addresses language features available in all versions of Oracle, from Oracle7 to Oracle8i to Oracle9i. Learning Oracle PL/SQL was written by PL/SQL experts Bill Pribyl and Steven Feuerstein, whose easy-to-read style and attention to detail has made other O'Reilly books (such as the bestselling Oracle PL/SQL Programming) very popular among Oracle developers worldwide. Learning Oracle PL/SQL is meant for a wide range of target audiences, including both beginning programmers and those already experienced with other programming languages. Whether you are a new developer, a crossover programmer from another database system, or a new database administrator who needs to learn PL/SQL, this book will get you well on your way. It is the perfect introduction to Oracle PL/SQL Programming, also by Pribyl and Feuerstein.

In this book, Steven Feuerstein, widely recognized as one of the world's experts on the Oracle PL/SQL language, distills his many years of programming, writing, and teaching about PL/SQL into a set of PL/SQL language "best practices"--rules for writing code that is readable, maintainable, and efficient. Too often, developers focus on simply writing programs that run without errors--and ignore the impact of poorly written code upon both system performance and their ability (and their colleagues' ability) to maintain that code over time. Oracle PL/SQL Best Practices is a concise, easy-to-use reference to Feuerstein's recommendations for excellent PL/SQL coding. It answers the kinds of questions PL/SQL developers most frequently ask about their code: The book contains 120 best practices, divided by topic area. It's full of advice on the program development process, coding style, writing SQL in PL/SQL, data structures, control structures, exception handling, program and package construction, and built-in packages. It also contains a handy, pull-out quick reference card. As a helpful supplement to the text, code examples demonstrating each of the best practices are available on the O'Reilly web site. How should I format my code? What naming conventions, if any, should I use? How can I write my packages so they can be more easily maintained? What is the most efficient way to query information from the database? How can I get all the developers on my team to handle errors the same way? Oracle PL/SQL Best Practices is intended as a companion to O'Reilly's larger Oracle PL/SQL books. It's a compact, readable reference that you'll turn to again and again--a book that no serious developer can afford to be without.

However excellent they are, most computer books are inherently passive--readers simply take in text without having any opportunity to react to it. The Oracle PL/SQL Developer's Workbook is a different kind of animal! It's designed to engage you actively, to get you solving programming problems immediately, and to help you apply what you've learned about PL/SQL--and in the process deepen your knowledge of the language. By tackling the exercises in this workbook, you'll find yourself moving more rapidly along the learning curve to join the growing ranks of PL/SQL experts. The Oracle PL/SQL Developer's Workbook is a companion to Steven Feuerstein's bestselling Oracle PL/SQL Programming and his other PL/SQL books from O'Reilly. It contains a carefully constructed set of problems and solutions that will test your language skills and help you become a better developer--both with PL/SQL and with other languages. Exercises are provided at three levels: beginner, intermediate, and expert. The workbook exercises cover all the major features of PL/SQL, including those new to Oracle8i (e.g., Java and web features, autonomous transactions, and bulk binds).You'll find chapters on: Basic language elements--variables, naming, loops, conditional and sequential control, exception handling, and records. Data structures--index-by tables, nested tables, variables arrays (VARRAYs), and object technology. Database interaction--cursors, DML and transaction management, cursor variables, and native dynamic SQL Program construction--procedures, functions, blocks, packages, database triggers, and calling PL/SQL functions in SQL. Built-in functionality--the character, date, conversion, numeric, and miscellaneous functions, and the DBMS_SQL, DBMS_PIPE, DBMS_OUTPUT, UTL_FILE, and DBMS_JOB built-in packages. Miscellaneous topics--using Java with PL/SQL, external programs, PL/SQL web development, tuning PL/SQL, and PL/SQL for DBAs.

This compact guide provides the jump-start Oracle developers need to make the transition from traditional programming to the development of useful Web applications for Oracle8i. Even readers who start out knowing nothing about HTML, PL/SQL, or Oracle's other tools will learn how to create simple Web applications in a matter of days. The book focuses on Oracle8i, but also covers Web development for earlier Oracle versions (Oracle8 and Oracle7). Background: The explosion in the use of the Internet and the Web has resulted in a whole new way of doing business. Developers who only yesterday were using COBOL to write accounts payable systems are now being asked to create a broad range of new Internet-based applications ranging from electronic commerce (e-commerce) Web sites to internal data warehouses to enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. Unfortunately, the filesystem architectures of most Web systems aren't up to the task. The new breed of Web applications -- which are quickly becoming critical resources that companies need to survive -- demand a platform that provides production-quality tools for content management, application development, and application integration. And current Web techniques are inadequate in many ways. Oracle8i, Oracle's "Internet database," gives Web developers a way to build Web technology on top of a relational database, rather than on a traditional filesystem. With Oracle8i, companies can apply well understood, reliable, production-quality database methodologies to Web content management. Oracle8i also supports a wide variety of application development platforms and tools that are tightly integrated to the core database. Finally, Oracle8i supports technologies that help companies tie their Web-based applications into legacy applications. There is a lot to learn in Oracle8i. Not only does it enhance basic database features, it introduces Java and a variety of Web development tools. Oracle8i provides a soup-to-nuts platform for Web site and Web application development that extends traditional database concepts to Web content. It replaces the traditional filesystem used by most Web servers with a database management system. Many users are intimidated by the vast array of new technologies in Oracle8i. And yet, they are under pressure to use these technologies to build complex Web applications right now. This book gives such users a way to start using Oracle8i immediately to create useful Web applications. It is a concise, easy-to-read guide to the basic technologies developers need to understand in order to build Web applications. Contains: The book describes the following Web development tools: PL/SQL-- a structured programming language that combines procedural constructs and standard SQL. It offers such features as cursors, loops, conditional and sequential control statements, exception handlers, records, tables, and constructs for developing modular code (functions, procedures, and packages). PL/SQL Toolkit -- a set of PL/SQL packages supplied by Oracle for use in developing Web applications. HTML -- an ASCII-based markup language used to create Web pages. WebDB -- A software system for building, monitoring, and creating content-driven Web sites; it allows users to use a Web browser to access and store information in the Oracle8i database. Oracle Application Server (OAS) -- an extensible Web server that uses plug-in programs called cartridges to allow database-integrated Web systems to be developed in a variety of languages (e.g., PL/SQL, Java, Perl). XML -- An emerging standard for creating self-describing documents. It is similar to HTML but allows you to create your own markup tags. XML is expected to be a key technology in electronic commerce systems. The book also presents several fully realized sample Web applications that will teach you how to build such applications of your own. NOTE: Although this book touches on the Java features of Oracle8i, it doesn't cover Java development per se. Switching to Java represents an enormous change for most Oracle developers. This book provides an evolutionary path for readers who want to do useful Oracle8i Web development now, using mostly familiar tools. Additional books will provide Java training for those who have mastered these Web tools and want to take the next step.

This pocket reference provides quick-reference information that will help you use Oracle's PL/SQL language. It is a companion to Steven Feuerstein and Bill Pribyl's bestselling book, Oracle PL/SQL Programming, and includes coverage of the latest version of Oracle, Oracle8i. Oracle is the most popular database management system in use today, and PL/SQL plays a pivotal role in current and projected Oracle products and applications. PL/SQL provides procedural extensions to the SQL relational database language and to an ever-growing number of Oracle development tools. It offers a myriad of data types, and such features as cursors, loops, conditional and sequential control statements, exception handlers, records, tables, and constructs for developing modular code (functions, procedures, and packages). Originally a rather limited tool, PL/SQL became with Oracle7 a mature and effective language for developers. Now, with the introduction of Oracle8, PL/SQL has taken the next step towards becoming a fully realized programming language providing sophisticated object-oriented capabilities. The book on which this pocket reference is based, Oracle PL/SQL Programming, filled a huge gap in the Oracle market, providing developers with a single, comprehensive guide to building applications with PL/SQL -- and building them the right way. That book has become the bible for PL/SQL developers who have raved about its completeness, readability, and practicality. The book is packed with strategies, code architectures, tips, techniques, and fully realized code. The second edition of the book updated the text with the new Oracle8 PL/SQL features, including object types, collections, external procedures, and large object data types and functions. The pocket reference boils down the most vital information from the large (nearly 1000 pages) book into an accessible quick reference that summarizes the basics of PL/SQL -- its block structure, fundamental language elements (e.g., identifiers, declarations, defaults), data structures (including Oracle8 objects), and statements for program control, loops, exception handling, and database access. It also covers the the basics of using Oracle's procedures, functions, and packages, and the latest features for Oracle8i.

Oracle is the most popular database management system in use today, and PL/SQL plays a pivotal role in current and projected Oracle products and applications. PL/SQL is a programming language providing procedural extensions to the SQL relational database language and to an ever-growing number of oracle development tools. originally a rather limited tool, PL/SQL became with Oracle7 a mature and effective language for developers. now, with the introduction of Oracle8, PL/SQL has taken the next step towards becoming a fully realized programming language providing sophisticated object-oriented capabilities. Steven Feuerstein's Oracle PL/SQL Programming is a comprehensive guide to building applications with PL/SQL. That book has become the bible for PL/SQL developers who have raved about its completeness, readability, and practicality. Built-in packages are collections of PL/SQL objects built by Oracle Corporation and stored directly in the Oracle database. The functionality of these packages is available from any programming environment that can call PL/SQL stored procedures, including Visual Basic, Oracle Developer/2000, Oracle Application Server (for web-based development), and, of course, the Oracle database itself. Built-in packages extend the capabilities and power of PL/SQL in many significant ways. for example: DBMS_SQL executes dynamically constructed SQL statements and PL/SQL blocks of code. DBMS_PIPE communicates between different Oracle sessions through a pipe in the RDBMS shared memory. DBMS_JOB submits and manages regularly scheduled jobs for execution inside the database. DBMS_LOB accesses and manipulates Oracle8's large objects (LOBs) from within PL/SQL programs. 1. Introduction Executing Dynamic SQL and PL/SQL Intersession Communication User Lock and Transaction Management Oracle Advanced Queuing Generating Output from PL/SQL Programs Defining an Application Profile Managing Large Objects Datatype Packages Miscellaneous Packages Managing Session Information Managing Server Resources Job Scheduling in the Database Snapshots Advanced Replication Conflict Resolution Deferred Transactions and Remote Procedure Calls The first edition of Oracle PL/SQL Programming contained a chapter on Oracle's built-in packages. but there is much more to say about the basic PL/SQL packages than Feuerstein could fit in his first book. In addition, now that Oracle8 has been released, there are many new Oracle8 built-in packages not described in the PL/SQL book. There are also packages extensions for specific oracle environments such as distributed database. hence this book. Oracle Built-in Packages pulls together information about how to use the calling interface (API) to Oracle's Built-in Packages, and provides extensive examples on using the built-in packages effectively. The windows diskette included with the book contains the companion guide, an online tool developed by RevealNet, Inc., that provides point-and-click access to the many files of source code and online documentation developed by the authors. The table of contents follows: Preface Part I: Overview Part II: Application Development Packages Part III: Server Management Packages Part IV: Distributed Database Packages Appendix. What's on the companion disk?

Steven Feuerstein's first book, Oracle PL/SQL Programming, has become the classic reference to PL/SQL, Oracle's procedural extension to its SQL language. His new book looks thoroughly at one especially advanced and powerful part of the PL/SQL language -- the package. The use of packages can dramatically improve your programming productivity and code quality, while preparing you for object-oriented development in Oracle technology. In this book, Feuerstein explains how to construct packages -- and how to build them the right way. His "best practices" for building packages will transform the way you write packages and help you get the most out of the powerful, but often poorly understood, PL/SQL language. Much more than a book, Advanced Oracle PL/SQL Programming with Packages comes with a PC diskette containing a full-use software companion. Developed by Feuerstein, RevealNet's PL/Vision Lite is the first of its kind for PL/SQL developers: a library of thirty-plus PL/SQL packages. The packages solve a myriad of common programming problems and vastly accelerate the development of modular and maintainable applications. The packages provided in PL/Vision Lite fall into three categories: Building block packages: low-level development enhancers, including string parsers, a list manager, and an interface to PL/SQL tables. Developer utilities: programs that improve your PL/SQL development environment, including a code generator, a powerful substitute for SHOW ERRORS, and an online help delivery mechanism. Plug-and-play components: pieces of code that can be used as is in your own applications, including a high-level exception handler mechanism and a generic, reusable logging mechanism. In addition to describing the details of these packages, this book explores why and how they were built the way they were. You'll come away with an increased appreciation of the PL/SQL language and the power of packages. Most importantly, you'll be ready and eager to put that power to use immediately in your own applications.