Customer Reviews

OCA/OCP: Introduction to Oracle9i SQL Study Guide

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am an applications developer (insulated from extensive SQL usage) who use little bit of SQL
Ex :select * from contact order by created desc,
select * from contact where row_id in (select row_id from another table etc)..

Nothing complicated..

I purchased the book (with the thought that my knowledge with SQL is above average)..Did the first assesment test(chapter 1) in the book and failed disastrously. Having been brought to the harsh 'reality',started studying the book, religiously answering the questions in the chapter etc.Completed all the chapters, took the bonus exams(from the book) ,again took all the chapter exams ( at the sametime referring to sections where i made a mistake).redid the assesment test as well

Best of all, my friend who also passed the exams sent me a question paper ( that be purchased in ebay) based on Jason Couchman's book OCP Introduction to Oracle 9i:SQL Exam guide. Took that exam( about 111 questions)..and everytime went back to the book reading the chapters and sections where i got it wrong

So on a net scale, studied the book twice

THE EXAM:
Appeared the exam yesterday and passed with 85 %..all those which i got wrong were obscure topics (ex :view name that u will use to find constraints in a column, syntax for modifying a constraint etc)There was not a single questions on roles.privileges,grant option,admin option etc. I will also not agree with those who said the book was over emphasising aggregates,group functions etc. there were quite a few questions in the exam and u will use it very often

As a matter of fact, the question paper from jason was very very closely aligned with the questions i got in the exam.My objective b4 going over the certification was to learn the basics..and i am not sure if any other book could have done a better job. Examination was secondary for me..

If passing the exam is primary for u..don't miss the simulation exams of Jason Couchman ( of course u need to study )..but if u want to learn every aspect of SQL ( ex :Soundex which even a senior DBA might not use once a year)..go for this.

I bought about a dozen certification books before obtaining the MCSE DBA title and had never bothered to write a comment. But the authors of this book have done such a good job that I feel compelled to share my opinion with all of you. It's by far the best study guide I've used. It covers every aspects of the subject. The questions in the book are decent and well constructed. I'm new to Oracle but passed the test easily after reading through the book. Eqally great about this book is the fact that it can serve as a great reference book (Especially liked the two chapters covering functions). Good value for your money.

I recently passed the exam. Scored 54/57. I used this book and the materials that come in the CD (review questions, flash cards and 2 BONUS exams). Plus my several years of experience in Oracle also helped a lot.

In my opinion, this is the only book needed to get through the exam. Although, bit of practical experience is needed to come out in flying colors.

There are few mistakes, but they are easier to identify.

The book covers a lot of topics - more than 100% of what is needed to pass the exam. Real exam would be a cake-walk.

This book is a definite preparatory material.

How I prepared for the exam:
- I have several years of industry experience using PL/SQL
- I read this book cover to cover and worked through all of the review questions multiple times

This was enough for me to feel confident about roughly 65 to 70%of the exam questions (75% passes) and to make solid educated guesses at the rest. I passed on the first try and would recommend this book for beginners and experienced users.

While this book does a good job explaining and covering the topics on the exam, I would recommend a beginner to consider supplementing this approach with a difficult practice test. This would help cover some of the trick questions and concepts that might be overlooked with a limited amount of experience.

I used this book to pass the Introduction to Oracle 9i: Sql 1z0-007 certification test. The fundamentals presented in this book were instrumental in getting me through (49/52).The tests and the flashcards on the cd were very helpful.

Having said that...

1. There are a few errors in the book ...nothing serious but go through the errata on the book site before you start studying.

2. This book should be supplemented by a reference book and/or self test software to better benefit from it.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to pass 1z0-007 and then some.

I must say that this book covers more than 100% of the exam requirements, which helps me passed with 54/57. However, some questions, especially those in the chapter tests, are definite too hard. The advantage is, when you sit for the actual test you feel like a walk in the park; the disadvantage: you might spend most of your time memorizing stuff that never appear in the exam.

Also, the bonus tests require you to score 80% in order to pass the exam. In the actual exam, you only need 70%. Honestly, I think if you can score 60% in the bonus tests, you'll pass the exam in flying colors.

There is no such thing as an error free technical book, but this one sets a new high-water mark for errors. Don't even begin without incorporating all the changes from the errata - which cover perhaps 3/4 of the errors. And there are even errors in the errata! The book has lost so much credibility with me that I find myself reading with considerable skepticism. Fortunately I have several years of Oracle SQL experience, so if something looks suspicious I just go to OTN to check.

All that said, the book is well designed as far as subject presentation (tho I would move data types to beginning), uses lots of clear (& usually correct) examples, and covers most of the material needed. I would probably purchase it again.

To give you a bit of back ground, I am a full time student and decided to do Oracle in my free time. I only have about 6 months's experience with SQL and I really didn't think I'd be able to do it. I actually bought the book as part of a set(OCP Cert. kit) together with another book co-written by Thomas Kyte to use as supplement.

Let me tell you that I believe for sure that you will get no better value for your money than this book. It covers 98% of the exam(maybe I just missed the other 2% I did not recognize in the exam) and it's written in a very organized style. The two bonus exams and the flashcards and chapter tests are a lot like the questions you'd get in the exam so do them and you can only win. If like me you are a beginner you might need another book to explain some of the topics in more detail and that's why I'm giving it four stars. If you have enough previous experience with Oracle you shouldn't need anything else than this book and you can change my four stars to five stars.

I have more than 6 years of experience working with PL/SQL, but let me tell you one thing - don't attempt the 1Z0-007 exam without reading a exam guide. The fine points tested in the exam are not what every day PL/SQL programming is about. This book does an excellent job of covering all the exam objectives and just reading it cover to cover will give you adequate preparation for the test. I did all the practice questions twice along with the two bonus tests provided on the CD. I found that the level of questions in the real exam was slightly easier than that of the practice tests on the CD. How do I know? I used just this one book for preparation and scored 54/57 today afternoon. Wish you luck!

I have read the book and I am totally satisfied with it.

The book covers all topics which you need to pass the test. I think the questions in the book are not to hard...they meet exactly the question standart from the test. So as test preparation this book is perfect. But I also have to say: if you are new to Oracle and SQL this book will not go deep enough into the topics. You will need additional books.