8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE ULTIMATE PL/SQL PROGRAMMING BOOK!!, March 18, 2006
This review is from: Oracle PL/SQL Programming, 4th Edition (Paperback)
Are you an application developer or database administrator? Well, you're in luck! Authors Steven Feuerstein and Bill Pribyl, have done an outstanding job of writing a 4th edition of a book that provides comprehensive useful coverage of the PL/SQL language.
Feuerstein and Pribyl, begin with an introduction to the PL/SQL language. Then, they show you how to get PL/SQL programs up and running as quickly as possible. The authors continue by reviewing the fundamentals of the PL/SQL language: what makes a PL/SQL statement, an introduction to the block structure, and how to write comments in PL/SQL. They also explore conditional and sequential control statements, loops, and exception handling in the PL/SQL language. They continue by looking at various types of program data you can define in PL/SQL, such as numbers, strings, records, and collections. In addition, the authors next address one of the most central elements of PL/SQL code construction: the connection to the underlying database, which takes place through the SQL language. They also show you the building blocks of applications, which include procedures, functions, triggers, and packages, and how to move information into and out of PL/SQL programs. Then, the authors explore the security-related challenges you face as you build PL/SQL programs. They continue by exploring the inside of PL/SQL, including PL/SQL's use of memory. In addition, the authors provide guidance for PL/SQL developers who need to address issues of globalization and localization. They also provide an in-depth guide to the object-oriented features of Oracle. Finally, they show you how to invoke Java and C code from your PL/SQL applications.
If you are new to PL/SQL, reading this excellent book from beginning to end should improve your PL/SQL skills and deepen your understanding of the language. Needless to say, if you're already a proficient PL/SQL programmer, you'll probably want to dip into the appropriate sections of this book to extract particular techniques for immediate application.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
#1 PL/SQL Book For A Reason, October 22, 2008
This review is from: Oracle PL/SQL Programming, 4th Edition (Paperback)
This is The Ultimate PL/SQL reference. Although the book isn't written as a reference, it serves as a more useful reference than the Oracle documentation. This book will show you 99% of PL/SQL functionality, and 110% of what you need to know. Steven Feuerstein always manages to write at a level which is not dry like 99% of all tech books out there. What a refreshing perspective he has for PL/SQL.
This book can be used for learning or refreshing on certain PL/SQL topics, but it isn't the best layout for someone new to PL/SQL, who needs that hand holding step by step approach. For now, novices might want to choose another book to learn the ropes, then get this book to serve as their #1 reference after they know the basics.
By the time I got through the first three chapters, I came across PL/SQL and SQL Plus functionality that I consider essential to the role of an Oracle developer, of which about half of my peers do not fully know. 95% of my peers, and their peers would learn multiple things they did not know before simply by reading through the first three chapters. Steven covers the majority of necessary "tribal knowledge" that an Oracle developer just needs to know here, before going into the more functional and applicable details in the rest of the text.
The rest of the book is ordered in a fashion so that you can easily go straight to the functionality that you need to learn, refresh, or learn more about. If I need to brush up on triggers, exception handling, collections, etc., I simply jump to the chapter aptly named for each piece.
The real brilliant part of Steven's writing for these individual sections is that after he covers all of the details of a certain topic, Exception Handling, for instance, he provides well written suggestions on how to really apply this topic in the most appropriate manner, where most books would just leave the topic alone, after covering the "how-to"! After Steven explains all of the ins and outs of exception handling (which he does in a much more thorough fashion than all other documentation), he then goes on to teach you how to actually USE the tool he has explained. The exception handling chapter has sections on "Building an Effective Error Management Architecture" and "Making the Most of PL/SQL Error Management". Instead of just showing his readers "How do I do that?", he shows them How, and then proceeds to pour his expertise into the What, When, and Why of the subject.
The sections explaining each "core" PL/SQL functionality are the most in depth explanations I have seen in any documentation, with code examples for literally every bullet point in the book. The code examples are all in anonymous blocks which can literally be copied and pasted into an IDE. There are also many more code examples not in the book that are available online in a zip file.
Extra kudos to Steven for including sections on xml types and http data manipulation which are highly sought after skills in software development.
My only complaint is that I wish there was a search-able PDF file of the book that came with it, like Oracle Press books have. If there was, I would use it for ALL PL/SQL questions that I usually "Google" for the answer. Even so, buying the book gives you a free 45 day access to safari online so you can search through this book there.
Use this book often as your first PL/SQL reference, along with Feuerstein's PL/SQL Best Practices book, and you will be better equipped than 95% of PL/SQL developers out there.
If you are responsible for PL/SQL coding, this book needs to be on your desk. Period.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A major programmer's reference, April 13, 2006
This review is from: Oracle PL/SQL Programming, 4th Edition (Paperback)
Steven Feuerstein and Bill Pribyl's ORACLE PL/SQL is a major reference for any already programming: it provides references to syntax, codes, and forms for developers and database administrators, adds new content to extend coverage for the latest Oracle Database 10g Release 2, and adds new chapters covering security encryption, email, and globalization. This isn't just an A-Z coverage: it provides questions, application issue analysis, details on whether usage is appropriate or worth the effort, and how to avoid common coding problems such as hardcoding literals.
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