Oracle SQL: the Essential Reference [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

by David C. Kreines (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
SQL (Structured Query Language) is the heart of a relational database management system. Despite SQL's long history and relative simplicity, few developers and database administrators are truly masters of the language. The syntax can be confusing, especially because each vendor enhances SQL in various ways, and each new system release brings with it new SQL statement options. Oracle SQL: The Essential Reference will keep everyone who needs to access an Oracle database using SQL--developers, DBAs, designers, and managers--ahead of the learning curve on standard SQL and Oracle's extensions to it. This single, concise reference volume will hold its own against a stack of Oracle manuals and even yield insights and examples not available in those manuals. There are chapters on basic SQL elements, Data Definition Language (DDL) and Data Manipulation Language (DML), common language elements, SQL functions, PL/SQL, SQL*Plus, and Oracle SQL optimization and tuning. The book covers Oracle 8i, release 8.1.6.

About the Author
David C. Kreines is the manager of database services for Rhodia, Inc., and the coauthor of Oracle Database Administration: The Essential Reference (O'Reilly & Associates, 1999) and Oracle Scripts (O'Reilly & Associates, 1998). Dave has worked with Oracle as a developer and database administrator since 1985, on a wide variety of platforms from PCs to mainframes. He is an Oracle Certified Professional, certified as a DBA, and has been a frequent contributor to Oracle conferences, user groups, and publications, both in the United States and in Europe. Dave served two terms as president of the International Oracle Users Group--Americas, and spent ten years on the board of directors.

Product Details

• Paperback: 418 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.; illustrated edition edition (September 26, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565926978
• ISBN-13: 978-1565926974
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #896,951 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oracle SQL: The Essential Refernce, November 8, 2000

By	Stephen A Gillotte (Raleigh, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This book is exactly what it says it is. It is a solid (in comparison to other reference books that I have used) reference guide to ORACLE's implementation of the SQL language.

If you are looking for a tutorial on SQL, then this is probably not the book that you want to buy. This is a good book if you are a developer whom needs a quick reference guide.

The beginning section of the reference chapter is, in my opinion, a little bit of a kluge. The authors attempt to list everything that a DBA/developer might need to do. This LONG list simply states the command needed. You then need to look up the syntax in the index (why not just put the page number right there?) The list covers multiple pages, so it can be troublesome to read (if you don't know the exact terminology).

I must admit that I am a beginner SQL developer, so I have only used a limited amount of the commands, but it has been very useful for the commands that I have used, and in helping me expand what I am using SQL for. I must stress that it is NOT a tutorial.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reference, January 26, 2001

By	Anthony Fodor "afodor" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

I agree with the previous reviewer that this book is not a tutorial. But it is an outstanding reference that will save you many long, frustrating and tedious hours of pouring through the Oracle documentation looking for the syntax of various Oracle commands. I've been spending the last few months developing a JDBC based application and this is the only book that I carry with me between work and home.

If you've ever been kept up late trying to get the syntax right on some complex SELECT or CREATE TABLE command, this is the book for you.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's a SQL REFERENCE, dummy!, April 11, 2002

By	Pierre Lu (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews

I have found this book to be an invaluable reference to SQL, PL/SQL, and SQL*Plus syntax and usage. The previous review by Kevin McCormick seems to entirely miss the point of an Essential Reference - it is not intended to teach SQL concepts, and the introduction clearly states this. The book is well organized with exactly the information needed to write a particular statement. The examples are simple and to the point - I don't need a complex example; just something to show me what the statement should look like (for example, to show me that an argument should be a string and not a number). I bought two copies: one for the office and one for home. The book is as close to indispensible as you can get. I only hope the author is planning an update to Oracle 9!