Customer Reviews

Oracle Web Application Server Handbook (Oracle Series)

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OAS 4.0 has changed quite a bit, so it's difficult to map the old language (agents, DCDs) to new language such as applications and cartridges. There is a frustrating lack of detail if you're new to 8i as well. This is exacerbated by the use of independent examples on every page. Rather than using consistent sample data, each example starts with completely new schema, table, variables, etc. There is a definite laundry list of requirements to installing and getting a successful test of OAS to a remote database, and you'd never know it to read this book. I used the online doc to discover most of what I needed to know.

The book does an adequate job of describing the features of the web server but if you want to dig into developing applications, this book is not the one to choose. Examples are few - and when they do get around to showing code, they don't always show a picture of the screen to show you what's going on. Also - the book continuosly refers you to copies of examples on the CD that is supposedly shipped with the book. However, upon investigation you'll find that the examples aren't on the CD. You will need to go to their website for those. The CD contains a Trial of the Web Server product and the documentation that already comes with it (I'll admit that the book is better than the documentation that comes with the webserver though). Another problem with the book is that, when describing the htp package procedures, they've pretty much said the same thing as the documentation that comes with the web server. Some better information could have been added - for example: It would be nice to know what kind of error handling the owa_util.todate function does if I send it a date like 31-FEB-99. Instead, all the book says is this: "Converts the owa_util.dateType to the standard Oracle database DATE Type". A rookie like me needs a bit more info. I alswo would have liked to have seen more information and examples on how to process Transactions. This is a pretty important function I would think for many programmers developing apps for the web - but in all the 684 pages this book has, the author spends only 4 pages discussing how to handle it using PL/SQL. All in all, I wouldn't recommend the book unless you're just looking for a cursory overview.

If you are using, or thinking about using, Oracle Web Application Server 3.0, buy this book. It sucessfully brings togeter the material you will need to install, configure, maintain and develop applications. This book is obviously written by people with real world experience of using the product, all too often a rarity.

THIS BOOK DOESN'T CLEARLY COVER THE SYNTAX FOR HTP AND HTF COMMANDS