Anonymous
Posted Mon Sep 29 00:00:00 EDT 2003
Very much a task oriented book, suitable for a classroom or self paced study. It is aimed at someone who wants or needs explicit lessons and exercises. Thoughtfully, the authors also furnished answers to the exercises. Sometimes with other computing books, I have wondered why their authors omit questions. Perhaps the nature of the topic makes it awkward to provide problem sets. But not for Oracle's PL/SQL language. So this book is chock-a-block with them. To students, retention is greatly enhanced by doing, and the book will take you a long way into facility with PL/SQL if you can discipline yourself to go through it methodically and not peek at the answers till you have given the problems a fair go. As far as the language itself, the book's presentation reminds me of a text on fortran or C, and unlike a text on java or C#. Firstly, the latter two are object-oriented, while PL/SQL, fortran and C are procedural. So if you have already learnt fortran or C and you read this book, step back and defocus a little from the specific syntax. Stylistically, the book has the flavour of many texts in those languages. Reinforced by PL/SQL not having a GUI. The I/O is character based. A slight retro feel. [Though PL/SQL should NOT have a GUI. It is optimised as a query language.] One thing to note is that the book explains using examples and exercises that are at the subroutine or procedural level, as mentioned above. Bite sized. What it lacks are higher level examples that necessitate decomposing a problem into several procedures. But this may be unfair. Those are harder, more abstract issues, whereas this book is meant for someone who still needs to learn the syntax in the first place. It does suggest the utility of such a book, as a logical successor to this. A final note relates to the problem sets. There is a difficulty with learning PL/SQL compared to, say, C or java. With C you can download an open source compiler. With java, you can get a free compiler from Sun or IBM. With SQL, there is the open source MySQL. Not so with PL/SQL. I don't think Oracle offers a free version. So if you are studying on your own, this is a severe quandary. How do you get a PL/SQL executable? Otherwise, the attraction of this book, or any other on PL/SQL, for that matter, is greatly restricted to classrooms or companies that already have that, and not to individuals. Well, the authors and the publisher offer access, at the publisher's website. This may be the strongest merit of the book.
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More About This Textbook
Overview
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, extensive examples, exercises, projects, and a complete Web-based training site. Oracle PL/SQL by Example, Third Edition covers Oracle 10G and all the fundamentals: Master PL/SQL syntax, iterative and conditional control, scoping, anchored datatypes, cursors, triggers, security, tables, procedures, functions, packages and Oracle-supplied packages-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 10G 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!
Product Details
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Meet the Author
BENJAMIN ROSENZWEIG is a Loan Integration Manager at IQ Financial Systems. Prior to that he was a principal consultant for more than three years at Oracle Corporation in the Custom Development Department. His computer experience ranges from creating an electronic Tibetan-English Dictionary in Kathmandu, Nepal, to supporting presentation centers at Goldman Sachs and managing a trading system at TIAA-CREF. His previous Prentice Hall PTR publications include Oracle Forms Developer: The Complete Video Course and Oracle Web Application Programming for PL/SQL Developers.
ELENA SILVESTROVA, a senior software engineer for a prominent New York brokerage firm and securities dealer, has taught relational database programming in Columbia University's CTA program during the past four years. She studied analysis and design at Columbia University and applied mathematics at Baku State University in Azerbaijan.
Read an Excerpt
Preface
Oracle PL/SQL by Example, 3rd edition, presents the Oracle PL/SQL programming language in a unique and highly effective format. It challenges you to learn Oracle PL/SQL by using it rather than by simply reading about it.Just as a grammar workbook would teach you about nouns and verbs by first showing you examples and then asking you to write sentences, Oracle PL/SQL by Example teaches you about cursors, loops, procedures, triggers, and so on by first showing you examples and then asking you to create these objects yourself.Who This Book Is For
This book is intended for anyone who needs a quick but detailed introduction to programming with Oracle's PL/SQL language. The ideal readers are those with some relational database experience, with some Oracle experience, specifically with SQL and SQL*Plus, but with little or no experience with PL/SQL or with most other programming languages.
The content of this book is based on the material that is taught in an Introduction to PL/SQL class at Columbia University's Computer Technology and Applications (CTA) program in New York City. The student body is rather diverse, in that there are some students who have years of experience with information technology (IT) and programming, but no experience with Oracle PL/SQL, and then there are those with absolutely no experience in IT or programming. The content of the book, like the class, is balanced to meet the needs of both extremes. The exercises in this book can be used as lab and homework assignments to accompany the lectures in such a PL/SQL course.How This Book Is Organized
The intent of this workbook is to teach you about Oracle PL/SQL by presenting you witha series of challenges followed by detailed solutions to those challenges. The basic structure of each chapter is as follows:
Chapter
- Lab
- - Exercises
- - Exercise Answers (with detailed discussion)
- - Self-Review Questions
- Lab...Test Your Thinking Questions
Each chapter contains interactive labs that introduce topics about Oracle PL/SQL. The topics are discussed briefly and then explored though exercises, which are the heart of each lab.
Each exercise consists of a series of steps that you will follow to perform a specific task, along with questions that are designed to help you discover the important things about PL/SQL programming on your own. The answers to these questions are given at the end of the Exercises, along with more in-depth discussion of the concepts explored.
The exercises are not meant to be closed-book quizzes to test your knowledge. On the contrary, they are intended to act as your guide and walk you through a task. You are encouraged to flip back and forth from the exercise question section to the exercise answer section so that, if need be, you can read the answers and discussions as you go along.
At the end of each lab is a series of multiple-choice self-review questions. These are meant to be closed-book quizzes to test how well you understood the lab material. The answers to these questions appear in Appendix A.Finally, at the end of each chapter you will find a Test Your Thinking section, which consists of a series of projects designed to solidify all of the skills you have learned in the chapter. If you have successfully completed all of the labs in the chapter, you should be able to tackle these projects with few problems. You will find guidance and/or solutions to these in Appendix D and at the companion Web site.
Table of Contents
Ch. 1 PL/SQL Concepts 1
Ch. 2 General Programming Language Fundamentals 21
Ch. 3 SQL in PL/SQL 39
Ch. 4 Conditional Control: IF Statements 53
Ch. 5 Conditional Control: CASE Statements 81
Ch. 6 Iterative Control: Part I 113
Ch. 7 Iterative Control: Part II 143
Ch. 8 Error Handling and Built-in Exceptions 163
Ch. 9 Exceptions 179
Ch. 10 Exceptions: Advanced Concepts 211
Ch. 11 Introduction to Cursors 229
Ch. 12 Advanced Cursors 253
Ch 13 Triggers 263
Ch 14 Compound Triggers 291
Ch 15 Collections 315
Ch 16 Records 349
Ch 17 Native Dynamic SQL 379
Ch 18 Bulk SQL 403
Ch 19 Procedures 439
Ch. 20 Functions 449
Ch. 21 Packages 457
Ch. 22 Stored Code 495
Ch. 23 Object Types in Oracle 513
Ch. 24 Oracle Supplied Packages 555
APPENDIX A PL/SQL Formatting Guide 597
APPENDIX B Student Database Schema 601
APPENDIX C ANSI SQL Standards 607
APPENDIX D Answers to the Try It Yourself Sections 613
Index 705
Preface
Preface
Oracle PL/SQL by Example, 3rd edition, presents the Oracle PL/SQL programming language in a unique and highly effective format. It challenges you to learn Oracle PL/SQL by using it rather than by simply reading about it.Just as a grammar workbook would teach you about nouns and verbs by first showing you examples and then asking you to write sentences, Oracle PL/SQL by Example teaches you about cursors, loops, procedures, triggers, and so on by first showing you examples and then asking you to create these objects yourself.
Who This Book Is For
This book is intended for anyone who needs a quick but detailed introduction to programming with Oracle's PL/SQL language. The ideal readers are those with some relational database experience, with some Oracle experience, specifically with SQL and SQL*Plus, but with little or no experience with PL/SQL or with most other programming languages.
The content of this book is based on the material that is taught in an Introduction to PL/SQL class at Columbia University's Computer Technology and Applications (CTA) program in New York City. The student body is rather diverse, in that there are some students who have years of experience with information technology (IT) and programming, but no experience with Oracle PL/SQL, and then there are those with absolutely no experience in IT or programming. The content of the book, like the class, is balanced to meet the needs of both extremes. The exercises in this book can be used as lab and homework assignments to accompany the lectures in such a PL/SQL course.
How This Book Is Organized
The intent of this workbook is to teach you about Oracle PL/SQL by presenting you with a series of challenges followed by detailed solutions to those challenges. The basic structure of each chapter is as follows:
Chapter
- Lab
- - Exercises
- - Exercise Answers (with detailed discussion)
- - Self-Review Questions
- Lab...
Test Your Thinking Questions
Each chapter contains interactive labs that introduce topics about Oracle PL/SQL. The topics are discussed briefly and then explored though exercises, which are the heart of each lab.
Each exercise consists of a series of steps that you will follow to perform a specific task, along with questions that are designed to help you discover the important things about PL/SQL programming on your own. The answers to these questions are given at the end of the Exercises, along with more in-depth discussion of the concepts explored.
The exercises are not meant to be closed-book quizzes to test your knowledge. On the contrary, they are intended to act as your guide and walk you through a task. You are encouraged to flip back and forth from the exercise question section to the exercise answer section so that, if need be, you can read the answers and discussions as you go along.
At the end of each lab is a series of multiple-choice self-review questions. These are meant to be closed-book quizzes to test how well you understood the lab material. The answers to these questions appear in Appendix A.Finally, at the end of each chapter you will find a Test Your Thinking section, which consists of a series of projects designed to solidify all of the skills you have learned in the chapter. If you have successfully completed all of the labs in the chapter, you should be able to tackle these projects with few problems. You will find guidance and/or solutions to these in Appendix D and at the companion Web site.
Introduction
Preface
Oracle PL/SQL by Example, 3rd edition, presents the Oracle PL/SQL programming language in a unique and highly effective format. It challenges you to learn Oracle PL/SQL by using it rather than by simply reading about it. Just as a grammar workbook would teach you about nouns and verbs by first showing you examples and then asking you to write sentences, Oracle PL/SQL by Example teaches you about cursors, loops, procedures, triggers, and so on by first showing you examples and then asking you to create these objects yourself.
Who This Book Is For
This book is intended for anyone who needs a quick but detailed introduction to programming with Oracle's PL/SQL language. The ideal readers are those with some relational database experience, with some Oracle experience, specifically with SQL and SQL*Plus, but with little or no experience with PL/SQL or with most other programming languages.
The content of this book is based on the material that is taught in an Introduction to PL/SQL class at Columbia University's Computer Technology and Applications (CTA) program in New York City. The student body is rather diverse, in that there are some students who have years of experience with information technology (IT) and programming, but no experience with Oracle PL/SQL, and then there are those with absolutely no experience in IT or programming. The content of the book, like the class, is balanced to meet the needs of both extremes. The exercises in this book can be used as lab and homework assignments to accompany the lectures in such a PL/SQL course.
How This Book Is Organized
The intent of this workbook is to teach you about Oracle PL/SQL bypresenting you with a series of challenges followed by detailed solutions to those challenges. The basic structure of each chapter is as follows:
Chapter
- Lab
- - Exercises
- - Exercise Answers (with detailed discussion)
- - Self-Review Questions
- Lab...
Test Your Thinking Questions
Each chapter contains interactive labs that introduce topics about Oracle PL/SQL. The topics are discussed briefly and then explored though exercises, which are the heart of each lab.
Each exercise consists of a series of steps that you will follow to perform a specific task, along with questions that are designed to help you discover the important things about PL/SQL programming on your own. The answers to these questions are given at the end of the Exercises, along with more in-depth discussion of the concepts explored.
The exercises are not meant to be closed-book quizzes to test your knowledge. On the contrary, they are intended to act as your guide and walk you through a task. You are encouraged to flip back and forth from the exercise question section to the exercise answer section so that, if need be, you can read the answers and discussions as you go along.
At the end of each lab is a series of multiple-choice self-review questions. These are meant to be closed-book quizzes to test how well you understood the lab material. The answers to these questions appear in Appendix A. Finally, at the end of each chapter you will find a Test Your Thinking section, which consists of a series of projects designed to solidify all of the skills you have learned in the chapter. If you have successfully completed all of the labs in the chapter, you should be able to tackle these projects with few problems. You will find guidance and/or solutions to these in Appendix D and at the companion Web site.