This special signature edition includes a CD that contains a searchable PDF version of the book and a sample chapter from the forthcoming 10g edition which will be released in fall 2005.

This remains the defining book on the older 8i Oracle database if you are a developer or DBA who works with Oracle-driven database applications. You will encounter wisdom on designing, developing, and administering these applications from one of the world's foremost Oracle experts, Thomas Kyte. This book is largely inspired by the thousands of questions which Tom has answered on his site, asktom.oracle.com.

In Cost-Based Oracle Fundamentals, the first book in a series of three, Jonathan Lewis describes the most commonly used parts of the model, what the optimizer does with your statistics, and why things go wrong. With this information, you’ll be in a position to fix entire problem areas, not just single SQL statements, by adjusting the model or creating more truthful statistics.

If you've suffered the frustration of watching the optimizer do something completely bizarre when the best execution plan is totally obvious, or spent hours or days trying to make the optimizer do what you want it to do, then this is the book you need. You’ll come to know how the optimizer “thinks,” understand why it makes mistakes, and recognize the data patterns that make it go awry. With this information at your fingertips, you will save an enormous amount of time on designing and trouble-shooting your SQL.

PeopleSoft for the Oracle DBA, will teach you a range of techniques for maintaining a PeopleSoft system. You will then become able to implement techniques like indexing, implementing DDL, managing tablespaces, and fixing low-performing SQL queries. Author Davd Kurtz is a field expert and thus, provides answers to common questions that arise when using PeopleSoft on an Oracle database.

David begins the book with an architecture overview, then proceeds to BEA Tuxedo, PeopleSoft's application server. He transitions smoothly between subsequent chapters, explaining database structures, connectivity, keys and indexing, the PeopleSoft DDL, and tablespaces. Appropriate weight is given to advanced topics as well, such as schemas, performance metrics, performance monitoring utilities, and SQL optimization techniques. And the final chapters provide crucial, advanced information about Tuxedo.

This exceptional book explains fundamentals in detail, supported by realistic examples, while most other books on the market do not properly cover such basics. If you work with relational databases you need to understand the SQL language. And you will gain full competence to define, access, and manipulate data in an Oracle database, if you do so following this book's guidance.

This book is fully compliant with the latest version of the ANSI SQL standard, and fully updated for the Oracle 10g database. Furthermore, this book is based on a popular Netherlands college textbook (currently in its third edition). And author Lex de Haan is vastly experienced with the Oracle database, and has twenty-five years of teaching experience. de Haan is also a member of the ANSI/ISO SQL standardization national body.

This isn't a tutorial on how to code PL/SQL. It's designed to show you how to code PL/SQL well. It shows you how to write code that will run quickly and won’t break in high-load, multiuser environments. It covers the vast array of the functionality that PL/SQL provides, including effective handling of relational and abstract data, security, triggers, dynamic web content presentation from within the database, creation of a DBA toolkit, and effective debugging techniques.

Mastering Oracle PL/SQL: Practical Solutions is targeted primarily toward the DBA or developer charged with the implementation of effective data handling, security, and database administration mechanisms in the Oracle database. However, it will also have great appeal to any developer whose applications rely on an Oracle database and who needs a sound understanding of how to use PL/SQL effectively.

Oracle Insights: Tales of the Oak Table presents eleven world-renowned industry specialists proffering their own highly experienced views, input, and insights on Oracle - where it's been, where it's going, how (and how not) to use it successfully, the software and techniques that they’ve introduced to help people achieve their goals, and some frightening tales of what can happen when fundamental design principles are ignored.

The collaborating authors have solved many of the worst Oracle performance problems in the world, and they've each saved at least one doomed flagship project. Over many years they've been sharing their unique knowledge with each other at conferences, around the OakTable, and in coffee shops, restaurants, and bars on five continents. Now they want to share their key insights with you.