Oracle is an enormous system, with myriad technologies, options, and releases. Most users-even experienced developers and database administrators-find it difficult to get a handle on the full scope of the Oracle database. And, as each new Oracle version is released, users find themselves under increasing pressure to learn about a whole range of new technologies. The latest challenge is Oracle Database 11g. This book distills an enormous amount of information about Oracle into a compact, easy-to-read volume filled with focused text, illustrations, and helpful hints. It contains chapters on:

• Oracle products, options, data structures, and overall architecture for Oracle Database 11g, as well as earlier releases (Oracle Database 10g, Oracle9i, and Oracle8i)

• Installing, running, managing, monitoring, networking, and tuning Oracle, including Enterprise Manager (EM) and Oracle's self-tuning and management capabilities; and using Oracle security, auditing, and compliance (a new chapter in this edition)

• Multiuser concurrency, data warehouses, distributed databases, online transaction processing (OLTP), high availability, and hardware architectures (e.g., SMP, clusters, NUMA, and grid computing)

• Features beyond the Oracle database: Oracle Application Express, Fusion Middleware (including Oracle Application Server), and database SOA support as a Web services provider

The latest Oracle Database 11g features: query result set caching, Automatic Memory Management, the Real Application Testing, Advanced Compression, Total Recall, and Active Data Guard Option Options, changes to the OLAP Option (transparently accessed and managed as materialized views), the Flashback transaction command, transparent data encryption, the Support Workbench (and diagnosability infrastructure), and partitioning enhancements (including interval and new composite types) For new Oracle users, DBAs, developers, and managers, Oracle Essentials provides an invaluable, all-in-one introduction to the full range of Oracle features and technologies, including the just-released Oracle Database 11g features. But even if you already have a library full of Oracle documentation, you'll find that this compact book is the one you turn to, again and again, as your one-stop, truly essential reference. "Oracle Essentials gives a clear explanation of the key database concepts and architecture underlying the Oracle database. It's a great reference for anyone doing development or management of Oracle databases." --Andrew Mendelsohn, Senior Vice President, Database Server Technologies, Oracle Corporation

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 12 Ratings

Clearly explains the inner workings of Oracle - 2007-12-07
Reviewer Rating:
Oracle Essentials, Oracle Database 11g, 4th edition
Rick Greenwald et al.
O'Reilly - 4th Edition (11g)
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596514549/index.html

This is a very detailed overview of the inner workings of Oracle. Each chapter is a small book in itself going into the detail of the subject. This might be confusing to those without a clear understanding of how databases work in general, and a background in computer science would help. Overall, the author does a nice job of explaining each topic in such a way that it would be reasonably clear either way though. There are many diagrams, tables, lists, and pictures to help explain the material. This would not be so much a reference for programming Oracle as it explains what is available in Oracle and how Oracle provides its features. The book should be usefully to Oracle DBAs and system administrators. It will also appeal to those that want a book that goes beyond stating what Oracle can do and shows how Oracle actually does what it can do.

Generally chapters cover:

Overview
Architecture
Installation and Running
Data Structures (B*-trees, etc.)
Management
Security
Performance
Concurrency
Transactions
Warehousing, Business Intelligence
Availability
Hardware
Distributed Databases
Object Oriented Development
New Features of 11g

Summary:

- The internal workings of Oracle are clearly explained through out.
- A great book for system administrator, DBAs, and those who take care of Oracle databases.

Well rounded Oracle Intro Book - 2008-10-18
Reviewer Rating:
I must admit I had some preconceptions when I picked up this book. I thought it might be a little weak on substance. I also thought it was trying to do too much, with such a broad topic. It turns out I was pleasantly surprised.

For starters I read the preface. The authors work in technical sales, and the target audience is pretty broad, from DBAs & Developers to Systems Administrators and also IT managers and business users. I emphasize this because it is well written to be a good introductory Oracle book for DBAs and Developers, and not too technical that these other audiences can't digest the material. More importantly it is very well written. The style is quite good. I guess that's no surprise, being that the book is in it's fourth printing.

I like the first chapter, Introducing Oracle, as it takes a stab at not only some of the history of the company, but the technology as well. I learned a few things along the way. It includes a "Summary of Oracle Database Features" which is broad and all encompassing. Sure you could probably find all of this in the documentation... somewhere! However, having it all summarized is very nice. Development Features, Connection Features, App Server, Distributed Features, Data Movement Features, Performance Features, Management Features, Backup Features, Availability Features, Security Features, and so on.

Chapter two covers the Oracle Architecture, nuts & bolts, chapter three installation, Chapter four data structures, chapter five management, chapter six security, seven performance, eight concurrency, nine transactions, ten warehousing, eleven high availability, twelve various hardware architectures, thirteen distributed db, fourteen extended datatypes, and fifteen beyond the database.

As I was flipping through the chapters, I was also looking for an easy way to find the 11g features. I guess I was thinking more along the lines of a New Features book, which this is not. However the book does include Appendix A, which clearly lists all the new stuff in Oracle 11g, so that fit the bill.

Overall it was a very comfortable read and enjoyable. Even if you are quite technical, you will surely learn something new as the broad spectrum of Oracle is so wide, that there are surely things you're not well familiar with. However it is primarily targeted to folks new to the Oracle world, who want to dip their toes in, and learn about the family of products. And for that I would really recommend it.

Very informative! - 2008-09-05
Reviewer Rating:
This book is well written and organized. It provides a comprehensive overview of Oracle features and technologies, including the latest Oracle database 11g for begineers. The focus is on principles rather than syntax, such as Oracle security & auditing, performance, multiuser concurrency, transaction processing and high availability.

A comprehensive reference for new and old users alike! - 2008-04-04
Reviewer Rating:
The 4th updated edition of ORACLE ESSENTIALS is a must for any library strong in databases in general and Oracle in particular, offering an easily-read reference packed with tips on data structures, installation, networking, and customization processes. Features beyond the Oracle database: Express, Fusion Middleware, and more - compliment specifics on the latest Oracle Database 11g, providing a comprehensive reference for new and old users alike!

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Perfect for Those Getting to Know Oracle - 2009-12-31
Reviewer Rating:
Prior to this book, I had almost know experience or knowledge of the Oracle database. I really like the approach the author's used with this book. What I really want when I'm learning a new topic is to get a fairly broad, fairly shallow introduction to the material. I want the most important points summed up in a way that makes sense to a new guy. I don't want to delve deep into each topic and I don't want things explained in a way that requires me to look up and learn every other term in order to understand the points. And that is the approach the authors have taken. The point of the book isn't to make you an expert at any one area of Oracle. At lot of the book is spent discussing *why* certain features are important and how they fit into the big picture, sometimes without a lot of discussion on the features themselves. This may frustrate some readers, but I found it to be very helpful. For example, I don't need to know everything about Oracle redo logs or all the ins-and-outs of Oracle's support for business intelligence. What I *do* need to know is why the redo logs exist and a high level overview of how Oracle handles BI. This book gives you the bird's eye view of the Oracle landscape and let's you make the determination on where you need to take a closer look.

The book is well written. It's easy to read, generally very clear, and does not contain many errors (I don't think I found any).

Another really nice feature is the appendix containing a listing of additional resources where you can go to find more information about Oracle. These are broken out by chapter (i.e. topic). This is a great feature because it really helps with the next obvious step--digging deeper.

All in all, I can't recommend this book enough. An enjoyable read with a great strategy behind it.

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