Sebastopol, CA--Nearly a quarter-million PL/SQL programmers--novices and experienced developers alike--have found the first and second editions of "Oracle PL/SQL Programming" to be indispensable references to this powerful language. Packed with examples and recommendations, this book has helped everyone, from Oracle Forms developers to database administrators, make the most of PL/SQL. Oracle PL/SQL Programming, 3rd Edition by Steven Feuerstein with Bill Pribyl (O'Reilly, US $54.95) is a comprehensive update of the original book, covering all versions of PL/SQL through Oracle9i Release 2.
The latest edition adds much-requested new chapters on how to create and run PL/SQL programs, call Java methods from within PL/SQL, and define and use database triggers. An extensive new chapter--designed especially for experienced PL/SQL developers--describes PL/SQL's runtime architecture and how to use knowledge of Oracle internals to get the best performance from PL/SQL.
The book contains information about the latest Oracle9i PL/SQL features, including:
Record-based DML: You can now use records in INSERT and DELETE statements.
Table functions: These are functions that return a result set (in the form of a PL/SQL collection). Such functions existed in Oracle8i but they are now much expanded.
New and improved datatypes: Oracle now offers dramatically improved support for timestamps, time zone management, and interval calculations. In addition, the XMLType datatype has now been implemented.
Inheritance for object types: You can now define a hierarchy of object types (which were first introduced in Oracle8).
Enhancements to PL/SQL collections. PL/SQL now supports multiple-level collections (nesting collections within collections), as well as associative arrays (previously called index-by tables), which allow PLS_INTEGER and VARCHAR2.
Native compilation of PL/SQL code: source code can now optionally be compiled into native object code that is linked into Oracle.
Even PL/SQL experts will find an enormous amount of new and revised information in this third edition and on its companion web site. Newcomers to PL/SQL will find "Oracle PL/SQL Programming, 3rd Edition" an invaluable companion as they learn.
What the critics said about the first edition:
"The book is suitable for use both as a learning aid and as a reference. It's my first choice for answering PL/SQL questions and certainly much more useful than the Oracle supplied documentation."
--Michael Minihane, ACCU, March 2000"This book is an excellent reference for any serious student of Oracle PL/SQL. Even if you've already read the first edition of 'Oracle PL/SQL Programming,' you'll find an enormous amount of new and revised information in this second edition and on its companion diskette. If you're new to PL/SQL, you'll soon find yourself on the road to mastery."
--John J Dyer, Dallas/Ft. Worth UNIX Users Group, June 2001"With the release of Oracle8 and the introduction of object technology into Oracle, PL/SQL has become an even more critical element of successful Oracle-based applications. The first edition of Steven Feuerstein's brilliantly written book, 'Oracle PL/SQL Programming,' has become the 'PL/SQL bible' for developers around the world. This second edition is even better! Steven and Bill cover all the new features of PL/SQL8--especially the Oracle8 objects option--and provide even more real-world examples. I recommend this book whole-heartedly."
--Ken Jacobs, Vice-President, Product Strategy, Server Technologies, Oracle Corporation"For those of us who have committed our lives to solving real-world problems within our industry of choice, Steven Feuerstein's book has proven to be an excellent technical manual by which we can begin--or continue--to use PL/SQL and extend our creative abilities. Small IS departments do not have the resources to spend endless hours searching for solutions to their problems. 'Oracle PL/SQL Programming' provides us with an accessible source of technical expertise, good programming practices, and in-depth knowledge of the nuances of PL/SQL. Strong technical content packaged with a touch of humor and philosophy makes the book a must for PL/SQL developers."
--Becky Olsen, Information Systems, Office Equipment Wholesale, Inc.
Additional resources:
Chapter 10, Dates and Timestamps is available free online
More information about the book, including Table of Contents, index, author bios, and samples
Oracle PL/SQL Programming, 3rd Edition
Steven Feuerstein with Bill Pribyl
ISBN 0-596-00381-1, 989 pages, $54.95 (US), $85.95 (CAN)
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938; 1-707-827-7000
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