Re: Self-Study CDs

From: Daniel Morgan <damorgan_at_x.washington.edu>
Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2004 16:57:47 -0800
Message-ID: <1074992203.468284@yasure>

curious wrote:
> Daniel Morgan <damorgan_at_x.washington.edu> wrote in message news:<1074955742.654297_at_yasure>...
> <snip for brevity>
>

>>Based on your background the only thing you are going to learn is 
>>syntax. And syntax is the least important and challenging part of 
>>learning PL/SQL. As one PSOUG member said: "Syntax is boring."
>>
>><snip> 

>
>

>>But what you have really learned? They all do the exact same thing. Do 
>>you know which one to use? Do you know why? Do you know how to debug 
>>them if you have a syntax error? Do you know how to test them in an 
>>application to determine which part is slow or using the most resources? 
>>No. And the CD won't help with that either.
>>
>>I'd suggest a "beginners" book for syntax, then I'd suggest Tom Kyte's 
>>Effective Oracle by Design first and Expert one-on-one Oracle second, 
>>followed by a lot of time at http://tahiti.oracle.com. It will save you 
>>money and you will learn much more. Not as much as at a good college or 
>>university program but far more than with any CD set.

>
>
>
> As a beginner's book for syntax, would "Guide to Oracle9i by Joline
> Morrison, Mike Morrison ISBN: 0-619-15959-6 © 2003 Publish date: March
> 14, 2003" at www.course.com work?
>
> In fact, I have used "A Guide to Oracle 8" (0-619-00027-9) by the
> same authors from the same publisher and learned up to Chapter 4B back
> in the year 2000 (I haven't touched this book since then and was busy
> with courses to graduate), where Chapter 4 is Introduction to PL/SQL,
> Triggers, and Procedures Builder with
> 4A covers Variables and Data Types;
> 4B is "Using SQL Commands in PL/SQL Programs".
> 4C is "Procedures and Functions in PL/SQL"
>
> I compared the Chapter Titles of 9i book (www.course.com) and 8 (I
> have) and noticed that the title were eaxctly the same up to Chapter
> 3. In the new book, chapter 4 is simply "Intro to Pl/SQL". The rest
> of chapter titles differs completely.
>
> Is Oracle 8 and 9i so different that I should just get the new book
> and throw away the old one? I do like the style of this book. The
> style is good for self teaching.
>
> Thanks.

For the basics no. For anything above the basic level yes. The differences are important.

For example, in v8 the first thing people thought about for a lot of stored procedures was a cursor loop. With 9i if they are your first thought on you rmind you aren't with the program.

-- 
Daniel Morgan
http://www.outreach.washington.edu/ext/certificates/oad/oad_crs.asp
http://www.outreach.washington.edu/ext/certificates/aoa/aoa_crs.asp
damorgan_at_x.washington.edu
(replace 'x' with a 'u' to reply)

Received on Sat Jan 24 2004 - 18:57:47 CST