Good DBA Book

Hello,

I'm sure this question has been asked a hundred times, but after looking into google for a few hours, I have so many books, I really don't know which one is right.

So I thought, I'll just put some needs here, and see if you can give me one or two advices.

I need:

• Pratictal first, I want SQL, step by step procedure (to setup a simple backup and restore policy for example). No conceptual, like Oracle Essentials from O'Reilly.
• Complete backup and recovery explanation, RMAN use.
• Something like: "From a 10meg laptop personal edition to a 100TO high available database". With all the step required, and if possible, example code and script, what is involved in a production database.
• Perhaps a little chapter on performances tuning.
• How to setup a replication server? (you pull the cord of the first server, the end user browsing the databank see nothing, then the procedure to restore the first server, and how to resync servers)
• General background about ARCHIVELOG and NOARCHIVELOG.
• Running, and daily maintenance of a production database.
• How oracle works, not really needed, but it's nice to know what your computer do when you do an insert, then a commit, where the data is stored...

What I don't need (but if in book, I won't burn the pages)

• Advanced SQL.
• How to do a procedure.
• How to install.
• Any conceptual things, like what you explain to the boss of the company where you will install Oracle.
• No Windows please (kneel and beg), a Unix based book. Solaris if possible.
• Using the 50 000$ super heavy graphical interface created by BigCompany, perfect oracle companion.

Now, I think if you know the purpose of this book, it should help you:

I'm scheduling an Oracle course, but something special. It's a PostgreSQL/Oracle course. The course will explain how to use PostgreSQL, and when Oracle is needed. And we'll mainly focuse on what PostgreSQL lack, like:
- Backup and recovery (I mean, pg_dump and pg_restore is nice for a 2mb
db. Because if a restore fail, you drop the db, then you restore again, or you edit your file in VI, and correct the buggy ^M :P)
- Advanced monitoring. I mean, in oracle, you don't have to be a genious
to find where the db hang, you go in EM, and you have enough informations to write a diary about your loved Mainfraim (or laptop). But in PostgreSQL, hrm, you have, hrm, nothing :P
- Tuning, but this one will be little.

• How PostgreSQL can be perfect for Application driver applications (all logic in Java, the db is a filesystem for example), even for a big database, if you replicate it with slony.
• How Oracle beat any other databse for database driver applications (bah Oracle rocks...).
• Fundamental differences between the two DB.
• Then, about 80% of the course will be: Scenarii and DB setups. (I give you amazon.com, or imageDB.com, or mybankonline.com, or medicaldata.com, or intranet scientific db, seti db... what do you do?)
• Tip and Trick (you know, people should know about rlwrap under Unix or "You NEED the Connect system roles for your Java application user")

I need one or two books to cover this, because I don't want to write one. (my wife would kill me)

Ha, and NO FLAME WAR please, answers like:
- You don't need it, throw PostgreSQL away.

• Learn2Oracle
• curl -O http://metalink.oracle.com/
• Bah.

:)

Anyway, thanks for the help.

Ha, and if the book exist in French and German, it would help, but not needed.

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year.

Pray for no crash during the festivities. (last year, on 31 at 11pm, one of my db crashed, a drunk guy crashed his car into the outdoor UPS of the datacenter. Was a lovely night...)

Best regards and wishes.

Nicolas Goy
Senior DBA
Goyman.com SA
Switzerland Received on Fri Dec 09 2005 - 05:14:09 CST