1. Overview

   1. Chapter 1 Introduction

      1. The Power of Built-in Packages
      2. Built-in Packages Covered in This Book
      3. Using Built-in Packages
      4. Examining Built-in Package Source Code

2. Application Development Packages

   1. Chapter 2 Executing Dynamic SQL and PL/SQL

      1. Examples of Dynamic SQL
      2. Getting Started with DBMS_SQL
      3. The DBMS_SQL Interface
      4. Tips on Using Dynamic SQL
      5. DBMS_SQL Examples

   2. Chapter 3 Intersession Communication

      1. DBMS_PIPE: Communicating Between Sessions
      2. DBMS_ALERT: Broadcasting Alerts to Users

   3. Chapter 4 User Lock and Transaction Management

      1. DBMS_LOCK: Creating and Managing Resource Locks
      2. DBMS_TRANSACTION: Interfacing to SQL Transaction Statements

   4. Chapter 5 Oracle Advanced Queuing

      1. Oracle AQ Concepts
      2. Getting Started with Oracle AQ
      3. Oracle AQ Nonprogram Elements
      4. DBMS_AQ: Interfacing to Oracle AQ (Oracle8 only)
      5. DBMS_AQADM: Performing AQ Administrative Tasks (Oracle8 only)
      6. Oracle AQ Database Objects
      7. Oracle AQ Examples

   5. Chapter 6 Generating Output from PL/SQL Programs

      1. DBMS_OUTPUT: Displaying Output
      2. UTL_FILE: Reading and Writing Server-side Files

   6. Chapter 7 Defining an Application Profile

      1. Getting Started with DBMS_APPLICATION_INFO
      2. DBMS_APPLICATION_INFO Interface
      3. DBMS_APPLICATION_INFO Examples

   7. Chapter 8 Managing Large Objects

      1. Getting Started with DBMS_LOB
      2. LOB Concepts
      3. DBMS_LOB Interface

   8. Chapter 9 Datatype Packages

      1. DBMS_ROWID: Working with the ROWID Pseudo-Column (Oracle8 only)
      2. UTL_RAW: Manipulating Raw Data
      3. UTL_REF: Referencing Objects (Oracle8.0.4)

   9. Chapter 10 Miscellaneous Packages

      1. DBMS_UTILITY: Performing Miscellaneous Operations
      2. DBMS_DESCRIBE: Describing PL/SQL Program Headers
      3. DBMS_DDL: Compiling and Analyzing Objects
      4. DBMS_RANDOM: Generating Random Numbers (Oracle8 Only)

3. Server Management Packages

   1. Chapter 11 Managing Session Information

      1. DBMS_SESSION: Managing Session Information
      2. DBMS_SYSTEM: Setting Events for Debugging

   2. Chapter 12 Managing Server Resources

      1. DBMS_SPACE: Obtaining Space Information
      2. DBMS_SHARED_POOL: Pinning Objects

   3. Chapter 13 Job Scheduling in the Database

      1. Getting Started with DBMS_ JOB
      2. Job Queue Architecture
      3. Tips on Using DBMS_JOB
      4. DBMS_JOB Examples

4. Distributed Database Packages

   1. Chapter 14 Snapshots

      1. DBMS_SNAPSHOT: Managing Snapshots
      2. DBMS_REFRESH: Managing Snapshot Groups
      3. DBMS_OFFLINE_SNAPSHOT: Performing Offline Snapshot Instantiation
      4. DBMS_REPCAT: Managing Snapshot Replication Groups

   2. Chapter 15 Advanced Replication

      1. DBMS_REPCAT_AUTH: Setting Up Administrative Accounts
      2. DBMS_REPCAT_ADMIN: Setting Up More Administrator Accounts
      3. DBMS_REPCAT: Replication Environment Administration
      4. DBMS_OFFLINE_OG: Performing Site Instantiation
      5. DBMS_RECTIFIER_DIFF: Comparing Replicated Tables
      6. DBMS_REPUTIL: Enabling and Disabling Replication

   3. Chapter 16 Conflict Resolution

      1. Getting Started with DBMS_REPCAT
      2. Column Groups with DBMS_REPCAT
      3. Priority Groups with DBMS_REPCAT
      4. Site Priority Groups with DBMS_REPCAT
      5. Assigning Resolution Methods with DBMS_REPCAT
      6. Monitoring Conflict Resolution with DBMS_REPCAT

   4. Chapter 17 Deferred Transactions and Remote Procedure Calls

      1. About Deferred Transactions and RPCs
      2. DBMS_DEFER_SYS: Managing Deferred Transactions
      3. DBMS_DEFER: Building Deferred Calls
      4. DBMS_DEFER_QUERY: Performing Diagnostics and Maintenance

1. Appendix A What's on the Companion Disk?

   1. Installing the Guide

   2. Using the Guide

2. Colophon

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The animal appearing on the cover of Oracle Built-in Packages is a centipede. Centipedes (class Chilopoda ) are flattened, elongated, carnivorous arthropods, bearing one pair of legs per body segment. There are numerous orders of centipedes and over 2,500 species. Most of these are small, but some range up to 10 inches in length. Lifespan also varies among species, the longest being about 6 years. Centipedes generally live in moist habitats, including household basements, and are usually nocturnal or underground dwellers. Most species lay eggs in soil during the warmer months and live through the winter as adults.

Though the name implies a hundred legs, the actual number varies from 15 to well over a hundred depending on species. The first pair of legs immediately beneath the mouth is modified into a set of venom-bearing jaws with which the centipede kills its prey (live insects and other small animals) and which are only occasionally used to bite humans, resulting in minor pain and swelling. Centipedes are usually considered household pests, though they are more of a nuisance than a threat, and eat unwelcome insects and other household pests. Edie Freedman designed the cover of this book, using a 19th-century engraving from the Dover Pictorial Archive. The cover layout was produced with Quark XPress using the ITC Garamond font. Whenever possible, our books use Rep-Kover?, a durable and flexible lay-flat binding. If the page count exceeds RepKover's limit, perfect binding is used.

The inside layout was designed by Nancy Priest and implemented in FrameMaker 5.0 by Mike Sierra. The text and heading fonts are ITC Garamond Light and Garamond Book. The illustrations that appear in the book were created in Adobe Photoshop 4 by Robert Romano. This colophon was written by Nancy Kotary.