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:
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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