Chapter 35. An Overview of Oracle
Oracle databases are extremely powerful, reliable, and fast for certain kinds of queries. They are also a testament to the power of marketing, as they enjoy a mystique unmatched by any other data storage product. In this chapter, we try to cut through the hype and give you a practical foundation in using Oracle with PHP.
Tip
Much of the information in this chapter is also applicable to IBM DB2, which PHP connects to using the ODBC interface, InterBase, and similar products. Much of Oracle's functionality is also duplicated by PostgreSQL, although this open source database unfortunately has a considerably different API than any other database. The point of this chapter is not to push Oracle over another product; it is to introduce a market-leading commercial database to those who want to learn how to use it. Feel free to mentally substitute DB2 or PostgreSQL for every instance of Oracle in the following section.
When Do You Need Oracle?
We have never had a prospective employer or client for a PHP job who did not at least mention the possibility of using Oracle. Ironically, the one organization that really needed this type of functionality was very slow to adopt it, whereas everyone else didn't need Oracle at all but wanted to architect current development around the theoretical possibility that they might need it later. In ...
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