Rating: 
Summary: Tooooo Basic
Review: Great introduction to Oracle SQL, but very little if any PL/SQL here.
Rating: 
Summary: Very please
Review: This book is hte best introduction to PL/SQL I have seen yet. I have tried using a number of other PL/SQL books, and have come away with a bad taste in my mouth. While I'm not a "newbie" to databases and SQL in general, I'm not proficient by any means, and the style with which this book is written I really enjoy. My favorite part is the "try it yourself" parts where you aren't given an answer. It challenged me to do it on my own and not just follow along for the sake of following along.
Another part I enjoy is that the author does not assume I knew anything. He takes nothing for granted, and I appreciate that. While there are areas that I know and I go quicker, the tone of the book is such that the author doesn't talk down if I don't know something (some books do) nor does he talk over my head. It's perfect for the person new to Oracle's PL/SQL.
Rating:
Summary: It is a great book for beginners
Review: I am learning Oracle now in the biggest computer school in Beijing. All of our classmates think this book is the best one we have read for beginners.
Rating:
Summary: DO THIS BOOK FIRST!!!!
Review: For beginners to Oracle like myself, I cannot stress how useful this book is. Don't pay thousands for a course in Oracle, or even begin a course at a community college, until you go through this book first. (This would be the ideal CC book). Allen's ability to "teach" SQL and PL/SQL in a logical and well thought out progression is to be commended! This book is written for the beginner and will give you a solid foundation in the basics of SQL and PL/SQL, so you can make the most of your time in the expensive classes later.
If you have more than a year's worth of experience in SQL or PL/SQL, you may do better to just get the Sybex book to prepare for the exam since it is more comprehensive and comes with the software and test question. However, Allen still does a better job of writing and presenting the material without dumbing it down. If you're new, like me, you'll wish you read this book and gone through his examples (you can download his code from osborne.com), before taking any courses. You will be able to keep pace with the instructor better and ask more intelligent questions. This book will not cover everything that may be on the exam, but it will help you make better use of other more comprehensive books. Believe me.
Rating:
Summary: Best starter book for those wanting to learn SQL
Review: If you want to learn more about SQL, this book is the way to go. I used it to pass the first SQL & PL/SQL exam for OCP certification. It is clearly written, with lots of exercises. The exercises relate to real-life situations, so it is easy to transfer the techniques they demonstrate over to your own work.An excellent book!
Rating:
Summary: An Absolute Beginner
Review: I am taking a SQL course in college in order to be able to start
a new career when I leave my present career. I knew absolutely
nothing about SQL when I started the class. My instructor referred me to this book "PLSQL 101" to use besides my classbook.
This book explains things much better than the book supplied by
Oracle! It's very easy to read and comprehend. Very nice. With this book I have learned and absorbed a lot of information to
help me along to a new career. Without this book as a sidekick to my classbook, I probably would have stopped.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic book - buy it
Review: This is a fantastic book, and one of the best that I have read. Christopher manages to make sure you have a full understanding of all the basics before he takes you deeper into the PL/SQL world. He explains the reasons needed to understand the first section in the book, and as you progress, you realise how much sense that makes. He touches on the DBA side of Oracle and clarifies all aspects of relational database logic. Each chapter comes with its own test and tasks for you to do, which I actually found very helpful. They also ensure you can move on to study the next chunk of information.
The book is also written with humour, which always helps when studying anything.
I initially bought the book as a refresher, but I can see this taking pride of place on my desk!
I would recommend to those with limited experience and those that are just refreshing their skills.
Rating:
Summary: Just for Beginners
Review: This book is just for beginners and never takes you above that level such that you are doing any programming. You will learn SQL. You will learn a little about how Oracle works. I am sure there are books that cover this material just as well in a few chapters instead of 9 as this book does, plus gets you started using Oracle and programming in Oracle PL/SQL. I don't recommend this book to be used as a text book. The material can easily be covered in 4 weeks. It can't be stretched to a 16 week semester course.
Rating:
Summary: Lays a Great Foundation
Review: This book takes away any questions about PL/SQL...I had taken a class where the instuctor left me thoroughly lost. After one night with this book, I was completely at ease. There are various exercises in each chapter, which enhance your understanding of what is being explained. The author gives precise short explanations which clearly delineate the principles you are expecting to master. The best way to learn is to use the examples with data of your own as opposed to "widgets". By replacing the data, and saving your scripts, you can review and it is always fresh in your mind. Great beginner book!
Rating:
Summary: Perfect introduction to Oracle PL/SQL
Review: It's right there on the cover: Oracle PL/SQL. And that's what this book explains, from the very beginning. You can't learn PL/SQL without knowing SQL, so a substantial portion of the book covers SQL techniques that are necessary to write good PL/SQL code. Each chapter has dozens of exercises, so by the end of the book you have worked through hundreds of experiments, samples, and exercises. It's all hands-on. The sections on PL/SQL programming cover functions, procedures, packages, and triggers...all the tools you need to make Oracle dance to your tune.
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