Rating: 
Summary: Good buy for starters...
Review: After reading reviews from pervious 2 user I feel like adding few lines about this book. I have been working as an Oracle consultant for over 4 years and also teach Oracle 8 and 8i on corporate level and in Universities in Chicago land area(part-time). Enough about me... I recommend this book for anyone getting started in Oracle. Excellent coverage of Oracle fundamentals, Oracle 8i installation on NT, good examples on Pl/Sql and java based SQL statements. I have prepared many presentation from this book and I own almost all books from Oracle press. Oracle 8i is the database of the future. But, unfortunately industry is moving so fast which makes it very tough for authors to keep up and cover what users like you and me expect when they purchase books. Oracle 8i is actually in 3 versions first version of 8i is also known as 8.1.5. Second version is 8.1.6 and Oracle 8.1.7 is going to be out sometime this fall. This book covers only 8.1.5. What can I tell you... WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF ORACLE.... Oracle is not just database anymore it is more than a database. More info is available on Oracle web-site... Good luck
Rating: 
Summary: Well worth it...
Review: Chuck pretty much says it all, but I thought I would add a review since there is only one other. I needed a book to help me with Oracle on NT. Not 10 other system but specifically on NT. I was not interested in developing huge databases or complex designs. I wanted a book that would take me through installation, tell me about setting it up and then the basics on using it. This book does exactly that. If you want to read on then it goes into greater detail. It does come with the full enterprise edition (60 days eval I think) which is also great considering that I was not due to get the full licenced version for some weeks after. I looked at all the other books on the shelf, but in you want to know about Oracle on NT from a beginners level, this book stands out.
Rating: 
Summary: Oracle8i for Windows NT starter kit
Review: Don't be fooled by this book's title. Only the first few chapters mention Windows NT, others just general information of Oracle 8i. I doubt that the author has any knowledge of Windows NT .
Rating:
Summary: Not a book for beginners
Review: First thing, this is a badly bonded book. I had to glue it back together after the first week. Secondly, I found that some of the example does not work or does not work unless you modify certain things to make it work and the author makes no mention of what those things are. This is book is heavy on steps but poor on concepts. Conceptual understanding is crucial for beginners else they could do the steps but do not know what is really going on. For beginners, I would suggest looking at some other book rather than this one.
Rating:
Summary: This is a great book
Review: I bought this while I was in graduate school because I wanted to learn Oracle but neither my company or my school was using it. The key benefit of this book is the evaulation edition of Oracle 8i that comes with it. You'll probably learn more about Oracle from actually using it than you will learn any other way. That being said, this book isn't a good reference for learning basic concepts about relational databases. Since those concepts are very important, you will also need to find something which can help you learn them. Also, my book is also coming apart at the seams just like those of so many other reviewers.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent place to start
Review: I found this book to be very, very good. It runs as an overview going deep enough to give you a taste of what they are talking about but it does not smother you with details. It gives step-by-step examples that are kept reasonably simple while giving you enough to get the point. Did I mention that the examples actually work? My opinion is that this is an excellent book for the beginner/novice and could be useful for someone with an intermediate skill level but it would probably not be of much use to an experienced professional.
Rating:
Summary: This book is absolute rubbish!!!
Review: I had to give this book 1 star because there is no 0 star option. If you find this book 'worth its weight in gold' you are definatly a raw beginner in the Oracle world. I found NOTHING in this book that you cannot find in the Oracle documentation, for free!...There is nothing in this book on NT specific issues with Oracle except the install script that is the same on UNIX. This book is targeted at Oracle beginners and NOT people that know Oracle on other platforms and would like to know the ins and outs of Oracle on NT/Win2000...This is where a user will find the most problems, but this author never explains WHY you need services on NT, HOW they effect Oracle or how to manipulate them MANUALLY...
Rating:
Summary: This is a great book
Review: The text is very clearly written and covers Oracle well. I don't understand the poor reviews. Let's face it - these are complex technologies. No book is going to deliver everything but this one comes close. What I like best is the book's focus on serviceable details (i.e. clear examples you can extend and apply). It's a good kick-start and covers all the major parts and functions in Oracle. The writing style is simple to the point with lots of examples and without the usual tedious story lines. I have not found any errors or failing examples. I recommend this book for any level of Oracle experience but mostly for beginners. You should also have a good understanding of database concepts (what is a relational db, what is normal form, etc.) for that is not the focus of this book. Also, a tool like SQL Navigator or some GUI will help very much with the examples. Typing in SQL+ is boring and kind of a pain.
Rating:
Summary: Hit the ground running quick with this book!
Review: This book is awesome!
I needed to install Oracle 8i on a machine and learn the fundamentals of oracle 8i quickly. The book delivered exactly what it promised: I did a fast and easy install, following the book's directions, on a Windows 2000 platform.
I downloaded the code exactly as indicated and in no time was practicing basic database administration.
I know some training centers that would charge you $5,000 for the same thing you learn in this book...
If you are a beginner on Oracle, grab this book and in a short time you will learn the basics of Oracle 8i...without losing your shirt in the process!!!
Rating:
Summary: This is a terrible book. Don't be cheated by the book title!
Review: This is the worst book I have ever read. Compared to the document published in oracle.com site, there is nothing new in this book. Nothing can help you more if you read document from oracle site. I just can't imagine how this book was awarded. This is a big mistake if it is true. Also, I can't figure out how those editors would like to accept this kind of book to publish. oops, I forgot to mention the publisher is not like prentice hall... I like to rank this book as 0 star but the web designers of amazon made a mistake that they didn't consider no book would be poor like this one. So I have to pick 1 star. Don't buy this book, or waste your money and time.
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