Rating: 
Summary: After using this book as my only reference for the exam
Review: In 2002, I embarked on my journey to become certified as an Oracle9i DBA. I just passed my Fundamentals I exam, by a margin of 2 problems(!) using this book as my exclusive reference book. The same goes for the 9i SQL Exam. I am constrained, both financially and timewise, so the Oracle Press books seemed like the best(only?) option for me.
Having said that, let me give fellow exam takers some pointers as to how this book can be most efficiently utilized.
The book is useful:
1. for those who want to tie in all the seemingly disparate elements that comprise what a typical Oracle9i DBA must know - you get a really good sense of what is going on in the big picture, and trust me, that is not an easy thing to grasp. The writing itself is excellent.
2. because it is the first book(as far as I know) that is written for 9i (remember I am in a rush to get certification out of the way).
Things could be better if:
1. They proofread the book more carefully - There were only few errors, but this is supposed to be an exam guide! I have a feeling the publisher was under a tight deadline.
2. The problems were too basic (relative to the actual exam)
3. The CD-ROM essentially replicates the problems in the text.
So to summarize, if you are in a situation similar to mine, and insist on getting certified in 9i, study every single bit of informaiton in the book and you will pass. If you have some money(in the thousands) to spare, it might actually save you alot of time and effort to take the training courses. One final option is to get certified in 8i, where there are many quality books that have stood the test of time, and then take the upgrade exam. By the way, if you want to share information and tips, I am thinking of starting a small support group for 9i newbies! Thanks for reading my spiel!!!
Rating: 
Summary: A big time preparation help for certification exam
Review: It is a complement to what I learned on the job in reviewing all the topics covered in the exam. It could be handy on the job to verify and possibly improve the procedures you have implemented, especially if the procedures have been in place for a while and you have upgraded recently.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the exam guide
Review: Ok..I have today taken the Oracle Database Fundamental I
test and did completely rely on this book for the preparation.
I flunked by 1 point in the mastery section..
Ok..the book certainly helps prepare but it is certainly
not enough (unless you have good DBA work experience that
I do not have much).This book, if you follow every bit, you
will certainly get through the basic part of the Oracle
Database Fundamental I test (35qns for basic,25 pass; 25qns
for mastery,15pass in actual test).But there were several
questions in the exam for which you will not get the answer
in any part of the book.In actual test, some questions had
1 choice for the answer and some had possible 3 choices
(out of 5 or 6) and you do not know if it is a basic qn or
a mastery one. But I presume that those qns with 3 answer
choices fall under mastery one and were difficult. You will
rarely get questions of similar complexity in the book.
Actual test (for the mastery part) is far more tougher
than the sample qns in the book.
Anyway I will suggest if you do not have much DBA work
experience then try other sources for preparation too.
I was too confident before writing because the book of the
same author for SQL exam did let me get thru' easily.
So help yourself..
Rating: 
Summary: Use something else for OCP exam preparation
Review: The book contains many typos, mistakes, misuse of therminology.
A person new to Oracle would need to do a lot of extra work to decipher it.
Look for other books to prepare yourself for OCP exam.BTW, the other book by J.Couchman, "OCP Introduction to Oracle9i: SQL Exam Guide" is no better.
Rating:
Summary: OCP -- 1Z0-031
Review: The book is OK for the exam. But cannot rely only this book. I had to use the self test software material to get a better feel of the exam questions. And all of the questions and the exams in this book are not at all inline with the exam questions.
Rating: 
Summary: Rushed
Review: The book is useful if you want to have an idea about what the new oracle 9i OCP exam is about. However, the book was obviously rushed. There are many inconsistencies and wrong information. The same applies to the attached CD. Really deplorable for a book that is supposed to help you get the right answer at the test.
This book (at least in this edition) does not compare to the excellent standard of the much more reliable material for oracle8 and oracle8i similar OCP exam.
My advice to the potential buyer: Get the book to have an idea of the scope of the exams, but make sure you get the appropriate information from Oracle documentation (Administration Guide).
My advice to the author: Please, review your work!
Rating:
Summary: Blows
Review: This book blows. I read to book cover to cover and it misses alot of the key concepts covered on the exam. It dosen't go into enough detail in areas that need to be and goes into to much detail into subject such as utilities such as OEM. I don't even remember the book covering NLS topics. I suggest ordering a different prep book for this exam and buying STS software.
Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: This book covers every thing you need for the exam. However,
unless you have a truly great memory, you will need some
hands on to go along with this book. Oracle offers free
9i personal edition downloads. This book refers to 8i
way too often, but its' examples are very accurate as you'll
find if you have the software to work with. I highly
recommend this book. To ensure a passing grade, however,
I would recommend that you download Oracle's 9i admin guide
and read it also, especially the chapters covering locally
managed tablespaces and the segment/extent examples.
Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: This book covers every thing you need for the exam. However,
unless you have a truly great memory, you will need some
hands on to go along with this book. Oracle offers free
9i personal edition downloads. This book refers to 8i
way too often, but its' examples are very accurate as you'll
find if you have the software to work with. I highly
recommend this book. To ensure a passing grade, however,
I would recommend that you download Oracle's 9i admin guide
and read it also, especially the chapters covering locally
managed tablespaces and the segment/extent examples.
Rating:
Summary: Oracle 9i DBA Fundamentals I - Not Ready for Publishing!
Review: This book does a poor job of preparing you for the OCP DBA Fundamentals I Exam. The text book and accompaning testing software is loaded with grammer/syntax errors. In addition, the explanations are very brief and inadequate. Most importantly, the questions are not in line with the questions you will encounter on the exam. This latest book from author Couchman is a vast improvement over his previous works on Oracle 8 and 8i which were really simplistic. Although this is the only book at present for Oracle 9i certification, I strongly recommend waiting until the Sybex series are published. If the Sybex 9i books are anything like their predecessors - they will be EXCELLENT for preparing you for the real exam. In addition, the STS testing software is much more suitable than this books BeachFront quizzer. My advice is don't waste your money on this book.
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