Using Cursor Variables As Function Arguments on Oracle 9i
: Oracle 9i offers the ability to pass data to a PL/SQL function
in the form of a cursor variable. When this feature is paired with the concept
of the table function, the resulting PL/SQL code increases significantly in
flexibility and scalability. This article builds upon the author's previous
article on table functions and provides a brief technical explanation of how
best to implement this feature. Connecting with Oracle: Accessing Oracle via Access and Excel
: Giving your users the ability to access an Oracle database
using either Access or Excel is easy to do. It takes all of three minutes to
set up the link or connection. Learn how in Connecting with Oracle, Part 4. Connecting with Oracle: Oracle Ports :
1521. 1810. 2481. 7778. These are just a few of the port numbers Oracle uses in
networking. Everyone knows 1521 is the typical port number used by a
listener, but how sacrosanct is that? This article will help clarify some facts
about port usage related to Oracle. Connecting with Oracle: Finding and Setting a
Configuration File Location: You can have a 'good' tnsnames.ora
file, but 'reject' its use due to not knowing where it is. You can have a 'bad'
tnsnames.ora file in a location you know about, and try to 'accept' its use.
Both situations are bad. Fortunately, each is easy to correct. Learn how to set
a location for your tnsnames.ora file and where to look for that location. Connecting with Oracle : Steve Callan
discusses a common error frequently seen in Oracle Net Services. Learn how to
avoid the "ORA-12154: TNS: could not resolve service name" error. CASTing About For a Solution: Using CAST and Table
Functions in PL/SQL: Oracle 8i offered the CAST function, which
allows a PL/SQL collection to be processed as if it was a normal table. When
CAST is paired with table functions, it becomes even more powerful as a data
manipulation toolset. This article provides a brief technical explanation of
CAST and table functions as well as some practical, real-world examples of
their use in concert.Oracle's CASE Expression : Faster than a
speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive... Perhaps not, but Oracle's
CASE expression can do all that the DECODE function does, plus a whole
lot more. Data Modeling, Breaking & Fixing First Normal Form
(1NF) : Call by Reference Parameters in PL/SQL (The NOCOPY Hint)
The inability to conform to the very basics of data modeling principles often
causes enormous problems for data modelers, administrators and the development
chain. Of those principles, adhering to 1NF is probably the most broken rule.
When the model does not follow 1NF, queries are hard to develop and producing
usable data from the model is even harder. This article explores some of the
common mistakes and their fixes. Working with VARRAYs in Oracle Part III :
The third and final installment of this series examines the performance
implications of using VARRAYS. Working with VARRAYs in Oracle - Part II :
Part two of this three part series takes you through the steps on how to
abstract the difficulty from using VARRAYs so that developers or end uses can
interact with these structures through familiar table insert and select
statements. Working with VARRAYs in Oracle Part I :
James Koopmann presents a three part series designed to take you through the
process of creating VARRAYs and dealing with them in Oracle tables. The Mutation error in Oracle Database Triggers :
Amar Kumar Padhi discusses the causes of the mutating table error and how to
prevent it. Storing Word Documents in Oracle : Have
you ever wondered about storing documents in your Oracle database but didn't
know where to start? Here is a quick introduction to the basics you need to
know. Oracle Time Zone : Just when you thought
you knew where you were, Oracle has implemented time zones to totally zone us
out. Join James Koopmann while he figures out where on this great planet we
are. ETL Prototype using Oracle Warehouse Builder – Part 3 :
Nandeep Nagarkar shares his views on choosing the Oracle Warehouse Builder as a
tool in an Oracle data warehouse life cycle management project, along with
quick steps to get started with a simple "prototype." Automating ETL using Oracle warehouse Builder – OWB architecture
: In part 2 of the Oracle Warehouse Builder series, Nandeep
discusses the Oracle Warehouse Builder architecture, its compliance with
industry standards and is technical suitability for use in DW projects. Automating ETL using Oracle warehouse Builder – Part 1 :
Prototyping is one of the best-suggested approaches in mitigating the adverse
effects of unforeseen problems in the data warehouse development cycle. In this
series, Nandeep Nagarkar focuses on prototyping the ETL stage of the data
warehouse life cycle using Oracle WareHouse Builder. A Comparison of Oracle's DATE and TIMESTAMP Datatypes :
If you want to store date and time information in Oracle, you really only have
two different options for the column's datatype. Join James Koopmann as he
examines the DATE and TIMESTAMP datatypes Returning Rows Through a Table Function in Oracle :
James Koopmann introduces Oracle's Table Function. Learn how to call a table
function within the FROM clause of a SQL statement and have it return a result
set that mimics what we would normally expect from a traditional SQL SELECT
statement. FireWire Real Application Cluster : With the
demands of a 24/7 marketplace, a highly available and scalable database is
getting increasingly more important. In the past, you had to choose from one of
two options in a cluster. RAC takes the cluster architecture even further,
providing improved fault resilience and incremental system growth by offering
connection failover and load balancing in the same cluster. In the event of a
system failure, RAC ensures your database will still be available. RAC gives
you the availability and scalability that enterprises demand. Call by Reference Parameters in PL/SQL (The NOCOPY Hint)
: Amar Kumar Padhi discusses the use of the NOCOPY parameter hint, which has
been introduced for OUT and IN OUT parameters in Oracle 8i/9i. Using this hint
tells Oracle to make a call by reference. Autonomous and Distributed Transactions in Oracle 8i/9i
: This article presents a basic introduction to transaction processing in
PL/SQL and primarily focuses on the Autonomous transaction processing feature
of PL/SQL and the changes that have occurred from Oracle 8i to 9i. Abstracting Oracle Connectivity with PHP/OCI8
: Dante Lorenso presents several functions designed to help run Oracle queries
without the drudgery of repetition. Take these functions, roll them into a PHP
class, and voila! ... easy PHP/OCI8!Oracle 9i Locally-Managed Tablespaces (LMT) Migration
Method : So you've just migrated your Oracle8i databases in
which all your various sized segments reside, and now you want to place them in
appropriately sized Locally-Managed Tablespaces (LMT's). Here is a brief guide
from Greg Johnson to help you get started in this process.Best Practices Road Map for Installing Oracle9i Database
: Oracle offers the world's most advanced database for transaction processing,
data warehousing, and content management in Oracle9i Database. Before you can
reap the benefits of Oracle9i Database, however, you must successfully install
it. This article from Ankit Patel provides installation best practices to help
you quickly and easily install Oracle9i Database.
