OCP: Oracle8i DBA SQL and PL/SQL Study Guide Copyright ©2000 SYBEX , Inc., Alameda, CA www.sybex.com San Francisco • Paris • Düsseldorf • Soest • London OCP: Oracle8i™ DBA SQL and PL/SQL Study Guide Chip Dawes Biju Thomas Copyright ©2000 SYBEX , Inc., Alameda, CA www.sybex.com Associate Publisher: Richard Mills Contracts and Licensing Manager: Kristine O’Callaghan Acquisitions & Developmental Editor: Kim Goodfriend Associate Developmental Editor: Ben Tompkins Editor: Nancy Conner, Marilyn Smith Production Editors: Lisa Duran, Leslie E. H. Light Technical Editors: Betty MacEwen, Ashok Hanumanth Book Designer: Bill Gibson Graphic Illustrator: Tony Jonick Electronic Publishing Specialist: Susie Hendrickson Proofreader: Lindy Wolf Indexer: Matthew Spence CD Coordinator: Kara Eve Schwartz CD Technician: Keith McNeil Cover Design: Archer Design Cover/Photograph: Photo Researchers Copyright © 2000 SYBEX Inc., 1151 Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, CA 94501. World rights reserved. 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Please observe the requirements stated in appropriate files. Copy Protection The Software in whole or in part may or may not be copy-pro- tected or encrypted. However, in all cases, reselling or redistrib- uting these files without authorization is expressly forbidden except as specifically provided for by the Owner(s) therein. Copyright ©2000 SYBEX , Inc., Alameda, CA www.sybex.com To my wife Mary and my children Zachary and Charlie. -Chip Dawes To my wife Shiji and my parents, who are there whenever I need support and guidance. -Biju Thomas Copyright ©2000 SYBEX , Inc., Alameda, CA www.sybex.com Acknowledgments I would like to thank the folks at Sybex who helped with this book. Ben, your prodding to stay on schedule kept us going; Lisa and Nancy; and Kim (good luck at Organic.com). Thank you, Betty—your technical reviews and insights raised the quality of this book. I’d like to thank Oracle for producing a great database and language. Thank you, Biju, for jumping into the book and helping to make it possible. I owe a big thanks to my family: Mary, Zachary, and Charlie. They put up with a lot of lost time with me while I was working on this book. -Chip Dawes Anything is possible with hard work and dedication from a group of people. I would like to thank Sybex for giving me the opportunity to write this book. I thank the excellent team at Sybex for their support and patience, especially Kim, Ben, Nancy, Betty, Lisa, and Chip, who helped to bring the best out of me. I thank my parents and sisters, who simply are the best. I thank all my friends—you helped all through my career knowingly or unknowingly. This book is for all of you who have been a source of inspiration in my life. Thank you, Shiji, for being there when I was busy working and for all your support and love. -Biju Thomas Copyright ©2000 SYBEX , Inc., Alameda, CA www.sybex.com Introduction T here is high demand and competition for professionals in the Informa- tion Technology (IT) industry, and the Oracle Certified Professional (OCP) certification is the hottest credential in the database world. You have made the right decision to pursue certification: Being an OCP will give you a distinct advantage in this highly competitive market. Many readers may already be familiar with Oracle and do not need an introduction to the Oracle database world. For those who aren’t familiar with the company, Oracle (founded in 1977), is the world’s leading database company and second-largest independent software company, with revenues of more than $9 billion, serving more than 145 countries. Oracle databases are the de facto standard for large Internet sites, and Oracle has positioned itself to continue this dominance of the Internet market. This book is intended to help you on your exciting path toward obtaining the Oracle8i Certified Database Administrator and Oracle8i Certified Application Developer certifications. Basic knowledge of Oracle SQL and PL/SQL is an advan- tage when reading this book but is not mandatory. Using this book and a practice database, you can start learning Oracle and pass the IZ0-001 test: Introduction to Oracle: SQL and PL/SQL. Why Become an Oracle Certified Professional? T he number one reason to become an Oracle Certified Professional is to gain more visibility and greater access to the industry’s most challenging opportunities. The OCP program is the best way to demonstrate your knowledge and skills in Oracle database systems. The certification tests are scenario-based, which is the most effective way to assess your hands-on expertise and critical problem-solving skills. Certification is proof of your knowledge and shows that you have the skills required to support Oracle core products. The OCP program can help a company to identify proven performers who have demonstrated their skills and who can support the company’s investment in Oracle technology. It demonstrates that you have a solid understanding of your role and the Oracle products used in that role. Copyright ©2000 SYBEX , Inc., Alameda, CA www.sybex.com xviii Introduction So, whether you are beginning a career, changing careers, securing your present position, or seeking to refine and promote your position, this book is for you! Oracle Certifications Oracle has several certification tracks designed to meet different skill levels. Each track consists of several tests, and these tests can be taken in any order. The following tracks are available:  Oracle Database Administrator  Oracle Application Developer  Oracle Database Operator  Oracle Java Developer  Oracle Financial Applications Consultant Database Administrator (DBA) The role of the Database Administrator (DBA) has become a key to suc- cess in today’s highly complex database systems. The best DBAs work behind the scenes but are in the spotlight when critical issues arise. They plan, create, maintain, and ensure that the database is available for the business. They are always watching the database for performance issues and to prevent unscheduled downtime. The DBA’s job requires broad understanding of the architecture of Oracle databases and expertise in solving problems. The Oracle8i Certified Database Administrator track consists of the following five tests:  1Z0-001: Introduction to Oracle : SQL and PL/SQL  1Z0-023: Oracle8i: Architecture and Administration  1Z0-025: Oracle8i: Backup and Recovery  1Z1-024: Oracle8i: Performance and Tuning  1Z1-026: Oracle8i: Network Administration Copyright ©2000 SYBEX , Inc., Alameda, CA www.sybex.com Why Become an Oracle Certified Professional? xix Oracle Application Developer This track tests your skills in client-server application development using Oracle application development tools, such as Developer/2000, SQL, PL/SQL, and SQL*Plus. The following five tests comprise this track:  1Z0-001: Introduction to Oracle : SQL and PL/SQL  1Z0-101: Develop PL/SQL Program Units  1Z0-121: Developer/2000: Build Forms I  1Z0-122: Developer/2000: Build Forms II  1Z0-123: Developer/2000: Build Reports More Information The most current information about Oracle certification can be found at http://education.oracle.com . Follow the Certification Home Page link and choose the track that you are interested in. Read the Candidate Guide for the test objectives and test contents, and keep in mind that these can change at any time without notice. OCP: Database Administrator Track The Oracle8i Database Administrator certification consists of five tests, and Sybex offers several study guides to help you achieve the OCP Database Administrator Certification. There are three books in this series:  OCP: Oracle8i™ DBA SQL and PL/SQL Study Guide  OCP: Oracle8i™ DBA Architecture & Administration and Backup & Recovery Study Guide  OCP: Oracle8i™ DBA Performance Tuning and Network Administration Study Guide Additionally, these three books are offered in a boxed set:  OCP: Oracle8i™ DBA Certification Kit Copyright ©2000 SYBEX , Inc., Alameda, CA www.sybex.com xx Introduction Table F.1 lists the five exams for the DBA track, their scoring (where available), and the Sybex study guides that will help you pass each exam. Skills Required for DBA Certification Listed here are some of the skills you must master for DBA certification. Even if you do not have all the skills, you can start taking the exams for which you feel confident. The exams can be taken in any order. Table F.1: OCP Database Administrator Tests and Passing Scores Exam # Title Total Questions Questions Correct Passing Score Sybex Study Guide 1Z0-001 Introduction to Oracle: SQL and PL/SQL 60 43 72% OCP: Oracle8i™ DBA SQL and PL/SQL Study Guide 1Z0-023 Oracle8i: Architecture and Administration 65 38 58% OCP: Oracle8i™ DBA Architecture & Administration and Backup & Recovery Study Guide 1Z0-024 Oracle8i: Performance Tuning 57 38 67% OCP: Oracle8i™ DBA Performance Tuning and Network Administration Study Guide 1Z0-025 Oracle8i: Backup and Recovery 60 34 57% OCP: Oracle8i™ DBA Architecture & Administration and Backup & Recovery Study Guide 1Z0-026 Oracle8i: Network Administration 60 41 60% OCP: Oracle8i™ DBA Performance Tuning and Network Administration Study Guide Copyright ©2000 SYBEX , Inc., Alameda, CA www.sybex.com [...]... and understand the answers, you’ll know that you’re ready for the OCP: Introduction to Oracle: SQL and PL /SQL exam The flashcards include more than 100 questions specifically written to hit you hard and make sure that you are ready for the exam Between the Review Questions, Practice Exam, and flashcards, you should be more than prepared for the exam OCP: Oracle 8i DBA SQL and PL /SQL Study Guide in PDF... www.sybex.com Chapter 1 Relational Technology and Simple SQL SELECT Statements ORACLE8i SQL AND PL /SQL EXAM OBJECTIVES OFFERED IN THIS CHAPTER: Overview of relational databases, SQL, and PL /SQL: Discuss the theoretical and physical characteristics of a relational database Describe the Oracle implementation of the RDBMS and ORDBMS Describe how SQL and PLSQL are used in Oracle products Writing simple... randomly generated from all of the questions Electronic Flashcards for PC and Palm Devices After you read the OCP: Oracle8i DBA SQL and PL /SQL Study Guide, read the Review Questions at the end of each chapter, and study the Practice Exams included in the book and on the CD But wait, there’s more! Test yourself with the flashcards included on the CD If you can get through these difficult questions and. .. various SQL commands available in PL /SQL, together with how to declare and use cursors, are discussed in this chapter Chapter 9 Chapter 9 discusses composite datatypes You will read about creating and using PL /SQL collections and record datatypes Chapter 10 The final chapter is dedicated to handling errors (called exceptions) in a PL /SQL program You will learn how to create and customize exceptions and. .. Understanding RDBMS concepts Writing queries and manipulating data Creating and managing users and database objects Knowledge of PL /SQL programming and constructs Oracle Server architecturedatabase and instance Physical and logical storage of database, managing space allocation and growth Managing datastorage, loading, and reorganization Managing roles, privileges, passwords, and resources Backup and. .. options Archiving redo log files and hot backups Backup and recovery using Recovery Manager (RMAN) Creating and managing standby database Identifing and tuning database and SQL performance Data dictionary views and database parameters Configuring Net8 on the server side and the client side Using multi-threaded server, connection manager, and Oracle Names Backup, recovery, and administration utilities Tips... synonyms, sequences, indexes, and stored SQL The data dictionary is introduced in this chapter, as well Chapter 7 This chapter introduces PL /SQL The benefits, structure, and writing of simple PL /SQL blocks are discussed The chapter also introduces you to the language’s control structures for iterative programming and conditional processing Chapter 8 This chapter covers how to use PL /SQL interactively with... The Oracle SQL environment: Write queries that specify a variable at runtime Customize the SQL* Plus environment Format data retrieved by a query Create and execute script files Save customizations Differentiate between SQL* Plus commands and SQL statements Exam objectives are subject to change at any time without prior notice and at Oracle’s sole discretion Please visit Oracle's Training and Certification... Relational and object-relational database management systems System development phases How to write simple queries using structured query language (SQL) to retrieve data stored in the Oracle8i database You will also learn to format the query output from SQL* Plus, Oracle’s tool to interact with the database The first OCP exam emphasizes your understanding of the Oracle SQL usage and structure SQL, pronounced... chapter covers data manipulation and security in Oracle You will learn how to insert, update, and delete data; how to control transactions; and how to restrict access to objects through privileges and roles Chapter 5 Chapter 5 is dedicated to tables and views This chapter discusses creating tables with the various datatyp es and options available to store data Creating and managing views are also covered .  OCP: Oracle8i DBA SQL and PL /SQL Study Guide  OCP: Oracle8i DBA Architecture & Administration and Backup & Recovery Study Guide  OCP: Oracle8i . PL /SQL 60 43 72% OCP: Oracle8i DBA SQL and PL /SQL Study Guide 1Z0-023 Oracle8i: Architecture and Administration 65 38 58% OCP: Oracle8i DBA Architecture