Today’s database management systems are accessed using a standard language known as Structured Query Language, or SQL. Among other things, SQL allows

you to retrieve, add, update, and delete information in a database. In this book, you’ll learn how to master SQL, and you’ll find a wealth of practical examples. You can also get all the scripts and programs featured in this book online (see the last section, “Retrieving the Examples,” for details). With this book, you will

• Master standard SQL, as well as the extensions developed by Oracle Corporation for use with the specific features of the Oracle database.
• Explore PL/SQL (Procedural Language/SQL), which is built on top of SQL and enables you to write programs that contain SQL statements.
• Use SQL*Plus to execute SQL statements, scripts, and reports; SQL*Plus is a tool that allows you to interact with the database.
• Execute queries, inserts, updates, and deletes against a database.
• Create database tables, sequences, indexes, views, and users.
• Perform transactions containing multiple SQL statements.
• Define database object types and create object tables to handle advanced data.
• Use large objects to handle multimedia files containing images, music, and movies.
• Perform complex calculations using analytic functions.
• Use all the very latest Oracle Database 11g features such as PIVOT and UNPIVOT, flashback archives, and much more.
• Implement high-performance tuning techniques to make your SQL statements really fly.
• Write Java programs to access an Oracle database using JDBC.
• Explore the XML capabilities of the Oracle database.