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Summary: Buy this book
Review: This is by far the best ORACLE book ever written. There is no excuse for any DBA/Developer not to own it.
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Summary: Foremost Resource of Advice and "Best Practices"
Review: Having never worked with Oracle before, I picked up TKyte's book as a source of advice for designing an Payroll/Commissions Oracle database. I went to the book to ask a series of questions:
1) Which should be used MTS or Dedicated servers?
Kyte's advice: "Unless your system is overloaded, or you need to use MTS for a specific feature, a dedicated server will probrably serve you best."
2) What type of locking strategy should I use?
Kyte's advice: "In my experience, pessimist locking works very well in Oracle and has many advantages..."
Kyte lays a introductory foundation by describing (in detail and with diagrams) the internal architecture of Oracle. His opinions and advice are given with plenty of evidential support. His coverage of topics is thorough and exhaustive: He spends time discussing each option a developer has in Oracle 8i, the gives his recommendations for the usage and pros/cons of each. In this manner he doesn't discriminate against "impractical" features by excluding them. This book not only details what a developer can do with Oracle but what the developer should do. These recommendations are based on proofs that TKyte walks the reader through. As a brand new (straight out of college) programmer who does not have anyone else in the office (and no one to call) to consult on Oracle, this book has been a lifesaver, putting Oracle expertise in my hands.
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Summary: Oracle Developers 'Must Have' Book.
Review: Along with Jonathan Lewis, Tom Kyte is that rare individual a true technical expert who can communicate clearly and effectively. This shows in the regular answers available on his Ask Tom website and is the hallmark of this book. This is the first book I have seen that looks clearly and concisely at effective Oracle development. Tom's discussion for example of the use of bind variables is both entertaining and informative. Similarly the comparative discussion of locking mechanisms and the impact that differing implemetations of this have on effective coding is essential reading for all of those developers tempted down the 'one approach suits all databases' road. All of this detailed technical knowledge is explained and illustrated with examples that you can easily run yourself to verify the impact that effective coding could have on your own applications. Just as Jonathan Lewis' book should really be made available to all the DBAs in your organisation, so too should this book be on the developers bookshelf (or better yet desks).
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Summary: The best technical book ever!
Review: This book is fun to read! If there were a Pulitzer Prize for technical writing, it would go to Tom. I've read his advice for years. Not only does he give the best solutions, he is probably the kindest person on the web. There is no question too dumb. He consistently shows an uncommonly high amount of respect for the people he helps.
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Summary: Lots of great examples
Review: Thomas Kyte has certainly put together a very helpful book, that contains a lot of great examples. Some topics are covered very extensively (such as tracing), but some are not covered at all (like AQ). All of the examples I've tried worked as listed, which is quite rare with Oracle books. Keep in mind that this book covers a lot of ground, and maybe more of a bookshelf reference.
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Summary: They don't come better than this
Review: This is the best. Tom is the best. I enjoyed this book sooo much more than those Steve what's his name books. There are excellent examples, properly explained and detailed. Well written. Not for the beginner, but a superb reference for the experience developer. Great job Tom!!!
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Summary: A developer's bible
Review: This is simply one of the best Oracle books out there .. at par with Jonathan Lewis's book. Complete with examples, this book covers virtually every aspect of Oracle, especially from a developer's standpoint. In fact it should be a must read for every Oracle developer. The reader should also check Tom's extremely useful website ... regularly for more insights and hints w.r.t. Oracle development. Thanks Tom for a wonderful effort.
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Summary: If You Work With Databases (especially Oracle) Buy this Book
Review: This is a very well written book. Thomas Kyte is one of the most intelligent writers on Oracle I have read. He has a matter of fact style and he gives examples for everything. If you work with databases or if you are an Oracle or Java Programmer you will gain quite a bit from this book. I highly recommend it to everyone who works with Oracle databases.
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Summary: One of the best Oracle Books Written
Review: Thomas Kyte is one of the most intelligent Oracle guys I've read. I would recommend this book to everyone. Even people who don't do alot of database work. All Oracle & Java programmers will learn something from this book. If you are a programmer and you work with Oracle you must buy this book.
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Summary: Interesting Book.Ment for Every Oracle Professional.
Review: A very interesting book, clears lots of doubts with examples.Language is simple and clear. Its a Must Book for DBA/Developers using Oracle. Full Marks to Tom Kyte.
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