Oracle SQL*Plus Pocket Reference: A Guide to SQL*Plus Syntax

The Oracle SQL*Plus Pocket Reference is a must-have for anyone working with Oracle databases, especially those looking to maximize the effectiveness of SQL*Plus. As Oracle's long-standing interactive query tool, SQL*Plus is available at every Oracle site, from the largest data warehouse to the smallest single-user system. Despite its wide use, however, SQL*Plus is still often not completely understood or fully utilized. Database administrators and developers alike will therefore find the Oracle SQL*Plus Pocket Reference to be extremely beneficial. In addition to summarizing all of the SQL*Plus syntax and format options, including new Oracle Database 10g features, this handy, on-the-job guide specifically shows readers how to:

• Differentiate between SQL and SQL*Plus
• Interact with SQL*Plus from both the command line and the web browser
• Select, insert, update, and delete data
• Format both text and HTML reports with SQL*Plus
• Specify SQL*Plus commands and format elements
• Tune SQL queries

The new third edition of this book has been updated for Oracle Database 10g to include information on both SQL*Plus and SQL. New SQL information includes the SELECT statement's new MODEL clause, flashback queries, partition outer joins, and DBMS_XPLAN. With its quick-reference format and compact size, the Oracle SQL*Plus Pocket Reference follows in the long line of successful "pocket references" offered by O'Reilly. It also serves as the ideal companion to O'Reilly's larger, more comprehensive book on SQL*Plus, the bestselling Oracle SQL*Plus: The Definitive Guide. Author Jonathan Gennick is an editor for O'Reilly specializing in database and programming titles, having amassed some 17 years of programming and database management experience.

Jonathan Gennick is an O'Reilly Media, Inc. editor specializing in database and programming titles. Prior to joining O'Reilly, Jonathan amassed some 17 years of programming and database management experience. During the latter part of his career he specialized in relational database programming, and more recently in database management.

Jonathan got his start with relational database systems in 1990, first working with Ingres, and later with Digital's Rdb software. During that period he developed a fondness for SQL, and for the challenge of applying SQL creatively in ways that leveraged it's set-oriented capabilities.

In 1994 Jonathan made the leap to Oracle, and is now often found writing about it. Recent projects include Oracle SQL*Loader (O'Reilly Media, Inc., 2001); Oracle SQL*Plus Pocket Reference (O'Reilly Media, Inc., 2000); Oracle SQL*Plus: The Definitive Guide (O'Reilly Media, Inc., 1999); More recently, Jonathan has made forays into other database products, coauthoring Transact-SQL Cookbook (O'Reilly Media, Inc., 2002) and editing Practical PostgreSQL (O'Reilly Media, Inc., 2002).

Jonathan is certified as an Oracle DBA and is a member of MENSA and the Oracle Technology Network. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Information and Computer Science, with a Business Administration minor, from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Jonathan currently resides in Munising, Michigan with his wife Donna and their two children: Jenny and Jeff. Jonathan may be contacted by email at jonathan@gennick.com, and you can learn more about him personally by visiting his website at http://gennick.com.