Oracle PL/SQL 101
Not too long ago my lovely wife decided she wanted to learn more about SQL and Oracle. I thought that was a great idea, so I gave her the 3 or 4 books I had on SQL and PL/SQL, and we bought 2 or 3 more as time went on. By this time we had just about every major SQL book on the market. In the months that followed we both came to the conclusion that while the books contained lots of information, none of them seemed to be written for a beginner. Many assumed prior knowledge of SQL, Oracle, or a programming language like C++. They offered plenty of examples producing results that had no particular value, and many of the books jumped around from topic to topic without bringing everything together into a bigger picture that relates to normal work life.What I present here is my best effort at explaining SQL and PL/SQL in a way that makes sense. I have worked to create examples that demonstrate not only how to use each feature, but also why. I’ve provided exercises that mirror the kinds of tasks you’ll be asked to accomplish if you make SQL and PL/SQL part of your work. And I’ve done my best to make the writing reasonably interesting to read, so your flame of interest in this fascinating topic stays burning.All the best in your SQL endeavors,Christopher Allen