Portable DBA: Oracle

by Robert G. Freeman

Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product.

The ultimate field guide for every Oracle DBA's laptop bag. Don't go onsite without it


This handy, affordable reference is ideal for on-the-job DBAs in need of quick access to administrative commands, error resolutions,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0072229802
• ISBN13: 9780072229806
• Release Date: November 2004
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies
• Length: 598 Pages
• Weight: 2.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 7.7" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

The book is as described....

I am the author and I want to comment on this book. This book is as described, a portable reference manual to the command set that Oracle uses. It also contains information on parameters, default settings, etc.... so, yes, it's a reference book. It also contains examples, security information and one part that I think is very nice, error information related to the functionality being discussed, including possible solutions to the errors. It suggests standards that you can employ, provides a quick reference to data dictionary information and finally it does provide some commentary (but that is not the main focus). Bottom line, this book is designed to help you run around and fix things without having to worry if you have an internet connection, if you can get through a firewall to the Oracle docs and it makes for an easy reference. Of late, I've had several occations when I've tried to get to the online Oracle documentation and have found the Oracle site was unavailable. The work does not stop just because the doc's are down. So, bottom line, if you need help to determine if you should partition at table and which columns you want to partition it on, then this book is not for you. If you want expert assistance in getting that partitioned table actually built, then this is the book for you.

Good desk side reference for busy DBAs

I too usually access Metalink documentation. However its nice to have this tome for looking up or reviewing syntax and how to get imporant tasks quickly done. Best quick reference guide for working DBAs that I have seen yet. Good complement to online support for real Oracle DBAs. I usually leave it at my desk at work or at home when I get paged at 2am and need to know how to resize a datafile or tablespace or recover a controfile at the wee hours and cant get Metalink to work.

Great book for all DBAs

This is a book all DBAs must have! As a DBA for over 5 years, I have been waiting for a book like this to come out for some time and Robert Freeman has hit the mark! This book has all the basic essentials for my day to day job. I don't know how most people, but I have a hard time remembering the exact syntax of all the commands. The DBA Cheat Sheet section has helped me every time. And if I need more information, I just look in the chapters and I always find it. Another great feature of the book is the error sections. Robert has included the typical errors that you may run into when issuing commands. Then provides possible causes and solutions. It's all right there without having to search Metalink or Oracle's documentation. I highly recommend this book. It has been a welcome member in my book collection and has replaced a number of them.

A true MUST HAVE reference book

Like many Oracle DBAs, I have plenty of reference books that are useful. The problem I run into is that some tend to be quite large (i.e. 1000+ pages) and the information I need is contained in one paragragh from this book, one chapter from another and a schema diagram from yet another. I have long searched for one book to take with me to customer sites that contains examples of command usage, diagrams and concise explanations. Enter Robert Freeman's Portable DBA: Oracle. This book is just what is claims to be: a portable reference for topics such as creating/removing a database, managing undo/rollback segments, building indexes and using the import/export utilities. This is just some of the subject matter covered. There are also appendices containing Oracle syntax, data dictionary views and initialization parameters. Note that this book is not a tutorial and assumes you are knowledgeable in at least the basics of being an Oracle DBA. Having said that, it is full of examples to help jog your memory in how to use a certain command as well as giving you enough infomation so that you can research a command more fully in other reference materials. Lest I forget, Mr. Freeman's writing style is easy to read and instructional without getting too technical. He knows his stuff and knows how to teach as well. At just under 600 pages, you will not be carrying this in your back pocket. But, if you want one DBA reference book to take with you in your travels, this is the one. Highly recommended!!! Dwayne Cox Oracle DBA for over 6 years