è arrivato un pò oltre i tempi di stima della spedizione, ma nel complesso tutto bene

I just passed 1Z0-007 a few hours ago making 90% (47 of 52) first try. Trust me, If I ONLY studied this book, I would have failed. This book has so many mistakes that it will make you go crazy. It's completely outdated. It doesn't have the current exam objectives. The wording and content placement of this book is terrible. I should have bought the oracle 9i OCP: sql studyguide by Oracle Press.

Get the Self Test Software. It will save you a retake.

I'm studying Oracle's 10g PL/SQL book and Self Test for the next test.

I can't wait to be an OCA!

I bought this book and i am still preparing for the certification. So can't really say how useful it will be for the exam. But while reading it, i think it has a great style and really pertinent information.
I am confident this book will help me successfully complete the exam.

I just passed the 1z0-007 exam yesterday. I dont have a lot of experience with oracle, but this book helped me learn all the important concepts for the exam and helped me pass it in my first attempt.

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking to pass the exam. However, the usefulness of this book ends there. It is not very useful and the explanations are not detailed enough for learning more about the technology itself.

I just passed the 1z0-007 exam yesterday. I dont have a lot of experience with oracle, but this book helped me learn all the important concepts for the exam and helped me pass it in my first attempt.

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking to pass the exam. However, the usefulness of this book ends there. It is not very useful and the explanations are not detailed enough for learning more about the technology itself.

Good book, very thorough, equally useful for study-reading and reference.
My one complaint was the end-of-chapter tests and practice tests, which were much more detailed and more difficult then the exam itself. I wasted time trying to perfect my knowledge until I purchased an 'Exam-Prep' software kit and found I was getting 90%+ on tests, instead of the 40 and 50%+ with the Sybex tests.
When I took the exam - sure enough 90%+
For the next exam I'm buying the Sybex book and 'Exam-Prep' software kit together!

Hello I am Tulasiraj ,
I am doing my PL/SqL course now i am going to write oracle 9i exam
if any body has current this month model question please send me .
thanku

I don't have any SQL experience before. I recently took the IZ0-007 exam and got 47 out of 52. Didn't depend much on this book. The practice exams that came with the CD were not that useful. To me they were really hard. Only few topics were helpful. The language is very hard to understand. I would suggest to buy the Self Test Software.

I don't have any SQL experience before. I recently took the IZ0-007 exam and got 47 out of 52. Didn't depend much on this book. The practice exams that came with the CD were not that useful. To me they were really hard. Only few topics were helpful. The language is very hard to understand. I would suggest to buy the Self Test Software.

This book is designed for the exam 1z0-007. It will not teach you every thing you need to know about Oracle 9i but it is at least the first step. It is not difficult to read. The writing style is simple with good examples. A familiarity with databases or a previous experience with Oracle RDBMS would certainly help you go through this book quickly. If you study this guide and understand the material you will probably hit a good score on the test. For someone new to Oracle I will suggest that you download the Oracle 9i Database software from otn.oracle.com, install it on your pc, and practice what you are reading from the book. It will certainly help you.
I recommend this book for the exam.

This is the worst certification book I have ever read. Unfortunately, it's still the best book on the test even though it blows (just like oracle). Don't believe me? The book is full of typos and misinformation. There are 2 wrong answers in the questions for the first chapter alone.

Consider Question 2:

1. SELECT empno enumber, ename
FROM emp ORDER BY 1;

2. SELECT empno, ename
FROM emp ORDER BY empno ASC

Which of the following is true?

A. Statements 1 and 2 will produce the same result.
B. Statement 1 will execute; Statement 2 will return an error.
C. Statement 2 will execute; Statement 1 will return an error.
D. They will both execute but produce different results.

The book claims the answer is A. It would have been A if the retards responsible for this abomination would have bothered to put a comma between the column names in the first query. The answer is C.

Consider Question 9 Here is the table:

EMPNO | ENAME | SALARY | COMM | DEPTNO
--------------------------------------
......|.......|........|......|.......
7934 | MILLER| 1300| 13000| 10
......|.......|........|......|.......

(sorry I couldn't get the columns to line up,
but looking at this will get you used to using SQLPlus)

The question:

When you issue the following query, WHAT WILL BE DISPLAYED IN THE FIRST ROW?

SELECT empno FROM emp WHERE deptno = 10 ORDER BY ename DESC;

A. MILLER
B. 7934
C. 7876
D. No rows will be returned.

The book claims the answer is A. That's a good trick to get it to display the name in the first row since the only thing that will get displayed is the empno column. The correct answer is that it will be MILLER'S empno 7934 or B. Actually, the answer is also:

E. This book will be returned. Or alternatively:
F. The authors are some knobs.

This book is full of these kinds of errors and will probably only confuse someone who doesn't know what they are doing. You can tell who the people here are that have a skewed view of SQL because they gave this book more than 1 star.

By the way, naming columns like deptno and empno instead of department_number and employee_number is another idiot practice of databse administrators. Congradulations, Jackass. You just saved us 4 bytes in our 30 Terabyte database. Come and get your promotion. Oh, by the way: YOU JUST COST US 10 MILLION DOLLARS in maintainence costs over the life cycle of the project because now everyone needs a month of training just to understand your stupid database schema (that's table structures for those who are new to databases). Unfortunately, naming columns with non-intuitive names is a requirement in Oracle due to the fact that identifiers are limited to only 16 characters (I think I already mentioned the fact Oracle blows).

If you want a database that hasn't been corrupted whOracle's asinine ideas of what a database is supposed to be, try PostgreSQL. It's a thousand times better and doesn't cost $40,000 per CPU.

Don't waste your money. On Oracle or this book.

I used this book to pass the Introduction to Oracle 9i: Sql 1z0-007 certification test. The fundamentals presented in this book were instrumental in getting me through (49/52).The tests and the flashcards on the cd were very helpful.

Having said that...

1. There are a few errors in the book ...nothing serious but go through the errata on the book site before you start studying.

2. This book should be supplemented by a reference book and/or self test software to better benefit from it.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to pass 1z0-007 and then some.

I am an applications developer (insulated from extensive SQL usage) who use little bit of SQL
Ex :select * from contact order by created desc,
select * from contact where row_id in (select row_id from another table etc)..

Nothing complicated..

I purchased the book (with the thought that my knowledge with SQL is above average)..Did the first assesment test(chapter 1) in the book and failed disastrously. Having been brought to the harsh 'reality',started studying the book, religiously answering the questions in the chapter etc.Completed all the chapters, took the bonus exams(from the book) ,again took all the chapter exams ( at the sametime referring to sections where i made a mistake).redid the assesment test as well

Best of all, my friend who also passed the exams sent me a question paper ( that be purchased in ebay) based on Jason Couchman's book OCP Introduction to Oracle 9i:SQL Exam guide. Took that exam( about 111 questions)..and everytime went back to the book reading the chapters and sections where i got it wrong

So on a net scale, studied the book twice

THE EXAM:
Appeared the exam yesterday and passed with 85 %..all those which i got wrong were obscure topics (ex :view name that u will use to find constraints in a column, syntax for modifying a constraint etc)There was not a single questions on roles.privileges,grant option,admin option etc. I will also not agree with those who said the book was over emphasising aggregates,group functions etc. there were quite a few questions in the exam and u will use it very often

As a matter of fact, the question paper from jason was very very closely aligned with the questions i got in the exam.My objective b4 going over the certification was to learn the basics..and i am not sure if any other book could have done a better job. Examination was secondary for me..

If passing the exam is primary for u..don't miss the simulation exams of Jason Couchman ( of course u need to study )..but if u want to learn every aspect of SQL ( ex :Soundex which even a senior DBA might not use once a year)..go for this.

I think that with these Oracle certifications there is confusion as to who these exams are geared toward.

I just got done taking the first test and I passed but I believe that is because I've had some education and experience with Oracle.

This book is a great REVIEW tool for those of us who know how to write medium level and up SQL queries. The book is strait forward, easy to understand, and pretty thorough. However, the actual test requires a little bit of knowledge beyond the basics of what is written in the book. I thought the questions in the practice exams where very good, and in some cases, harder than the ones on the actual exam.

This book is NOT for people who are just trying to learn Oracle for the first time or who only have limited knowledge of SQL, RDBM theory, or programming knowledge.

Here are some questions you should ask yourself before starting the exam process:

Can you write a SQL statement with a subquery?
Do you know what a function does?
What is the order of a select statement?

For those of you who are wondering my background is I have a BS in Computer Science and two years of Oracle experience and I still thought this test was hard.

I hope this helps with your selection.

I have read the book and I am totally satisfied with it.

The book covers all topics which you need to pass the test. I think the questions in the book are not to hard...they meet exactly the question standart from the test. So as test preparation this book is perfect. But I also have to say: if you are new to Oracle and SQL this book will not go deep enough into the topics. You will need additional books.

It covers all the topics needed for the exam 1z0-007.Even those who do not have basic idea about oracle can read this book and pass the exam easily.There are some mistakes then and there,still that can be easily identifiable.
Good Book which surely helps to get good score.

The book cover all the Oracle objectives exam, but it does not dig into the interesting/hard topics. Too many pages are dedicated to references stuff like single row and group functions which are not so deeply asked in the real exam. The exams included in the CDrom are not to tide to the Books material and go beyond exam objectives, watch out because these questions can mislead you on how well you are prepared for the exam.
I recommend using Self Test Software as well with this book and the one from Oracle Press.

This book is a fairly decent review of the Introduction to Oracle 9i concepts. However, I'd like to add that there are many blaring mistakes in the book that newbies may not be able to point out. What makes me give this book 2 out of 5 stars is not just because of the typos but because of the way the book is organized and even more because of the the chapter tests. These chapter tests refer to concepts in an extremely detailed manner that were not covered in the appropriate chapters. The chapters tend to be extremely general and the practice tests contain some questions which get down to the nitty-gritty. As I was taking these self tests I found myself wondering where did they mention such a fact. When I would attempt to look up the concept for review, the fact wasn't even stated in the chapter or the book at all! There are those times when they do test you on things that are explained in later chapters -- poor organization! I felt that this was confusing and unfair to those new to this subject. I am lucky in the fact that I have taken a course in this and I have several other Oracle 9i references. Do yourself a favor and use this in conjunction with another Oracle 9i manual!

I found that compared to most Oracle books this book is above average. The examples are "mostly" simple where the author is not making assumptions about your current skill with Oracle. My biggest gripe about 90% of other Oracle docs out there tend to write from the perspective of a mid-level to senior dba talking to another mid-level+ dba.

Makes me wonder why the bother writing books that only well versed DBAs can read. This makes an already complicated field harder to break into.

Now after saying the good things about it let me give the bad things I found in the book.

1. Too many errors, to the point of it being very unacceptable for a tech reference. If you look up the corrected errors listed on their website it is only a part of many other errors I found as a layman. I can imigine that a more knowledgeable DBA would have found much more than I did. I don't know how many of the queries I sat there pondering how they could possibly for long periods only to find out later that the book is wrong. It is like they never even tried to test execute a few of the queries in question which would have not provided what was claimed?

2. As others have said the book focuses on much stuff that is not even touched on the test. I failed the test my first time. I think that if I hadn't wasted my time memorizing some obscure single row function details that really don't apply that just maybe I would have done a little better.

3. I really disagree with a few here who say the book questions are harder than the Oracle ones. I could probably have quoted you the questions and the concepts behind 99% of the book and it wasn't enough to pass the test I took. But then that may have just been the random test I drew up. I found the Oracle questions to be purposely more ambiguous than the ones in the book.

4. In the book I found many recurring themes in questions (NVL/DECODE/COALESCE/CASE/ROLLUP/CUBE/GROUPING et). I focused on these areas especially, and was rewarded with no questions whatsoever on the test from those areas of focus. Just because a concept is pounded into your head many time in many different ways don't assume it is important to the test:).

Conclusion: Maybe it is just sour grapes on my part but I am slightly bitter that I was left to reread some concepts many many times to only find not one reference on the test. But then this may just be an evil plot by Oracle to get more testing fees from me by changing the material.

All in all a good book by Oracle reference technical book standards (which are pretty low it seems).

There is no such thing as an error free technical book, but this one sets a new high-water mark for errors. Don't even begin without incorporating all the changes from the errata - which cover perhaps 3/4 of the errors. And there are even errors in the errata! The book has lost so much credibility with me that I find myself reading with considerable skepticism. Fortunately I have several years of Oracle SQL experience, so if something looks suspicious I just go to OTN to check.

All that said, the book is well designed as far as subject presentation (tho I would move data types to beginning), uses lots of clear (& usually correct) examples, and covers most of the material needed. I would probably purchase it again.

I depended only on this book to prepare for sql and pl/sql exam....ofcourse I read complete reference once.I am new to Oracle....Today I passed the exam with 50/57....This is a very good book for anyone who knew oracle basics.

practice questions in the book are very helpful .

Few hours ago I got 90% on 1Z0-007 test, and that's not bad at all. The only book that I used to prepare was this one, it turned out to be enough. But overall, using a single source is extremely foolhardy. Example: this book (very good in general) missed the coverage of create index syntax. On the test I got the question right only due to an educated guess.
The test also might contain more general questions than the practice exams have.
Despite the fact that the material tested is not exactly rocket science, one can not expect much more than this book has. Good balance of detail and brevity.

I recently passed the exam. Scored 54/57. I used this book and the materials that come in the CD (review questions, flash cards and 2 BONUS exams). Plus my several years of experience in Oracle also helped a lot.

In my opinion, this is the only book needed to get through the exam. Although, bit of practical experience is needed to come out in flying colors.

There are few mistakes, but they are easier to identify.

The book covers a lot of topics - more than 100% of what is needed to pass the exam. Real exam would be a cake-walk.

This book is a definite preparatory material.

Just passed the 1Z0-007 on my first attempt with flying colors. This book is really great at showing the concepts addressed in the exam. Make sure to do all the practice tests.

I also bought the online exam from www.selftestsoftware.com which
is much harder than the real test and helps show you where your weaknesses are.

This is an excellent book which is well written with lots of good examples and tests. I passed the exam 48/57.
Make sure you check the ERRATA for the book and it does help to try some of the practise tests that are out there in market.

I must admit I really didn't try that hard to study for this exam. I did, however, have a database class in school that went over some simple SQL syntax, but I still did need to look over Oracle SQL. I only studied for a week with this book and passed by the brim of my teeth 41/57. Wheeww!!! Anyway, all the questions I was asked on the exam were covered in the book and I am glad to say that this book was my sole source of information.

I just took the 1Z0-007 test this morning and passed, though not with flying colors! This book was good enough to get me through the test with little background Oracle experience. I would highly recommend getting some experience using the stuff in this book before taking the test, but, if you're impatient like me, this book (and a good amount of studying) should get you through.

There were a couple errors in the tests, but I thought they were a decent representation of the actual test questions. There were no surprises on the exam, and it seemed as though most topics were covered (some lighter than others).

I must say that this book covers more than 100% of the exam requirements, which helps me passed with 54/57. However, some questions, especially those in the chapter tests, are definite too hard. The advantage is, when you sit for the actual test you feel like a walk in the park; the disadvantage: you might spend most of your time memorizing stuff that never appear in the exam.

Also, the bonus tests require you to score 80% in order to pass the exam. In the actual exam, you only need 70%. Honestly, I think if you can score 60% in the bonus tests, you'll pass the exam in flying colors.

To give you a bit of back ground, I am a full time student and decided to do Oracle in my free time. I only have about 6 months's experience with SQL and I really didn't think I'd be able to do it. I actually bought the book as part of a set(OCP Cert. kit) together with another book co-written by Thomas Kyte to use as supplement.

Let me tell you that I believe for sure that you will get no better value for your money than this book. It covers 98% of the exam(maybe I just missed the other 2% I did not recognize in the exam) and it's written in a very organized style. The two bonus exams and the flashcards and chapter tests are a lot like the questions you'd get in the exam so do them and you can only win. If like me you are a beginner you might need another book to explain some of the topics in more detail and that's why I'm giving it four stars. If you have enough previous experience with Oracle you shouldn't need anything else than this book and you can change my four stars to five stars.

I read the book from cover to cover, and did the practice tests as well as the flash cards. The book is great for brushing up on the exam concepts, however it goes into too much detail on topics which are not really covered in the exam. For ex: Deferred and validated constraints.

The book is a must read, but you also need to take a few practice tests besides the one in the book.

Since I passed with a score of 54/57, mostly based on my study from this book, I would recommend it.

The book is very comprehensive, and allowed me to breeze through the exam in 45 minutes. The questions in the exam is very similar. I definitely recommend this book for people who already have a working knowledge of SQL/ PLSQL. One problem I did have was the way in which the Sybex test questions are formatted: The little windows with the scrollbars make hugh chunks of code reallt hard to read. My suggestion is to use this as a study guide, but take the test at a prometric center, as they have a easier to use interface.

I bought about a dozen certification books before obtaining the MCSE DBA title and had never bothered to write a comment. But the authors of this book have done such a good job that I feel compelled to share my opinion with all of you. It's by far the best study guide I've used. It covers every aspects of the subject. The questions in the book are decent and well constructed. I'm new to Oracle but passed the test easily after reading through the book. Eqally great about this book is the fact that it can serve as a great reference book (Especially liked the two chapters covering functions). Good value for your money.

I have more than 6 years of experience working with PL/SQL, but let me tell you one thing - don't attempt the 1Z0-007 exam without reading a exam guide. The fine points tested in the exam are not what every day PL/SQL programming is about. This book does an excellent job of covering all the exam objectives and just reading it cover to cover will give you adequate preparation for the test. I did all the practice questions twice along with the two bonus tests provided on the CD. I found that the level of questions in the real exam was slightly easier than that of the practice tests on the CD. How do I know? I used just this one book for preparation and scored 54/57 today afternoon. Wish you luck!

I used this book to pass the exam but it did have a few errors. Some of the questions in the chapter review tests as well as the full practice tests had errors or were worded poorly. This book was still good enough to help me pass the exam so I would have to recommend it.

I just pass the exam 5 minutes ago, and I an so supprised I got 93.3% (4 wrongs). I bought two books for this exam(an oracle press one). But focused on this book. I think the question on the test is a little more difficult than practice test. Anyway, this book help me a lot. It is a good reference during the test. Only one question on the test is not covered in this book (about iSQL).

How I prepared for the exam:
- I have several years of industry experience using PL/SQL
- I read this book cover to cover and worked through all of the review questions multiple times

This was enough for me to feel confident about roughly 65 to 70%of the exam questions (75% passes) and to make solid educated guesses at the rest. I passed on the first try and would recommend this book for beginners and experienced users.

While this book does a good job explaining and covering the topics on the exam, I would recommend a beginner to consider supplementing this approach with a difficult practice test. This would help cover some of the trick questions and concepts that might be overlooked with a limited amount of experience.

its a good book for start using oracle 9i sql features but if you are trying to get a OCP o OCA certification you must think again
and choose the oracle press version of this book

A very good book for getting upto speed with the Oracle 9i SQL enhancements. Good for both the test and as an Oracle 9i SQL reference. I took the exam and passed easily.