Oracle DBA: Step 2: Sql and Pl/sql

Oracle DBA: Step 2: Sql and Pl/sql.

After reading my first blog. You should have some idea about database design.
Lets learn some sql and pl/sql now.
I think blog i am trying to provide the information about the sql and pl/sql.

What is sql:
SQL (Structured Query Language) is a database computer language designed for managing data in relational database management systems (RDBMS)
in 1979, Relational Software, Inc (Now Oracle Corp) introduced the first commercially available implementation of SQL, Oracle V2 (Version2) for VAX computers.
The most common operation in SQL is the query: You can select data from the database tables.

Example:

SQL> select ename from emp; This will retreive the data from emp table and column ename.

Learn:

Data Manipulation Language (Example Select,insert,update etc)
Data Definition Language (Create/drop/alter table )
Data Control Language (Grant/Revoke)

One of the best website for learning SQL is http://www.sqlcourse.com/


What is pl/sql:

PL/SQL (Procedural Language/Structured Query Language) is Oracle Corporation's procedural extension language for SQL and the Oracle relational database.
As a DBA you should learn basic pl/sql (Advance is required for mainly Developers). But you must have an idea about pl/sql.

Learn:

PL/SQL program units
Anonymous Blocks
Functions in PL/SQL are a collection of SQL and PL/SQL (Return a value)
Procedures
Packages
variables
conditional statements
Array handling
Loop
Cursor.


Sample code.

http://www.oracle.com/technology/sample_code/tech/pl_sql/index.html

If you are working on earlier releases of Oracle, try 11g new features.
Try this link.
http://www.oracle.com/technology/pub/articles/oracle-database-11g-top-features/11g-efficient-coding.html

Test you pl/sql knowledge here.

http://apex.oracle.com/pls/otn/f?p=2853:10:2206418372587698::NO:10 ::

More about pl/sql
http://www.oracle.com/technology/tech/pl_sql/index.html

More about pl/sql

http://www.orafaq.com/wiki/PL/SQL_FAQ

In your DBA life..You will write millions of sqls...Its the first tool you should learn..