Objectives of This Book

The single most important objective of this book is to help you harness the power of Oracle SQL to the maximum extent possible. You will learn to:

• Understand the features and capabilities of the SQL language, as implemented by Oracle.

• Use complex SQL features such as outer joins, correlated subqueries, hierarchical queries, grouping operations, analytical queries, etc.

• Use DECODE and CASE to implement conditional logic in your SQL queries.

• Write SQL statements that operate against partitions, objects, and collections such as nested tables and variable arrays.

• Use the new SQL features introduced in Oracle9i, such as new date and time features, ANSI-compliant joins, and new grouping and analytical functions.

• Use best practices to write efficient, maintainable SQL queries.