Hand-picked news on Oracle and technology in general from AskTheOracle.net

5 Startups that could change the face of big data

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 02:22:06 GMT

Organisations are storing ever increasing quantities of data and whilst tools exist at the infrastructure level to handle large amounts of data (so called big data), the applications required on top of this infrastructure have had to be custom built. This could all be about to change though. Gigaom has identified 5 relatively unknown startups that could bring big data applications into the mainstream.

More details on teh Oracle SCN issue

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 06:06:43 GMT

Since Infoworld first highlighted this issue on 17th Jan 2012 there have been plenty of comments and a critical patch update from Oracle to fix this bug. However if you've been looking for more technical details about the issue you've been out of luck, until very recently. Now orainternals has published a blog providing backgtound information on how Oracle databases use the scn and more details on the issue identified by Infoworld.

The Big Data Online Forum

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:25:47 GMT

Oracle Senior Technical Architect Tom Kyte, Cloudera CEO Mike Olson, and others will be presenting at the Big Data Online Forum and discussing the essentials of big data from the technology underlying it to real-world use cases on Thursday Feb 16th 2012.

How Cloud Computing is Changing Many Job Descriptions

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:24:06 GMT

The advent of cloud computing is having a big effect on the way companies do business and obviously an even bigger effect on companies IT systems and the employees involved with them. As companies reduce their involvement with the nitty gritty of their IT systems, the greater the requirements will be for strategists and architects - people to design the "big picture" and the lesser the requirements for the lower-level jobs.

About Oracle Database Systems Change Number

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:48:19 GMT

Infoworld reported on Jan 17th 2012 that they have found a fundamental flaw affecting the Oracle SCN in the way that Oracle databases have been designed. This seems to be a relatively rare issue but it is a potential security risk so Oracle have released a bug fix in the January 2012 Critical Patch Update to address the security issue and have provided a detailed description of the problem on their "Security Assurance Blog".

Oracle Partners With Cloudera To Produce Big Data Appliance

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 07:02:43 GMT

Oracle announced its Big Data Appliance at Oracle Open World in October 2011 and has now partnered with Cloudera to provide the Hadoop database needed to make this a reality.

Oracle Enhances "TimesTen" To Compete With SAP

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 06:11:54 GMT

Oracle recently released version 11g R2 of its TimesTen In-Memory Database in order to compete with SAP's Hana product. Oracle state that the new release of TimesTen will support more users, more sessions and provide a greater throughput and will now support analytic applications by running the Oracle Exalytics appliance as well as OLTP applications. This enables it to compete with SAP's Hana in-memory database which originally supported just analytical applications but is now moving into OLTP.

Oracle Strenghtens Databse Firewall Against SQL Injection Attacks

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:50:40 GMT

Oracle has enhanced its database firewall to increase security and reduce the risks of breaches by both employees and sql injection attacks. Support has also been added for MySQL in the latest release.

Do More with Oracle WebCenter: Expand Beyond Portals.

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 06:49:28 GMT

Oracle will be hosting a webinar "Do More with Oracle WebCenter: Expand Beyond Portals" on Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 10:00 AM PST. Christian Finn of Oracle will be discussing how Oracle WebCenter includes comprehensive content, Web experience management, and social computing capabilities. The presentation will explain Oracle WebCenter enables you to create advanced customer-facing Web solutions which will enhance customer loyalty and sales and how to manage the lifecycle of content across your entire enterprise.

What's the difference between a trigger and a constraint in Oracle?

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:13:50 GMT

What's the difference between a trigger and a constraint in Oracle? To a certain extent there is only a subtle difference between a constraint and a trigger

Using a database link with heterogeneous services in Oracle Application Express

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:45:47 GMT

Bart Peeters describes how to overcome the problems that can occur in APEX (Application Express) when you're using heterogeneous services with a database link to connect an Oracle database and a non-Oracle database.

Oracle Database Webinar - "Real developers DO use tools"

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 04:41:54 GMT

Cary Millsap (ACE Director & former VP at Oracle) will be presenting this free webinar on Tuesday 24th Jan at 4pm GMT to show that using tools is necessary for efficient database development.

IOUG Tips and Best Practices Booklet

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:53:03 GMT

The IOUG (Independent Oracle Users Group) has compiled a booklet of technical tips from members for a variety of Oracle products. Although called a compilation of tips, it is actually a compilation of miniature presentations on topics such as Oracle Exadata, Oracle RMAN, AWR, ASM, security and the Oracle optimizer.

Oracle WebLogic Server 12c Virtual Developer Day

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 04:29:57 GMT

Oracle will be holding 4 virtual developer days in 3 different time zones on WebLogic Server 12c for Java developers and architects. Attendees will learn about Java EE6, WebLogic Server, Coherence, Eclipse, NetBeans, Maven and Hudson. The first session, for the Americas, will be held on Jan 24 2012 from 9:30 - 1:30 PST.

The Future of Oracle Forms is ... Forms!

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 22:18:31 GMT

Lucas Jellema and Grant Ronald did a presentation for the UK Oracle Users Group in December 2011 the purpose of which was to show how Oracle Forms applications from the 1990s could be modernised. The presentation shows how to integrate Forms (now part of Oracle Fusion Middleware) can be integrated with Web 2.0 portals and applications as part of a SOA.

How to delete all the rows in a table in an Oracle database leaving just the first 2 rows.

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:55:00 GMT

There is a table with 100 entries. I want to delete all the rows except first two row. How should I do it? This is a very good question and one that often

10 programming languages that could shake up IT

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:05:56 GMT

You might think that there are more than enough programming languages already without adding any more but for some the current set of languages is just not up to the job so they've invented their own. Some of these new languages are enhancements to existing languages such as Java and JavaScript whilst others are brand new designed from the ground up.

Oracle Exadata Virtual Conference 2012

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 03:40:28 GMT

The Independent Oracle Users Group will be holding the first Exadata Virtual Conference on January 19-20 2012 from 2pm to 5pm EST each day. The topics covered will include the state of Exadata in 2012, top Exadata features you need to know and how to survive Oracle Exadata patching. You have to register for each day separately. Registration for day 2 is at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/702427145

Oracle Virtualization Launch Software Updates

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:40:46 GMT

A couple of releases made just before Christmas that you might have missed:

Oracle VM VirtualBox 4.1.8 was released on 19th December 2011 - a maintenance release including various fixes for Direct3D support (un)installation
and Oracle VM 3.0.3 released on 22nd December 2011 including Oracle VM Server for x86 and Oracle VM Manager and offering "improved usability, manageability and security". See http://blogs.oracle.com/virtualization/entry/announcing_oracle_vm_3_0 for more details.

PLSQL Collections Explored (Part 2 - VARRAYs)

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:15:22 GMT

An introduction into the use of PLSQL collections in Oracle. Part 2 looks at VARRAYs (variable-size arrays)

10 cloud startups to watch in 2012

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 07:18:00 GMT

Cloud computing is becoming increasingly popular and clouded but Gigacom has identified and provides profiles of 10 start-up companies with cloud offerings of one type or another and with a good chance of success in 2012.

Your IT job prospects for 2012

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:14:41 GMT

Your job prospects for 2012 are mixed according to this article in InfoWorld. InfoWorld reports that IT budgets are increasing but much of this new money will be spent on outsourcing and whilst certain skills are in demand it seems unlikely that there will be a big increase in jobs overall.

Oracle Essentials, 4th Edition - download for free

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 00:19:17 GMT

Red Gate Software is currently offering the 4th Edition of Oracle Essentials (published by O'Reilley) for free download from their site. This book provides information about the Oracle database architecture (Oracle8 -11g), the various options and data structures and is a good reference book for beginners right through to experts.

Is YouTube at risk of bring shut down?

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 02:38:25 GMT

This is a departure from our usual discourse on Oracle databases and related technologies but we felt it was too important to ignore. According to this video (on YouTube!), YouTube is in danger of being shut down by the Stop Online Piracy Act which has a laudable (if impossible) aim of stopping copyright violations on the Internet. We are not in favour of stealing anyone else's intellectual property but if the facts reported in this video are correct then this act will do far more harm than good. Watch it and decide for yourselves.

Oracle Unveils New Release of Oracle Tuxedo 11g

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 07:33:05 GMT

On December 16 Oracle released the latest version of Tuxedo, its application server for C/C++, COBOL, and dynamic languages. This new release has been optimized to run on Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud X2-2, and delivers a scalable solution for high volume, low latency mission critical applications requiring the highest qualities of service. Oracle state that Tuxedo 11g is the best performing and most reliable and scalable solution for developing non-Java enterprise applications and migrating legacy mainframe applications to open systems.

Overview of Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c Cloud Control

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 04:24:01 GMT

Porus Homi Havewala, Senior Manager at Oracle Corporation has made available for download is overview presentation of the latest version of Enterprise Manager. The presentation includes a general introduction to Enterprise Manager 12c Cloud Control, the recommended architecture, a list of the most popular packs and a short introduction to the Application Management Suites, many slides on the Database Lifecycle Management Pack including the configuration management, provisioning, patch management and database change management aspects. There are also slides on the new Test Data Management Pack (data subsetting) and on Oracle and the cloud, showing cloud setup tasks for Iaas, DbaaS, and PaaS using Enterprise Manager.

Hiring Boom For Developers, Cloud Experts, and Business Strategists

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 04:06:48 GMT

Info World's article reports on the demand for technical skills - but not in the usual places such as Silicon Valley, instead they're in New York and Washington D.C. How strong is the market? Well according to the article "It feels a lot like the late '90s". The skills in demand this time though aren't just for software developers but also for business strategists and those with cloud experience.

Teaching To The Test

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 22:23:37 GMT

This blog asks a very important question about education and training - how borad or narrow should it be and how do you measure success? Is training with a view to passing a test/exam less valuable than training with no exam at the end of it? There is really no answer to that question. Training is designed to pass on practical skills and one way of determining whether any attention was paid during the course is to have an exam. That separates those who merely turned up from those who learned the subject. However an exam can't test everything and so real-world experience should always be worth more than a certificate. Of course, even better is to have both!

Tuning Oracle to Make a Query Slower

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 08:06:07 GMT

Kerry Osborne recently had an interesting task - tuning the database to make it slower! Why was he doing that? You'll need to read his blog to find that out.

Oracle WebLogic Server 12c: Look Ma, No Installer!

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 07:37:05 GMT

Continuing the them of Oracle WebLogic Server 12c, OTN has a produced a video showing how quick and easy WebLogic Server is to install straight from the zip file. No need to run an installer just unzip and everything you need is there.

WebLogic 12c questions and answers

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 07:02:21 GMT

Oracle WebLogic Server 12c was released on December 1st 2011. According to Oracle, this release "provides significant enhancements to help customers and partners lower their total cost of ownership, while accelerating the development cycle". Inevitably with a new release there are questions and Michel Schildmeijer of Amis attempts to answer them.

Oracle Forms Modernization to ADF, APEX

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 07:13:11 GMT

Oracle Forms has been around since the early 90s and whilst having gone through many changes in that time and still being developed by Oracle, many people see it as old technology and look to replace it. The usual alternatives are Oracle Application Express and Oracle ADF. PITSS have recorded a webinar discussing the challenges you could face if you decide to migrate from Forms to ADF or APEX.

6 Hot IT Jobs That Will Pay Well in 2012

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 07:39:30 GMT

Will 2012 be the year of the Cloud or will mobile hold sway? Or maybe COBOL will make a comeback! According to this article in CIO, satffing experts are predicting that 2102 will be a good year for IT professionals and have picked the six skills they believe will be in most demand.

Measuring Scalability and Performance with TCP

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 06:08:43 GMT

On December 13, 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM EST Baron Schwartz of Percona will be presenting a webinar performance tuning. He will teach you how to do black-box performance analysis to discover hidden problems and about mathematical performance and scalability models, and interpret the results with free tools from Percona Toolkit.

Oracle Exadata – A Real World Implementation

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 06:38:07 GMT

The Independent Oracle Users Group will be presenting Abe Tong from Genentech on Wednesday, December 7, 2011 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM CST to share some of his implementation experiences. After almost two years of installation of two Exadata V2 as early adopter, they have gone through a roller coaster like ride - upgrade from Quarter Rack to Half/Full, major software upgrade, numerous performance tunings, system crashes/hanging, etc.

The 12 Days of SQL: 12 Things Every Oracle DBA and Developer Should Know About SQL

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 07:15:57 GMT

Inspired by Andrew Zitelli's presentation Four Things Every DBA and Developer Should Know About Oracle at NoCOUG Conference #100 at the Computer History Museum, Iggy Fernandez provides am interesting treatise on the theory of SQL.

Top 10 Strategic Tech Trends for 2012

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 06:47:18 GMT

Gartner has come up with a list of the technologies they believe will be the most significant and peppered amongst the explanations are some surprising statistics. These include forecasts such as that by 2105 10% of the world's population will have voluntarily agreed to have their daily journeys on and off line tracked by companies such as Google, Apple, Microsoft etc.

New Innovations in Oracle Linux

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 07:55:29 GMT

Chris Mason, Director of Linux Kernel Engineering and Elena Zannoni, Director of Linux Engineering Tools will be hosting a webcast on Tuesday, November 15, 2011 at 9 am PST on the latest innovations related to Oracle Linux, including:

DTrace
Btrfs file system
Linux Containers
Networking: Virtual Switch
Trancendent Memory

What Causes Downtime in MySQL, and How Can You Prevent It?

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 08:09:53 GMT

Another great webinar from the Oracle Development Tools User Group on Thursday, November 10, 2011 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM EST. This one will be presented by Baron Schwartz of Percona and will be on the common issues that cause downtime in your MySQL (and Oracle) databases and, more importantly, what you can do about them.

Oracle 11g SQL New Features

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 07:12:53 GMT

The next Oracle Development Tools User Group webinar will be on Tuesday, November 8, 2011 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM EST. John King of King Training will be introducing the new and improved SQL features of Oracle 11g (both Oracle 11g R1 and Oracle 11g R2), in particular those features that reduce development time, make development simpler, improve performance, or speed deployment. Specific topics include: New SQL functions, virtual columns, result caching, and pivot statements.

Government CIOs blame low pay for IT skills gap

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 07:58:30 GMT

A report by the National Audit Office in the UK has blamed pay constraints in the public sector and inflexible recruitment processes in the UK civil service for the UK governments inability to attract people with the right IT skills.

Selling the Data Migration Strategy

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 05:41:00 GMT

According to Scott Delaney in Tasmania, Australia "There are two types of data specialists in this world: those who have been through a failed, or severely challenged, data migration project and those who will go through one in their future." That's a very bleak assessment of data migration projects but fortunately he doesn't leave it there, he also provides reasons why data migration projects fail and how to avoid the pitfalls.

Oracle boosts its big data credentials with NoSQL database release

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 06:53:45 GMT

Oracle's new NoSQL database is a distributed-key databases intended for customers who need to analyse large amounts of unstructured data such as electricity companies with smart meters. The database is available for download from the Oracle Technology Network.

Five tech pros companies want to hire

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 07:30:52 GMT

Whether you're actively looking for a new job or not it pays to keep an eye on what companies are actually looking for. CIO Magazine publishes the results of Robert Half'a survey of CIOs, including the 5 hottest roles currently in demand and the specific skill requirements.

Managing Exadata with Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 07:08:03 GMT

Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c is the latest release of Enterprise Manager building on from grid control in 11g to cloud control in 12c. Enterprise Manager enables the dba to see and manage the complete stack of hardware and software in Oracle Exadata. This presentation includes the following options and packs:

Diagnostics/Tuning Packs
Lifecycle Management Pack
Cloud Management Pack
Data Masking Pack
Test Data Management Pack
Real Application Testing Option

From PHP to Perl: What's hot, what's not

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 07:24:11 GMT

Scripting languages are becoming more and more popular and are being used to build enterprise applications but not all languages are equal some are in decline whilst others are on the rise. Infoworld's article charts the rise and fall of the various scripting languages and some of the reasons why so if you want to make sure you're not using last year's (or even last decade's) technology, read the article.

AIOUG Webcast: Methodical Performance Tuning

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 21:09:13 GMT

The All India Oracle Users Group (AIOUG) recently had a webcast by Arup Nanda on performance tuning which covered why you need to be methodical, what to look at and what tools to use. For those who missed it he has kindly offered the slides on his website. These provide an excellent grounding in performance tuning for both Oracle developers and dbas.

Oracle OpenWorld 2011

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 08:02:58 GMT

In case you missed it, Paul Greenberg of ZDNet has provided a roundup and offers his opinions on Oracle's strategy for future business growth and the new product announcements almost drawing the conclusion that Oracle (or at least Larry Ellison the CEO) is losing its touch.

Oracle Unveils Oracle Social Network

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 07:14:31 GMT

Here's another band wagon that Oracle are jumping on, along with cloud computing, but are they too late or is there still money to be made from corporates? It would be unlike Oracle not to take money from a new product but I haven't heard many companies say "oh if only we had our own social network we could make so much more money!" But maybe they have and maybe Oracle has listened to them and this is just what they need. Time will tell.

Oracle Database Webinar - Instrumentation: Why You Should Bother

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 06:18:43 GMT

Cary Millsap, Oracle ACE Director, will be hosting a webinar on his presentation from Oracle Open World: "Instrumentation: Why You Should Bother" at 4pm GMT on 2nd Nov 2011.