This handbook describes what DBAs need to know about Perl and explains how they can use this popular open source language to manage, monitor, and tune their databases.

Perl is a very powerful tool for Oracle database administrators, but too few DBAs realize how helpful Perl can be in managing, monitoring, and tuning Oracle databases. Whether you're responsible for Oracle9i, Oracle8i, or earlier databases, you'll find Perl an invaluable addition to your database administration arsenal.You don't need to be a Perl expert to use the excellent applications and scripts described in Perl for Oracle DBAs. The book explains what you need to know about Perl, provides a wealth of ready-to-use scripts developed especially for Oracle DBAs, and suggests many resources for further exploration. The book covers: The Perl language -- an introduction to Perl, its rich history and culture, and its extensive text processing and data transformation capabilities. The Perl/Oracle architecture -- Detailed information about Perl DBI, DBD::Oracle, the Oracle Call Interface (OCI), Oracle::OCI, extproc_perl, and mod_perl, the modules that allow Perl programs to communicate with Oracle databases. Perl applications for Oracle DBAs -- Profiles of the best Perl open source applications available for use and customization by Oracle DBAs: Perl/Tk, OraExplain, StatsView, Orac, DDL::Oracle, SchemaDiff, Senora, DBD::Chart, SchemaView-Plus, Oracletool, Karma, Embperl, and Mason. The Perl Database Administration (PDBA) Toolkit -- a comprehensive suite of specialized, ready-to-use scripts designed to help Oracle DBAs perform both routine and special-purpose administrative tasks: monitoring the Oracle alert log and databases, creating and managing Oracle user accounts, maintaining indexes and extents, extracting DDL and data, troubleshooting and tuning database problems, and much more. The book also explains how Oracle DBAs and developers can extend the toolkit and solve their own database administration problems using Perl.

One of the greatest strengths of the Perl programming language is its ability to manipulate large amounts of data. Database programming is therefore a natural fit for Perl, not only for business applications but also for CGI-based web and intranet applications.The primary interface for database programming in Perl is DBI. DBI is a database-independent package that provides a consistent set of routines regardless of what database product you use--Oracle, Sybase, Ingres, Informix, you name it. The design of DBI is to separate the actual database drivers (DBDs) from the programmer's API, so any DBI program can work with any database, or even with multiple databases by different vendors simultaneously.Programming the Perl DBI is coauthored by Alligator Descartes, one of the most active members of the DBI community, and by Tim Bunce, the inventor of DBI. For the uninitiated, the book explains the architecture of DBI and shows you how to write DBI-based programs. For the experienced DBI dabbler, this book reveals DBI's nuances and the peculiarities of each individual DBD.The book includes: An introduction to DBI and its design How to construct queries and bind parameters Working with database, driver, and statement handles Debugging techniques Coverage of each existing DBD A complete reference to DBI This is the definitive book for database programming in Perl.

Linux Recipes for Oracle DBAs is an example–based book on managing Oracle Database in a Linux environment. Covering commonly used distributions such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Oracle Enterprise Linux, the book is written for database administrators who need to get work done and lack the luxury of curling up fireside with a stack of Linux documentation. The book is task–oriented: Look up the task to perform. See the solution. Read up on the details. Get the job done. Takes you directly from problem to solution Covers the “right” mix of Linux user and administration tasks for database administrators Respects your time by being succinct and to–the–point What you’ll learn Execute Linux commands applicable to Oracle Database administration. Write shell scripts to automate critical DBA tasks. Monitor, tune, and optimize a Linux server to run Oracle Database. Perform Linux system administration tasks relevant to Oracle Database. Implement Oracle real application clusters on Linux. Implement Oracle automatic storage management on Linux. Remotely (and securely!) manage Oracle on Linux. Who this book is for Linux Recipes for Oracle DBAs is a book for Oracle database administrators who want to expertly operate Oracle databases on the Linux operating system. If you’re new to Linux, or are migrating from a Unix platform, or just want detailed solutions for tasks that Oracle DBAs perform on Linux servers, this book is for you.

The latest edition of this classic reference has been updated to cover Oracle Database 10g. Among the Oracle 10g features examined include regular expression support, native compilation, and new datatypes. The book also includes discussions on language syntax, how to build real applications, and how to apply best practices. Written by the world's foremost PL/SQL authority, Steven Feuerstein.

The first book to tie together the commercial world of Oracle and the free-wheeling world of open source software, this guide describes nearly 100 open source tools, from the wide applied (Linux, Apache) to the Oracle-specific (Orasoft, Orac). Readers learn where to get them, their advantages to Oracle developers and DBAs, and how to create and release new open source Oracle tools.

The Unix for Oracle DBAs Pocket Reference puts within easy reach the commands that Oracle database administrators need most when operating in a Unix environment. If you are an Oracle DBA moving to Unix from another environment such as Windows NT or IBM Mainframe, you know that these commands are far different from those covered in most beginning Unix books. To jump start your learning process, Don Burleson has gathered together in this succinct book the Unix commands he most often uses when managing Oracle databases. You'll be able to reach into your pocket for the answer when you need to know how to: Display all Unix components related to Oracle, identify the top CPU consumers on your server, and even kill processes when necessary Stack Unix commands into powerful scripts that can perform vital DBA functions Monitor Unix filesystems, and automatically manage your trace files, dump files, and archived redo log files Use essential server monitoring commands such as top, sar, and vmstat And there's much more between these covers. If you need to get up to speed with Oracle on Unix, and quickly, this book is for you.