Oracle is an enormous system, with myriad technologies, options, and releases. Most users-even experienced developers and database administrators-find it difficult to get a handle on the full scope of the Oracle database. And, as each new Oracle version is released, users find themselves under increasing pressure to learn about a whole range of new technologies. The latest challenge is Oracle Database 11g.

This book distills an enormous amount of information about Oracle into a compact, easy-to-read volume filled with focused text, illustrations, and helpful hints. It contains chapters on:

* Oracle products, options, data structures, and overall architecture for Oracle Database 11g, as well as earlier releases (Oracle Database 10g, Oracle9i, and Oracle8i)

* Installing, running, managing, monitoring, networking, and tuning Oracle, including Enterprise Manager (EM) and Oracle's self-tuning and management capabilities; and using Oracle security, auditing, and compliance (a new chapter in this edition)

* Multiuser concurrency, data warehouses, distributed databases, online transaction processing (OLTP), high availability, and hardware architectures (e.g., SMP, clusters, NUMA, and grid computing)

* Features beyond the Oracle database: Oracle Application Express, Fusion Middleware (including Oracle Application Server), and database SOA support as a Web services provider

The latest Oracle Database 11g features: query result set caching, Automatic Memory Management, the Real Application Testing, Advanced Compression, Total Recall, and Active Data Guard Option Options, changes to the OLAP Option (transparently accessed and managed as materialized views), the Flashback transaction command, transparent data encryption, the Support Workbench (and diagnosability infrastructure), and partitioning enhancements (including interval and new composite types)

For new Oracle users, DBAs, developers, and managers, Oracle Essentials provides an invaluable, all-in-one introduction to the full range of Oracle features and technologies, including the just-released Oracle Database 11g features. But even if you already have a library full of Oracle documentation, you'll find that this compact book is the one you turn to, again and again, as your one-stop, truly essential reference.