Tom Kyte web conference
A couple of hours ago Tom Kyte delivered a one hour web conference "Oracle 10g Application Development Features". It had some interesting material.
The topic (which wasn't made clear by the conference title) is "New features in Oracle's 10g database for people who use sql or pl/sql". That's what the "Application Development" in the title is referring, in others words, "developers" as opposed to "dbas"
Some of the topics were:
1)"Transparent" case insensitive searching. This is done by way of a new, specific kind of function-based index. Once the index is created for a specific column and a setting is set, no further developer code is required
2) Transparent code optimization. In some cases inefficient pl/sql code written by developers when compiled is now compiled as if the developer had written a more efficient version, the developer and users never notice the difference except it's faster.
3) Transparent use of array fetching. In other words even when you don't use the BULK COLLECT feature in "for loop" cursors...you're using it, making your code faster.
Other topics included:
1) "Transparent" use of encrypted columns. Once the dbas sets everything up, if you have rights to select the column in question, you see it, if not, you get an oracle error. This also improves security in case the database is ever "stolen"
2) A "bad" table for any dml similar to what happens currently when you load data from sql loader or when creating a constraint. Great for those "insert into blah select a whole lot of rows at a time" inserts. With 10g, the valid rows get inserted and you can tell which rows failed to insert and why.
3) Native support for xquery queries. I'm sure xquery was available in 9i in a dbms_something type package. As I understand it, now it is completely built into the database, which means it should be faster and should not require the xml schema objects to be created.
There may also be a topic or two I've forgotten. The presentation ran roughly 45-50 minutes with 10-15 minutes worth of questions and answers. Tom Kyte used both a Power Point presentation as well as precanned scripts to show stuff in a sql*plus session, so it's more than just a 45 minute power point commercial for 10g.
The topic (which wasn't made clear by the conference title) is "New features in Oracle's 10g database for people who use sql or pl/sql". That's what the "Application Development" in the title is referring, in others words, "developers" as opposed to "dbas"
Some of the topics were:
1)"Transparent" case insensitive searching. This is done by way of a new, specific kind of function-based index. Once the index is created for a specific column and a setting is set, no further developer code is required
2) Transparent code optimization. In some cases inefficient pl/sql code written by developers when compiled is now compiled as if the developer had written a more efficient version, the developer and users never notice the difference except it's faster.
3) Transparent use of array fetching. In other words even when you don't use the BULK COLLECT feature in "for loop" cursors...you're using it, making your code faster.
Other topics included:
1) "Transparent" use of encrypted columns. Once the dbas sets everything up, if you have rights to select the column in question, you see it, if not, you get an oracle error. This also improves security in case the database is ever "stolen"
2) A "bad" table for any dml similar to what happens currently when you load data from sql loader or when creating a constraint. Great for those "insert into blah select a whole lot of rows at a time" inserts. With 10g, the valid rows get inserted and you can tell which rows failed to insert and why.
3) Native support for xquery queries. I'm sure xquery was available in 9i in a dbms_something type package. As I understand it, now it is completely built into the database, which means it should be faster and should not require the xml schema objects to be created.
There may also be a topic or two I've forgotten. The presentation ran roughly 45-50 minutes with 10-15 minutes worth of questions and answers. Tom Kyte used both a Power Point presentation as well as precanned scripts to show stuff in a sql*plus session, so it's more than just a 45 minute power point commercial for 10g.