Reviews for OCP Oracle Database 11g New Features for Administrators Exam Guide (Exam 1Z0-050) (Osborne Oracle Press Series)

1. Fine as a study index - but do not rely on this book as the sole source of information - use the Oracle documentation alongside

   Rated 2 out of 5 stars, November 12th, 2009

   First a word of warning: this book contains a lot of mistakes. It also plagiarises substantial parts of the Oracle documentation, i.e. you find examples literally copied and pasted into the book from the available documentation.
   This severely diminishes the value of the book - and in effect reduces it to an index of areas to study because many parts can already be found in the documentation and because it is full of bugs and therefore cannot be relied upon as the sole source of information.
   I therefore find that I read the online documentation alongside this book - and I rely on the online documentation where the two differ.
   It is a shame that the author obviously has not worked through a substantial part of the subject matter - by simply copying and pasting and rewording contents. It is also beyond me how the author and publisher gets away with this obvious disregard for basic copyright law and moral obligations as an author - there is no doubt that in the academic world the author would have been ridiculed and send off on his bike - never to again publish on another subject.
   Alas, there is no alternative - Sybex, my favorite certification publisher, is yet to release an 11g OCP New Features book for exam 1Z0-050. Such a shame...

2. Could be better

   Rated 3 out of 5 stars, August 12th, 2009

   I agree with the other reviewers who point out the number of errors and inconsistencies within the book; clearly there has been no sort of technical proofreading done at all, so that the book can, and often does, contradict itself several times on a page. I found reading it alongside a SQLPlus session worthwhile, to work out which assertion is the correct one!
   
   I too have done 9i and 10g certification, and this book will do the job. I was pleased that there was more focus on the exam than in the 10g book, with direct links to the certification objectives, and specific 'need to know' points at the end of each chapter arranged as a very useful 2 minute drill. It's just that a simple proofread would have made it so much better.

3. Lots of Mistakes

   Rated 3 out of 5 stars, September 12st, 2008

   Well, I am already certified in 9i and 10g and have been through many OCP books before. I believe the big deal of these books is to get it ready as soon as possible and therefore have it available for sale. And that is the reason for so many mistakes...Don't get me wrong, because I indeed believe that this book can help you pass the exam. It is not bad and presents the student/reader with a very concise view of all the new features which is very helpful. Also, the author has passed the exam himself. The problem tough, is the high volume of mistakes in it. Quite often the book contradicts itself. But I have seen it before and I can ensure that, if used properly, this book is enough to get you passed the exam. Should you buy this book? Well, there aren't many other options available at the moment anyway. If you pay attention to this book and do a little research on the topics that you could not understand or whenever you find a mistake, I think you will be pretty much prepared for the test. I will be taking the test in a few weeks, hopefully it goes all well...

4. Maybe better than nothing

   Rated 3 out of 5 stars, June 12th, 2008

   I took the Oracle Database 11g New Features for Administrators course and this book is basically a rewording of the manuals that were provided in that course. Sometimes the rewording is helpful, but I have also found mistakes in the text - e.g., according to the Oracle manuals, the default encryption algorithm for a SecureFiles LOB is AES192, but the book states that it is AES128, which is wrong. This is but one of several mistakes I've noticed just from using parts of the book to supplement the rereading of the Oracle manuals (i.e., I'm not reading this book straight from cover to cover). If you don't have the Oracle manuals, then this book is maybe better than nothing and the price isn't too bad. Also, I think the two practice tests that you get with the book plus the two practice tests that you can then download from Osborne make it worth it. There is nothing like practicing with electronic questions for learning purposes. I also highly recommend, as essential supplementary reading material for preparing for the exam, the series of (currently 18 of 20 planned) articles by Arup Nanda in Oracle Technology Network in the section entitled "Oracle Database 11g: The Top New Features for DBAs and Developers".