Oracle Database: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 08:00, 29 July 2004

Revision as of 08:09, 29 July 2004

Line 2:

[[nl:Oracle]]

The '''Oracle database''' is a [[relational database]] system from [[Oracle corporation]] extensively used in product and internet-based applications in different platforms. Oracle database was developed by [[Larry Ellison]], along with friends and former coworkers [[Bob Miner]] and [[Ed Oates]], who had started a consultancy called [[Software Development Laboratories]] (SDL). They called their finished product Oracle, after the code name of a CIA-funded project they had worked on at a previous employer, Ampex.

==Data storage structure==

Oracle stores data logically in the form of ''tablespaces'' and physically in the form of ''data files''. Tablespaces are conceived based on the type of the data ''segments'' they contain, for example, Data Segments, Index Segments, Bootstrap Segments, etc. Segments in turn are made up of one or more ''extents''. Extents are grouped based on contiguous ''data blocks''. Data blocks are the basic unit of data storage. At the physical level, data files are made up of one or more data blocks, where the blocksize can be variable.

Oracle keeps track of data storage with the help of information stored in the ''System'' tablespace. The System tablespace contains the ''Data Dictionary'', indexes and clusters. Data dictionary is a special collection of tables that contains information about all user objects in the database.

An Oracle database installation traditionally comes with a default [[schema]] called ''scott''. After the sample tables have been created, the user can log into the database with the user ''scott'' and password ''tiger''. These names come from [[Bruce Scott]] who was one of the first employees at Oracle (then Software Development Laboratories). Tiger was the name of his cat.

==History==

Line 38 ⟶ 44:

*Oracle 10g

In addition to its powerful [[RDBMS]], Oracle has released several related suites of applications. These have historically followed their own release numbering conventions. For example, Oracle Designer's upgrade path led from 6i to 2000 to 9i, when it was subsumed into Oracle Developer 9i. As of the RDBMS 10g release, Oracle seems to be making an effort to standardise all current versions of its major products on the "10g" label. This will be most confusing to Oracle Applications users, who will have to upgrade from version 11i to version 10g.

==Database-related applications==

Some of the major database-related suites of Oracle applications are:

*Oracle Designer/Developer

*[[Oracle Forms]]

*[[Oracle Reports]]

*Oracle Applications

*[[Oracle HR]]

Newbies to Oracle who need to get it up and running should check out the comp.databases.oracle [[Usenet]] discussion groups. Users who have Oracle support contracts should turn to Oracle's Metalink website, see below (requires password).

==List of Firsts==

*Oracle is the first database product tested to comply with the ANSI SQL standard.