Worth the Investment

In his book "Oracle High Performance Tuning for 9i and 10g", Mr Powell has provided a methodical framework for addressing a complex challenge by covering all three logical aspects - data model, SQL and physical - of tuning in highly readable and practical format.

The difficulty in Oracle tuning stems from the fact that the process typically involves many skill sets - from data modeling to application development to database and network administration. In between, throw in the quintessential queueing theory, hardware advances, models in concrete, domain knowledge, etc. and it can really stretch both the depth and breadth of your team's or your capabilities and interests. Mr Powell was able to address most of these issues through invaluable pointers throughout the book and kept me interested to explore the pages.

I was thus fortunate to find this book during the middle of a database migration project. Using it as a guide, I managed to put the principles (not heavy-duty theories) and working samples (yes! they worked beautifully) into action amid tight timelines. If you put in the time and effort to go through the chapters and examples, you will easily understand why I, who has for sometime stop buying IT books, consider this book as having one of the highest ROI in my library so far.

Where I find useful, but not available, are the sample databases and perhaps the inclusion of graphical query paths in the samples to illustrate the design of SQL re-write.

Overall, the book has offered a balanced, practical treatment of the subject in a concise, intelligent format. But above all and to me most important, it has been a pleasure to read. Thanks for the sharing and keep up the writing, Mr Powell!

Other Reviews

• underwhelmed
• Very beginner's book
• Excellent book for new DBA's and good review book for the experienced
• Vague and primitive
• Worth the Investment