Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 1
Introducing Oracle
Where do we start? One of the problems in comprehending a massive product such as
the Oracle Database is getting a good sense of how the product works without getting
lost in the details. This topic aims to provide a thorough grounding in the concepts and
technologies that form the foundation of Oracle's Database Server, currently known as
Oracle Database 12
c
. The topic is intended for a wide range of Oracle Database admin‐
istrators, developers, and users, from the novice to the experienced. It is our hope that
once you have this basic understanding of the product, you'll be able to connect the dots
when using Oracle's voluminous feature set, documentation, and the many other topics
and publications that describe the database.
Oracle also offers an Application Server and Fusion Middleware, business intelligence
tools, and business applications (the E-Business Suite, PeopleSoft, JD Edwards, Siebel,
Hyperion, and Fusion, among others). Since this topic is focused on the database, we
will only touch on these other software products as they relate to specific Oracle Data‐
base topics covered.
This first chapter lays the groundwork for the rest of the topic. Of all the chapters, it
covers the broadest range of topics. Most of these topics are discussed later in more
depth, but some of the basics—for example, the brief history of Oracle and the contents
of the different “flavors” of the Oracle Database products—are unique to this chapter.
Over the past 30-plus years, Oracle grew from being one of many vendors that developed
and sold a database product to being widely recognized as the database market leader.
Although early products were typical of a startup company, the Oracle Database grew
such that its technical capabilities are now often viewed as the most advanced in the
industry. With each database release, Oracle has improved the scalability, functionality,
and manageability of the database.
