Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
APPENDIX A
What's New in This Book for
Oracle Database 12
c
When we wrote the first edition of
Oracle Essentials
in 1999, our goal was to offer a new
kind of topic about Oracle, one that would clearly and concisely cover all of the essential
features and concepts of the Oracle Database. In order to keep our focus on those es‐
sentials, we limited the scope of the topic.
For instance, we decided not to cover SQL, or PL/SQL, in depth; these complex topics
would have required a level of detail that would have run counter to the purpose of our
topic, and they are amply described in other topics.
The latest release of Oracle, Oracle Database 12
c
, contains many new features. Most of
these features build on the existing foundation of Oracle technology and enable new
flexibility in deployment. We tried to add details about these features in the chapters in
which their discussion seemed most appropriate, but there are (of course) some en‐
hancements that are outside the scope of this topic.
The following sections summarize the new features of Oracle Database 12
c
that are
covered in this new edition, chapter by chapter. Although many of these features are
mentioned in multiple chapters, they are listed here according to where the most rele‐
vant discussion occurs.
Chapter 1: Introducing Oracle
This introductory chapter was extensively updated to reflect the packaging changes in
Oracle Database 12
c
and introduce many of the new features described in more detail
in other chapters. Given Oracle's acquisition and development strategy, there were also
many changes to software and technologies that surround the Oracle database and many
of those components are described here.
