The Task: Take and load, using MySQL, a flatfile of over 450 colums and over 145,000 rows of data and put it into a staging table.
The Conditions: The data may not be altered prior to the staging load, or in the staging load. Only when the data is loaded from staging to the final tables may it be altered.
Views make the world appear differently. The concept was familiar to me, although under a different concept. Virtual tables. Creating something you can query and use as if it were a table, even though it’s not. Great tool for smoothing things out, and easing the work load on the DBA.
I return again to my APEX SQL command box, break open my books and guides, and prepare once more to do battle. In the time I spent away from it, I had many concepts and ideas floating in my head, and rather than do the smart thing and look them up in the book, I first try them out in my own example system.
So you want to learn SQL. Not a problem. You want to learn Oracle SQL, not a problem. You have no knowledge of SQL, not a real problem. All you need is some patience, access to a computer and the internet, and a little bit a familiarity with how to use a computer.
It seems that Oracle has seen a need for, and developed a product for the entry level business that doesn’t require a huge investment in hardware or software knowledge. This is Oracle APEX, or APplication EXpress. At first glance it seems to be a streamlined melding of other Oracle products (I can see bits of Application Server and Portal in it) It requires much less knowledge of PL/SQL or Oracle Architecture to build applications, which makes it ideal, doubly for getting people into using Oracle Products. The better part is it will work with any Oracle Database install version after 9.2 without issue, including a little gem called XE.
Oracle Database Express Edition (currently version 10g) is a wonderful little setup. Designed for…
I was handed a task to build an install guide from the higher ups. They asked for clear instructions, documented steps and screenshots to go with it all. I was already looking forward to it.
Our friends at Oracle give us a nice list of requirements for their Application Server and Portal products, to help us define to our customers what is needed to run these mammoths of ability and power. But can you make it run on less? And if so, how much less?
Note: Oracle does not condone or recommend any of the following practices. In a real production environment, I agree. This was done as a test to see if it could be done.
Oracle says that to run Application Server 10g you need a few things. For this post, we are on the Windows Server OS. It is put forth you need to be on at least SP1 of Server 2003, Have a minimum 300 MHz CPU (although they recommend a 450, and really recommend 2 GHz and up), and 1 GB of RAM, on an NTFS file system. There is of course the need for a Network interface, and some other ancillary items, but above are the core hardware specs, pulled from their installation documents.
If I said you could make it work in 640 MB of RAM, at 1.4 GHz of CPU on a desktop motherboard, you might say I’m crazy…
