Oracle Beginnings - Where to Start?

Scalli0n asks: "I'm a programmer with a solid computer science background, but I'd like to know where I should start with the behemoth that is Oracle - my bosses tell me that I need to learn it to store geodatabases (since I work with geospatial intelligence) and I have no clue where to start since nobody can even tell me of a good beginners book - any suggestions?"

Comments

Re:Oracle is overrated

[mrobinso]

Well, the question starts off with "I'm a programmer with a solid computer science background...", so I'm assuming we're dealing with a reasonably intelligent creature with a university education, since computer science starts there.

One can safely assume then that the user is reasonable intelligent and could discern from the manual titles or chapters where to start. For example, I would think that a beginner would want to start with Chapter 1, or a manual titled "Getting Started". Something like that.

If a beginner starts off with "Triggers, Stored Procedures, & Advanced Normalization Theory", well then, going back to the solid computer science background, I assume he or she is familiar with terms like "chomp", "bitten squarely on the ass", "pebkac", and "you're fired".

I was certainly tempted to point the questioner to both mysql and postgresql (ahem, in no particular order), and also ask if his bosses were qualified to single out Oracle to exclusion of other less costly and better documented products, and whether or not the logic behind that decision was questioned. My first duty as the point person in my outfit's IT strategy is help them refrain from making stupid decisions, not read manuals to learn how to cope with them.

Frankly, if he's going to hit the ground running with Oracle, with little or no experience, the manual I would be most inclined to point him to is "How To Write An Effective Resume". All hell is certainly about to break loose.