development

Aggregation

SQL is not all just primary key lookups, although some applications sadly see SQL as only useful in that way. As soon as you have data, you will always have the need to aggregate it, and SQL is the perfect vehicle for that. I did a video recently which I will embed below that was discussing the new 19c COUNT DISTINCT facilities which can dramatically speed up query processing that have requirements including the DISTINCT clause. One of the things I covered was the difference between our traditional aggregation facilities of sorting the data versus our new improved hashing facilities.

At college/university, the learning path for a computing-related course often includes several coding languages, and occasionally some treatment of database technology as well. But often, it is only once you enter the business world as you embark upon your IT career that you truly start to face the demands of enterprise-level data requirements. The small amount of education on databases, or the small databases themselves sometimes do not prepare you for the realisation that data drives everything in the business world.

And where does one start? The amount of content out there about databases is overwhelming, and often assumes a base level of knowledge or is targeted at solving specific business problems.

If you have faced this obstacle, then I’m pleased to offer a new resource for you. One simple, consolidated, FREE training guide to kick start your database knowledge on developing applications on the Oracle Database.

Enjoy!

When sequences won’t do

In an Oracle database if someone comes to you and says “I need to generate unique numbers” then anyone with any experience of Oracle will more likely than not suggest a sequence. And that is good advice because a sequence is incredibly fast, scales well with multiple users, is very easy to code and is guaranteed unique. It is the perfect tool for generating surrogate keys, that is, meaningless numbers for primary keys in particular, which of course by the very definition of primary key, must be unique

Today’s blog post is somewhat of a different one. You could perhaps argue that it is even non-technical but bear with me, there is a strong relationship to technical work on the topic of productivity.

One of the things we often read about in blog posts, see in YouTube videos or any other form of social media when it comes to being a technology professional, is the importance of taking regular breaks. Even outside the realm of technology, the ergonomists constantly tell us about the mental and physical health benefits of taking regular breaks.

I was doing some code review today of a PL/SQL package, and came across a routine to generate a list of employees for a department.  Truth be told, it wasn’t employees and departments but some anonymity is called for here.

Ready to explore the possibilities with the block editor? WPBlockTalk is a free and live virtual event that will bring together designers, developers, and other WordPress enthusiasts from across the WordPress community.

Topics to expect:

• Building the block editor: what it takes to develop the block editor, what features are on the roadmap, and how you can contribute
• Developing blocks: inspiration and ideas for developing your own custom blocks
• Designing with blocks: learn more about using blocks to make powerful and versatile layouts and templates

If you’re passionate and curious about the future of WordPress, then this April 2 event is for you!

If you’re busy that day, don’t worry — all the talks will also be published on WordPress.tv for you to watch (and re-watch) whenever you like.

I wanted to do a write-up for the APEX Connect conference that happened in Bonn, Germany, a few days ago, as it was a slightly different conference than I normally go to and a slightly different experience for me.

Like a surprisingly large number of people, I’m dyslexic. I’ve mentioned this before, describing how I found out I was dyslexic and also how I think it is sometimes used as an odd sort-of badge of distinction. I am mildly dyslexic, the letters do not try to “merge or run away” from my eye, if I hit a large word I am unfamiliar with I can visually chop it up and get through it. But that is just me. So, today, I want to ask you all, if you are a dyslexic developer or know one, are there any steps you have taken to reduce the impact?

ODC Appreciation Day is an idea that Tim Hall (aka Oracle-Base) came up with, to show out appreciation for the Oracle Technology Network (OTN)/Oracle Developer Community.

Jump over to the Oracle Code home page and you will see the “mission statement” of the Oracle Code conference series:

“Learn from technical experts in sessions for developing software in Java, Node.js, and other languages and frameworks.”