Lots of MistakesWell, I am already certified in 9i and 10g and have been through many OCP books before. I believe the big deal of these books is to get it ready as soon as possible and therefore have it available for sale. And that is the reason for so many mistakes...Don't get me wrong, because I indeed believe that this book can help you pass the exam. It is not bad and presents the student/reader with a very concise view of all the new features which is very helpful. Also, the author has passed the exam himself. The problem tough, is the high volume of mistakes in it. Quite often the book contradicts itself. But I have seen it before and I can ensure that, if used properly, this book is enough to get you passed the exam. Should you buy this book? Well, there aren't many other options available at the moment anyway. If you pay attention to this book and do a little research on the topics that you could not understand or whenever you find a mistake, I think you will be pretty much prepared for the test. I will be taking the test in a few weeks, hopefully it goes all well...
Maybe better than nothingI took the Oracle Database 11g New Features for Administrators course and this book is basically a rewording of the manuals that were provided in that course. Sometimes the rewording is helpful, but I have also found mistakes in the text - e.g., according to the Oracle manuals, the default encryption algorithm for a SecureFiles LOB is AES192, but the book states that it is AES128, which is wrong. This is but one of several mistakes I've noticed just from using parts of the book to supplement the rereading of the Oracle manuals (i.e., I'm not reading this book straight from cover to cover). If you don't have the Oracle manuals, then this book is maybe better than nothing and the price isn't too bad. Also, I think the two practice tests that you get with the book plus the two practice tests that you can then download from Osborne make it worth it. There is nothing like practicing with electronic questions for learning purposes. I also highly recommend, as essential supplementary reading material for preparing for the exam, the series of (currently 18 of 20 planned) articles by Arup Nanda in Oracle Technology Network in the section entitled "Oracle Database 11g: The Top New Features for DBAs and Developers".
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