PL/SQL Challenge Authorship

The PL/SQL Challenge site by Steven Feuerstein is great for learning various SQL and PL/SQL techniques. I am one of the quiz authors - I write most of the SQL quizzes (and one or two PL/SQL quizzes now and then.)

That means there is now accumulated quite a bit of my work as quizzes - each quiz demonstrating some knowledge of SQL. I could replicate this work as blog posts as well, but instead it is now possible for you to search all my quizzes on PL/SQL Challenge.

I have added that link to the right-hand menu of the blog under "Further SQL Tips" just above "About me". That way anyone interested can easily find more of my SQL work.

I hope it may be useful to you, too. And maybe you find yourself starting to visit the PL/SQL Challenge regurlarly. Even if you aren't very competitive yourself, learning by playing has always proved to be a great way to acquire new knowledge.

ROWS versus default RANGE in analytic window clause

I have talked at KScope about the difference between ROWS and RANGE in the analytic window clause, but haven't yet blogged about it. Recently while working out a quiz for the PL/SQL Challenge I discovered yet another reason for remembering to primarily use ROWS and only use RANGE when the actual problem requires it.

The KScope Charitable Dinner Raffle

Do you want a chance for a dinner with me at KScope13 in New Orleans chatting about SQL? And at the same time get a warm charitable feeling inside helping the volunteers rebuilding New Orleans?

If yes, then read on :-) ...

Recursive subquery graph traversing

In December a user Silpa asked a question on AskTom on "Bi-directional hierarchical query," which inspired me to fool around with recursive subquery factoring (available from version 11.2) giving Silpa a solution which he seemed to find useful. Since then I've fooled around a little more with it, particularly concerning cycles in the graph data.

I'm evaluated...

UKOUG 2012 evaluations have arrived - I think I did OK :-).

Formspider comes to Denmark

For the Danish Oracle User Group (DOUG) I'll be hosting a Formspider event in Copenhagen January 21st 2013. I look forward to seeing Yalim Gerger demonstrate this alternative to APEX or ADF or Forms.

The event will take place in my company's classroom at Banestrøget 17, 2. th., 2630 Tåstrup, which is 2 minutes walk from Høje Tåstrup train station.

Program for the afternoon:

• 13:30 - 14:30 Introducing Formspider, the Web 2.0 framework for PL/SQL developers

Yalim Gerger, Founder&CEO of Formspider talks about the vision and the benefits of the Formspider Framework.

• 14:40 - 15:10 Formspider Features & Applications

Demonstration of several production applications built with Formspider and a closer look to the features used in these applications.

• 15:15 - 16:15 Case Study: Modernizing a Forms-based ERP with Formspider

Michiel Arentsen, Manager of Application Development of Rhenus Netherlands, shares his experiences with Formspider.

• 16:20 - 17:00 Hand on with Formspider

Let's build an application. Experience first hand why building an application with Formspider is so much better than anything else.


Formspider kindly handles the registration of attendance for us, so for further information and registration please go to this link:    http://theformspider.com/FormspiderEventInDenmark.php

Hope to see you there if you are interested in PL/SQL programming :-)

Merry Christmas

Thank you, UKOUG 2012

So, I'm about to leave UKOUG 2012. I had a good time and learned quite a bit from the smart people gathered in Birmingham ;-)

Thank you to those attending my presentation on analytic functions - I hope you learned something from it. If you need to take a closer look, both presentation and scripts can be found here.

Birmingham Airport next stop...