Oracle is an important product that drives a majority of the world’s largest databases and runs on numerous operating systems, including most flavors of Unix. Oracle, perhaps more so than other relational databases, is a flexible tool that allows businesses to define their operations and build effective systems around them.

“Database automation” seems like a murky topic, but in reality it is very straightforward. Scripting is the very important first half of database automation, allowing database administrators and application developers to perform complex tasks on a regular basis with a minimum of fuss and a high level of confidence and repeatability.

The use of stored PL/SQL code to enforce business rules at the database level is the second half of database automation. Database triggers, procedures, functions, and packages can all play important roles when implementing a complex system, drastically reducing the amount of code that must be written for the system’s front end.

The purpose of this book is not to teach the syntax of SQL and PL/SQL coding, but to emphasize the concepts behind the code. Toward this end, I’ve emphasized designing, documenting, and testing code as the most important duties of the application developer. If you need to know syntax, look at the manual. Technique is the most important weapon an application developer has against a dragon of a system.