INTRODUCTION TO ORACLE CERTIFIED ASSOCIATE (OCA) 11gR2

To become Oracle Certified Associate (OCA), depending on the release, for the purpose of the post, Oracle11gRelease2 will be adopted. There were previous releases, that is, Oracle11gR1, Oracle10g, Oracle9i etc. the latest is Oracle12c. An OCA must pass the following exams:

·         SQL Fundamental 1(1Z0-051) or  SQL Expert (1Z0-047)

·         Administration 1 (1Z0-052)

A brief overview of Oracle database as a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) will be discuss before delving into OCA proper.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF ORACLE AS A RDBMS

Oracle as a RDBMS is database management system software that store, protect and access data in database based on relational database model. This model organises data into one or more tables of rows and columns with a unique key for each row.  All these will be understood in the future posts. Not only does Oracle builds tools for database but also develop software for Enterprises Resource Planning (ERP) software, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software and Supply Chain Management (SCM) software.

Oracle database will wholly discuss in this blog.

LET’S GET STARTED!!!

SQL FUNDAMENTAL 1(1Z0-051) EXAMS TOPICS

Retrieving Data Using the SQL SELECT Statement 

·         List the capabilities of SQL SELECT statements

·         Execute a basic SELECT statement

Restricting and Sorting Data

·         Limit the rows that are retrieved by a query

·         Sort the rows that are retrieved by a query 

·         Use ampersand substitution to restrict and sort output at runtime

Using Single-Row Functions to Customize Output 

·         Describe various types of functions available in SQL

·         Use character, number, and date functions in SELECT statements

Using Conversion Functions and Conditional Expressions

·         Describe various types of conversion functions that are available in SQL

·         Use the TO_CHAR, TO_NUMBER, and TO_DATE conversion functions 

·         Apply conditional expressions in a SELECT statement

Reporting Aggregated Data Using the Group Functions 

·         Identify the available group functions

·         Describe the use of group functions 

·         Group data by using the GROUP BY clause 

·         Include or exclude grouped rows by using the HAVING clause

Displaying Data from Multiple Tables 

·         Write SELECT statements to access data from more than one table using equijoins and nonequijoins

·         Join a table to itself by using a self-join 

·         View data that generally does not meet a join condition by using outer joins 

·         Generate a Cartesian product of all rows from two or more tables

Using Subqueries to Solve Queries 

·         Define subqueries

·         Describe the types of problems that the subqueries can solve 

·         List the types of subqueries 

·         Write single-row and multiple-row subqueries

Using the Set Operators 

·         Describe set operators

·         Use a set operator to combine multiple queries into a single query 

·         Control the order of rows returned

Manipulating Data 

·         Describe each data manipulation language (DML) statement

·         Insert rows into a table 

·         Update rows in a table 

·         Delete rows from a table 

·         Control transactions

Using DDL Statements to Create and Manage Tables

·         Categorize the main database objects

·         Review the table structure 

·         List the data types that are available for columns 

·         Create a simple table 

·         Explain how constraints are created at the time of table creation 

·         Describe how schema objects work

Creating Other Schema Objects

·         Create simple and complex views

·         Retrieve data from views 

·         Create, maintain, and use sequences 

·         Create and maintain indexes 

·         Create private and public synonym

The exam topics will be treated one after the other in the next post with illustrations.