Oracle Book Mal-practice...

So, I'm reading a particular book tonight. I don't want to say which one it is 
at the moment because I know one of the authors and I want to make sure that 
this author did not write this chapter.

My question is, what constitutes Oracle Book Writing mal-practice (and I pray 
I've never committed it). Certainly mistakes crop up in books all the time, I'm 
as guilty as any writer of this. This chapter I'm reading though, in an effort 
to get the reader to doing something quickly, does not lay any foundation, 
skips critical steps and actually prompts them to do what I consider some very 
dangerous things. 

It would be one thing if the book said, "Look, this is not the way you should 
do this in production." but it does not. In this chapter, a very junior DBA 
might well follow the instructions and, having successfully completed 
everything, think that they are done. The truth, a nasty truth, is that all 
they have done is taken some very big risks and they have some nasty gottya's 
coming down the pike.

In my mind, this isn't a simple mistake. This isn't an editorial mis-step. This 
is someone trying to make something seem easy and leaving out some very 
sailient instructions without any warning.

Very bothersome.... For your Junior DBA's all I can say is buyer beware. Get 
yourself a good mentor to go with all these books.

Cheers all and buyer beware...

RF


 Robert G. Freeman
Oracle ACE
Author:
OCP: Oracle Database 11g Administrator Certified Professional Study Guide 
(Sybex)
Oracle Database 11g New Features (Oracle Press)
Portable DBA: Oracle  (Oracle Press)
Oracle Database 10g New Features (Oracle Press)
Oracle9i RMAN Backup and Recovery (Oracle Press)
Oracle9i New Features (Oracle Press)
Other various titles out of print now...
Blog: http://robertgfreeman.blogspot.com 
The LDS Church is looking for DBA's. You do have to be a Church member in
good standing. A lot of kind people write me, concerned I may be breaking
the law by saying you have to be a Church member. It's legal I promise! :-)
http://pages.sssnet.com/messndal/church/parachurch.pdf
--
http://www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-l

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