To Our Valued Readers:

Thank you for looking to Sybex for your Oracle 10g exam prep needs. The OCA certification is designed to validate knowledge of basic database administration tasks and an understanding of the Oracle database architecture and how its components work and interact with one another. The OCA is also a prerequisite to becoming an OCP.

We at Sybex are proud of the reputation we've established for providing Oracle certification candidates with the practical knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the highly competitive IT marketplace. It has always been Sybex's mission to teach individuals how to utilize technologies in the real world, not to simply feed them answers to test questions. Just as Oracle is committed to establishing measurable standards for certifying database professionals, Sybex is committed to providing those professionals with the means of acquiring the skills and knowledge they need to meet those standards.

As always, your feedback is important to us. If you believe you've identified an error in the book, please send a detailed e-mail to [email protected]. And if you have general comments or suggestions, feel free to drop me a line directly at [email protected]. At Sybex, we're continually striving to meet the needs of individuals preparing for certification exams.

Good luck in pursuit of your Oracle certification!

Neil Edde

Associate Publisher—Certification

Sybex, Inc.