Oracle 23c Free : Why start learning now?

It’s been a couple of weeks since Oracle 23c Free was released. I’ve already put out a getting started post to help people start their journey, but I wanted to say something about why, in my opinion, you should start learning 23c now, rather than waiting.

Learning stuff takes time

I’ve written some tips about learning new things, and one of the posts was about time and repetition. It’s going to take a long time to get used to using 23c. If the latest version you have used is 19c, you’ve got the 21c and 23c new features to catch up on. If you’re using something older than 19c, then you’ve got even more to do. Sure, you can use Oracle 23c like it’s Oracle 7, and for the most part things will be fine, but really you should try and get the most out of the products you are paying for.

The sooner you start, the easier it will be, and the less rushed you will feel when you eventually have to start.

I’ve already put out a lot of 23c posts, but remember I’m on the 23c beta program, so I’ve been writing these posts for over 5 months now. They didn’t happen overnight.

Feeling comfortable with a new release takes me years. There is a difference between writing a post about something, and feeling comfortable using it in my day-to-day life. It will take some time before some of this stuff is a natural part of my toolbox. I want that to happen as quickly as possible, so that means getting stuck in now, so when the full blown 23c goes GA I can hit the ground running.

It might make you change the way you do things now

Sometimes, knowing what is coming around the corner will alter the way you approach a problem today. You may use the way Oracle has implemented a new feature as inspiration for how to solve your current problem in an older release. If possible, you may code it such that you can do a straight swap when you upgrade to 23c, throwing away your code and replacing it with built in functionality.

You don’t know what you don’t know

My initial reaction to new releases is often, “there’s nothing there I care about”. Then I start working through the new features and things jump out at me. The more I work with it, the more interesting it gets. I already feel like I can’t live without the IF [NOT] EXISTS DDL clause. On the surface it seems so trivial, but it makes a massive difference. 🙂

The Oracle 23c Free release contains mostly developer focused new features. We won’t see some of the administration features publicly until we get the full release, but there is still a lot to work through.

23c is new to everyone

I say this with each new release, but remember there are no Oracle 23c experts. Even Oracle staff and people in the beta program haven’t got something I would consider as significant production experience. Just remember this when you are reading posts about the 23c new features. We are all noobs! That doesn’t mean there is no value in these posts, but just remember what they represent.

It’s your choice

You are going to have to learn this stuff eventually, so you have two choices.

  • You can wait until the last minute, try to cram, and inevitably make mistakes when you are doing something real in your job.
  • You can start now and coast into the new release, so when you have to do something real with 23c, it’s not a problem.

It’s up to you, but you know what I think you should do. 🙂

Cheers

Tim…

Oracle Database 23c Free Developer-Release : Getting Started…

You may have noticed the flurry of posts about the new Oracle Database 23c Free Developer-Release.

In summary Oracle 23c Free is the replacement for what would have been Oracle 23c XE, but it is a developer release, so it’s not the final form of Oracle 23c Free. We should get an updated version of 23c Free once the main Oracle Database 23c release becomes GA.

Where do I get it?

If you want to install it from the RPM you can download it from here.

There is a VirtualBox appliance and a Docker image available from Oracle, so you don’t actually have to install it if you don’t want to.

How do I install it?

You have a few options here.

  • Install documentation here.
  • My installation article here.
  • My Vagrant build here.
  • VirtualBox appliance from Oracle here.
  • Docker image from Oracle here.

What about your articles?

I have a 23c page on the website ready to post Oracle 23c articles here.

I’ve written a bunch of articles against the 23c beta 1 release, but I’ve not published any of them yet because of the beta program NDA. I’m going to work through them against the 23c Free developer-release, and anything that I’m allowed to publish I will. Some of the articles will have to be held back until the GA release of 23c, as they are not covered by this release.

Basically, if it is documented in Oracle Database 23c Free, I can write about it. If not, I’m still under NDA, so I will release those articles later.

Documentation

The documentation is available here.

It is not the full 23c documentation set, as this is not the full release of the product.

You will notice it focusses on the application development side of things. There is no RAC and Data Guard stuff, so those subjects are off limits for now.

Bug Reports

There is a community forum for reporting bugs here.

What next?

Have fun! Remember, this is not the final 23c release, so this is meant as a way to get used to some of the new development features in 23c, while we wait for the full release.

Remember, if you see any problems, please shout out about them! You can report bugs here.

Cheers

Tim…

Let’s Encrypt : Free Certificates on Oracle Linux (CertBot)

My website has been using HTTPS for over 18 months now. A couple of months ago I came across Let’s Encrypt and thought, “Free Certificates? That’s interesting!”, so I gave it a shot for some other stuff I look after, just to see how I got on with it.

The certificates only last 3 months, but you can automate their renewal using CertBot. You set it up to check every day, and the certificates get renewed if they are within 30 days of expiring. Since I set it up a little over 2 months ago, the first round of renewals happened a couple of days ago. No dramas.

Having seen the first automated refresh happen successfully, I decided to switch the main website to use the Let’s Encrypt certificate today. That means no more buying certificates for me! 🙂

I put together this article when I did the initial setup, just to document it for myself.

I didn’t mention it at the time as I wasn’t really sure about how it would work out, but now I’m using it I thought it might be interesting to any other cheapskates out there. 🙂

Cheers

Tim…

Oracle Database 12c: Installation and Administration (1Z1-062) beta exam : Free Voucher Competition

I’ve just been sent 5 free vouchers for the Oracle Database 12c: Installation and Administration (1Z1-062) beta exam! Here is an excerpt from the email…

“We are piloting this program with the Oracle Database 12c: Installation and Administration (1Z1-062) beta exam. … we have provided five (5) vouchers for free beta exams. You can use them for a giveaway on your blog if you like. Simply send the voucher number to the winner. They will enter this voucher in the appropriate field during exam registration at Pearson VUE. This beta exam is scheduled to end on October 19, 2013.”

I’m about to leave for OpenWorld 2013, so this is going to be brief. Here are the rules of the competition…

  1. The beta exam closes on the 19th October, so unless you think you can be ready to sit the exam by then, don’t bother entering. You’ll just be wasting a spot someone else could take.
  2. The voucher is only redeemable for the 1Z1-062 beta exam. You can’t use it for any other exam! You can’t wait and use it for the production exam! It’s just for this beta exam so you have to get your ass into gear!
  3. The competition will close on Saturday 28th September. I’ll announce the winners when I get back from OOW2013.
  4. You need to tell me why you need the free voucher in the comments below this blog post. Facebook and Google+ comments will not be included in the competition!
  5. Extra credit will be given for funny and/or rhyming entries. Even the slightest effort to rhyme will rocket you up the ratings, because it will make the judging more fun! You have a week, so try and be creative!
  6. I’ll be sending the voucher codes via email and confirming the email address and winning names with Oracle, so you must include a real email address and name when posting the comment.
  7. I may seek the help of friends and colleagues to help me judge the winners. I guess it depends on how many entries there are and how hard it is to judge. 🙂
  8. It’s late, I’m tired and I should be packing for OOW, so if I’ve forgotten anything, I reserve the right to modify this post a little, so keep an eye on it over the week…

Good luck!

Cheers

Tim…

QUICK LINKS

 

Prize Winners : Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Integration and OA Framework Development and Extension Cookbook

A couple of weeks ago I started a competition to win 2 copies of Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Integration and OA Framework Development and Extension Cookbook by Andy Penver. Thanks to Packt for donating the prizes. The competition closed yesterday and the lucky winners are:

  • Arun
  • Ajay Sharma

I’ve sent your email addresses to my contact at Packt, who will contact you to deliver your e-book.

Cheers

Tim…

Win A free copy of the Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Integration and OA Framework Development and Extension Cookbook

Following on from last weeks book competition, the kind people at Packt have offered another prize. This time 2 e-book copies of
Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Integration and OA Framework Development and Extension Cookbook by Andy Penver.

The competition will run for about two weeks, so I’ll be selecting the winners on 10th May 2013. To enter, comment on this post, telling me why you think you need this book and what you hope to gain from it. The two lucky winners will be selected based on their comments on this post (not Facebook, Google+ or Twitter), so try and be creative or you won’t stand out from the crowd. 🙂 The winners will be contacted via email, so please use your real email address when posting your comment.

You can read more about the contents of the book and the author on the Packt website, but here is a little marketing message about the book.

“Oracle E-Business Suite R12 Integration and OA Framework Development and Extension Cookbook is an
extensive guide for both beginners and intermediate users that describes how to develop extensions in Oracle
E-Business Suite. The book also discusses some of Oracle E-Business Suite’s vital features, such as creating and
distributing BI Publisher template files to the file system, authoring, managing, delivering highly-formatted
documents using BI Publisher and configuring a browser.

This is a practical hands-on guide, designed to demonstrate the newest features in Oracle E-Business Suite
Release 12. With an in-depth knowledge of personalizing OA Framework pages in Oracle E-Business Suite,
readers will not only be able to install JDeveloper with OA Extension and set up a development environment,
but also deploy an OA Framework page within Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.”

Good Luck!

Cheers

Tim…

PS. Connor, death threats will not work this time. 🙂

Free Book: Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2012

Michael McLaughlin‘s blog has a post about a free MS SQL Server book (Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2012) available here. If you are into MS SQL Server, you can’t get a better deal than that. 🙂

Remember, you can still get hold of a free copy of Tom Kyte‘s book (Expert Oracle Database Architecture, 2nd Edition) from Red Gate.

Cheers

Tim…