Customer Reviews
Interesting, but... - By: R. ARMSTRONG-FINNERTY, 14 Nov 2007 
I like this book, simply because it's as close as we're likely to get to knowing the real workings of the CBO, unless Oracle ever goes Open Source.
Less interesting are the "I think...", "It seems...", etc. musings, because they add nothing of worth... they're just guesses, which have no place in a book founded on evidence.
In spite of the rave reviews that this book has received, I doubt that many of its readers will be putting its content to meaningful use, only because, in reality, it's mainly a low-level description of the CBO's workings, & will take most folk quite some time to both read & digest (I suspect several re-readings would be the norm). I think that this book may turn out to be a bit like the proof of Fermat's Last Theorem: blazingly clever, worthy of universal praise, but probably destined to remain a technical marvel, rarely put to common use.
I wonder if Lewis will ever write the next two volumes?
Best ever Oracle book - By: A. K. Kollan Vas, 10 Oct 2007 
This is the best ever oracle book I have read. What was interesting for me the way the test scripts where written down isolating each & every aspects that make up complex task of building the execution plan. I am no DBA but as a developer hard pressed to deliver reports that needs to be running at reasonable time (sometimes ridiculously quick) this book has been a boon for me. My understanding of oracle has gone leaps & bonds. Thanks Jonathan I have recommended this to alll my colleagues.
Invaluable resource for all Oracle Professionals - By: Manu Alphonse, 06 Jul 2007 Great book for anyone looking for a deeper understanding of how Oracle chooses the best access path to the data.
Fantastic coverage of the CBO. - By: S. Forgie, 24 May 2007 If you are an Oracle DBA interested in Oracle performance, then this is the book for you. I have been a DBA for more than 9 years, & have read many books on the subject of Oracle performance. I can honestly say that "Cost-Based Oracle Fundamentals", along with the Tom Kyte books, are a clear cut above the rest.
Amazingly, more than 400 pages of in depth technical coverage is described as the fundamental level - this serves as a reminder that this book is the first in a series of three, alll to be written by Jonathan Lewis.
As you work your way through the book, & examine the test scripts & examples provided, it becomes apparent that Jonathan Lewis has spent many years investigating & testing Oracle, enabling him to be able to share this level of depth & knowledge.
I found that one of the shortest sections - "Appendix A, Upgrade Headaches" was very helpful for my particular day to day role as a DBA. I have always found that there is a fear of what the Optimizer has in store for you, as you upgrade from one version of Oracle to the next. Jonathan Lewis manages to cover off many Optimizer specific changes between the versions that may catch you out. This serves as a very good checklist for any DBA.
Finallly, I will be reading this book again, as I need to make sure I have not overlooked anything before the second instalment arrives in the shops!
Fundaments for the Advanced - By: A. G. Hasler, 19 May 2007 The title of this book may lead some to believe this is a book for beginners. Think again! This is the most advanced & detailed Oracle book I have read. At points I thought that much of the material was unlikely to be of use in real life. However, within a couple of months of reading the book I was able to diagnose & resolve at least two problems that had completely stumped my predecessors. Diagnosing & resolving these problems required an understanding of material found exclusively in this book. As long as you are prepared to invest plenty of time in reading (and rereading) this book your understanding of this most important Oracle component will be transformed.
