How to get into Oracle development?

Question

I'm a .net/c# developer but I need to set up an Oracle development rig. I have no clue about Oracle, and was hoping for some advice. Here are some things I'm interested in:

• What is licensing like? Is it possible to get copies of Oracle products for development just like we get SQL Server from MSDN?
• What operating system should I have on the primary server machine? Are specs important?
• What is the current state of play regarding .Net-Oracle interoperation? Are there any tools worth checking out?

Thanks for you answers, and sorry for such a newbie-level question.

Answer 1

• yes - it's actually a bit easier: just sign up for an OTN account and you can download enterprise versions of the database to develop/test with. As far I can remember, it is done on the basis of trust - i.e. no nag screens, no checks etc.

• The database software is available for linux, windows and almost certainly others platforms too. I've found the setup to be much less painful on windows.

• There exists an ODP Driver to facilitate connectivity between .Net and Oracle

Hope that helps!

Answer 2

A good place to start might be with the Express Edition: http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/database/xe/index.html

It's free and lets you play around and get a feel for things. As others have mentioned, you can also get test versions of some of the enterprise stuff.

It runs on Widnows (so you won't need to install new OS's), on most desktop machines. I find that I need about 2 gigs of RAM to run Oracle and other tools comfortably, but YMMV.

Installation and server management are through a web app that it comes bundled with, though Oracle also has as free SQL Developer tool ( http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/database/sql_developer/index.html ) you can use (which I prefer).

Answer 3

The Oracle Developer Tools for Visual Studio can come out handy (I like being able to do some DB management directly in visual studio, specially when you've got only a few simple tasks). And more generally the .Net Developper Center where you can find many products, help and articles about .Net <=> Oracle interaction.

Answer 4

Personally I'd forget about Oracle Express and instead download the full Enterprise Edition of Oracle. On Windows, it's easy enough to install and you can use it for the purposes of development, prototyping, or self-education without needing to buy a license.

As others have said, you'll also want to download the ODAC/ODP.NET drivers and SQL Developer.

To begin with you might want to try following some of the Oracle By Example tutorials. They take you through the basics (installation, PL/SQL development using SQL Developer).

I would also recommend having a read of the first few chapters of Tom Kyte's book - Expert Oracle Database Architecture: Programming Techniques and Solutions.