Oracle PL/SQL expert, evangelist, author and trainer
Areas of Expertise:
- PL/SQL
- Oracle
- stored procedures
- consulting
- speaking
- training
- writing
Biography
Books
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Blog
Steven's blog posts are hosted at:
http://feuerthoughts.blogspot.com
http://www.toadworld.com/sf
http://feuerthoughts.blogspot.com
http://www.toadworld.com/sf
November 16 2009
I recently published the following puzzle in the ToadWorld newsletter: Which of the following queries return the names of programs (without duplication) defined in the currently connected schema whose source contains a call to DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE (assume that this program name does not appear inside comments)? A. SELECT name FROM USER_DEPENDENCIES … read moreDe-cluttering Your Toad Desktop
November 11 2009
Quick, what’s the number one complaint about Toad for Oracle? “The User Interface is waaaaaaaaay too complicated!” Out of the box, Toad’s setup to pretty much have everything enabled. If we hid stuff, there’s a good chance users would assume the functionality just wasn’t there to be taken advantage of. And, as… read moreNovember 09 2009
Many people these days have to work on both traditional “online transactional processing” (i.e. OLTP) systems as well as data warehouses. But just what is a data warehouse? Generally speaking a data warehouse is nothing more than a specialized business reporting system used by mid to senior level management to… read moreHandling Complicated Tasks More Easily
November 09 2009
Did you know that in Code Tester 1.8.5 you can now perform in-line validation of your customization code? For more complex tests, this will save you lots of time and make it easier to build your regression tests. The ultimate objective of Code Tester is easy to state: allow developers to… read moreFree TOAD Book Contest Results
November 02 2009
I want to start by thanking everyone who participated in the free TOAD book contest by submitting new feature ideas or enhancement requests. I received numerous good ideas. I also received about a third that were already in TOAD – and have been for a long time. I actually can… read moreThe Most Important Language to Learn
November 02 2009
I was recently in Germany, and did an interview with Erik Franz of database|pro. One of the questions he asked me was: "Which programming language would you recommend a college student learn to give them the strongest chance at a good job upon graduation?" I would have loved to be able… read moreThe Most Important Language to Learn
November 02 2009
I was recently in Germany, and did an interview with Erik Franz of database|pro. One of the questions he asked me was: "Which programming language would you recommend a college student learn to give them the strongest chance at a good job upon graduation?" I would have loved to be… read moreOctober 31 2009
I have decided that I really hope that Oracle gets to keep mySQL when it completes the acquisition of Sun (though I can certainly understand if the European Union draws the line and demands that it be spun off).Why would I like this?First, I am certain that Oracle will treat… read moreOctober 29 2009
Oracle introduced support for XML in the relational database going back at least to about the 8i release. Toad for Oracle introduced formal support for XML in the 8.0 release. XML and Toad v8.0 – v9.7 As you browse or query an object, if it contains an XML via XML data type… read moreGenerate Schema Documentation in Toad for DB2
October 27 2009
In one of my previous lives, I worked at a startup company testing software. Our application used Oracle as the back-end and the nature of my role had me working closely with our Oracle DBA. As part of our processes, our DBA had to build documentation describing the schemas our application needed. The… read moreOctober 26 2009
So with Toad v10 being released, my Tips & Tricks guide became a bit out of date. You can find an updated copy, as well as our v9 copy, here. All of your favorite keyboard shortcuts and workflows remain largely unchanged, so this is more of an update for making… read moreOctober 26 2009
We thought we had a squirrel nest in the English Oak in our backyard - we certainly saw squirrels running around in the tree, and we could see a big bunch of leaves collected in the heart of the tree.It also looked like the squirrels were actually able to bend… read moreAn Amazing Visit to Mexico City
October 23 2009
As I write this, I am flying back to Chicago now, 9 PM Oct 21, from Mexico City, after a very nice two day visit. Quest Mexico asked me to come down to help celebrate the release of Toad Version 10. I said "OK." And, wow, they did a really fantastic job… read moreGood Database Design – It's Never an Accident
October 22 2009
When designing and constructing a successful (i.e. effective and efficient) relational database, there are two fundamental sets of rules or design principles that are universally accepted and generally practiced by database architects. read moreOctober 15 2009
Steven discusses how LTRIM works and an alternative solution for a user's problem. read moreAlso find Steven on:
