Beginning Oracle SQL is your introduction to the interactive query tools and specific dialect of SQL used with Oracle Database. The book is a revision of the classic Mastering Oracle SQL and SQL*Plus by Lex de Haan, and has been updated to coverdevelopments in Oracle's version of the SQL query language. Written in an easygoing and example-based style, Beginning Oracle SQL is the book that will get you started down the path to successfully writing SQL statements and getting results from Oracle database.Takes an example-based approach, with clear and authoritative explanations Introduces both SQL and the query tools used to execute SQL statements Shows how to create tables, populate them with data, and then query that data to generate business results What you'll learn How to create database tables and define their relationships How to add data to your tables, thenchange and delete that data How to write database queries that generate accurate results How to avoid common traps and pitfalls in writing SQL queries How to take advantage of advanced Oracle SQL features such as support for hierarchical queries, analytic and window functions, flashback to a given point in time, and more How to get a handle on Oracle database's support for object types in the database Who this book is for

This book is aimed at developers and database administrators who must write SQL statements to execute against an Oracle database. No prior knowledge of SQL is assumed. Table of Contents Relational Database Systems and Oracle Introduction to SQL, AQL*Plus, and SQL Developer Data Definition, Part I Retrieval: The Basics Retrieval: Functions Data Manipulation Data Definition, Part II Retrieval: Multiple Tables and Aggregation Retrieval: Some Advanced Features Views Writing and Automating SQL*Plus Scripts Object-Relational Features

Since its legal foundation in 1993, the European Union has been challenged by three concurring developments. Its decision-making bodies groaned under burgeoning legislative activity, and Eastern enlargement was expected to limit law-making efficiency. At the same time, European citizens grew wary of EU politics and increasing integration. This book explains how European governments handled these challenges and, step-by-step, agreed on significant reforms which led to the signing of the Lisbon Treaty in December 2007. Drawing on unique survey data, European Integration and Its Limits provides a solid empirical analysis of the three most important intergovernmental conferences. It shows how far voters and political parties have been able to influence European treaty reforms, and it scrutinises the mechanisms underlying intergovernmental treaty negotiations in an ever-growing Union. The book discusses the domestic position formation process as well as the dynamics of intergovernmental bargaining. Ultimately, it explains European integration from Maastricht to Lisbon.

For decades the European Union tried changing its institutions, but achieved only unsatisfying political compromises and modest, incremental treaty revisions. In late 2009, however, the EU was successfully reformed through the Treaty of Lisbon. "Reforming the European Union" examines how political leaders ratified this treaty against all odds and shows how this victory involved all stages of treaty reform negotiations--from the initial proposal to referendums in several European countries.

The authors emphasize the strategic role of political leadership and domestic politics, and they use state-of-the-art methodology, applying a comprehensive data set for actors' reform preferences. They look at how political leaders reacted to apparent failures of the process by recreating or changing the rules of the game. While domestic actors played a significant role in the process, their influence over the outcome was limited as leaders ignored negative referendums and plowed ahead with intended reforms. The book's empirical analyses shed light on critical episodes: strategic agenda setting during the European Convention, the choice of ratification instrument, intergovernmental bargaining dynamics, and the reaction of the German Council presidency to the negative referendums in France, the Netherlands, and Ireland.