Time flies....

It's been quite a while since my last post. This doesn't mean that I haven't done anything, but more that I've actually been working on "real life" issues, rather than studying.
Over the last few weeks I've had a few assignments with customers, so my MEEP has suffered. I have tried to read a little at night and over weekends, but the progress has slowed.

I started Dan Tow's "SQL Tuning" and worked my way through the first 8 chapters. I must admit that the diagramming etc. didn't come easy for me. In an attempt to "consume" more MEEP I've put the book back on the shelf, and picked up Cary Millsap's "Optimizing Oracle Performance". This book has give me a lot of insight into the raw trace file, and how to understand what is collected during extended SQL trace.
I've also had use of details from the book in trying to solve a performance issue for a customer I visit regularly. It has helped me understand the explain plans and how they are manipulated better.

I hope to finish the book over the Easter break and then take a stab at "Oracle Design" by Ensor and Stevenson.

As far as the MEEP curriculum, I still have a few of the newer books left. In addition to "Oracle Design" I also have to read "Relational Database Index Design and the Optimizers" by Lahdenmäki/Leach, finish Dan Tow, the YAPP paper and also Toon Koppelars "Building Robust Applications in a DB centric Environment".

The bad news is that my MEEP period is over at the end of March. Right now it's not looking pretty for me!!!!

I'll return when more books have been completed. Until then, enjoy your Easter.