F5 works closely with Oracle to build joint solutions, providing an optimized and secure platform for delivering powerful Oracle apps across the LAN and WAN. Offload resource-intensive tasks like compression and SSL from Oracle WebLogic Server and get faster performance. Read how. links.f5.com/Sosd0C Untitled-1 1 12/3/12 11:31 PM JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013 Roadmaps and Guardrails It’s time to revive the conversation about IT governance / 25 Package Your Code Part 11 in a series of articles on understanding and using PL/SQL / 45 Beginning Performance Tuning: Active Session History Identify the root cause of performance issues at a precise point in the past / 51 Sums, Averages, and Other Grouped Data Part 9 in a series on the basics of the relational database and SQL / 57 On Promotion, Restriction, and Data Loading Our technologist provides missing links, custom sizes, and external table tips / 61 CIO OF THE YEAR ORACLE JAPAN Seiji Nishikawa EXCELLENCE NTT DOCOMO AWARDS CIO OF THE YEAR EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST, 2012 AND AFRICA Honoring leadership and Victor Orlovski innovation in technology Sberbank CIO OF THE YEAR ASIA PACIFIC Dr. Jung Hee Song SPARC AT 25 KT Corporation Anniversary event explores the past, present, and future of SPARC CIO OF THE YEAR NORTH AMERICA Cormac Lynch ACCELERATED National Oilwell Varco PERFORMANCE With a massive boost in fl ash and CIO OF THE YEAR DRAM, Oracle Exadata X3 delivers LATIN AMERICA faster applications across clouds Leandro Balbinot and consolidated workloads Lojas Renner CIO OF THE YEAR GLOBAL BUSINESS UNIT Mark Dearnley Vodafone UK JF13_cover_R2.indd 1 12/13/12 10:57 AM Reach new heights SPARC64 X: Fujitsu’s latest SPARC processor carrying the inheritance from the world’s top-level supercomputer to provide unprecedented performance and scalability. Fujitsu, together with Oracle, ensures that SPARC systems interoperate well with next generations of Oracle Solaris, Oracle Database, and Oracle software products. © Copyright 2012 Fujitsu Limited. Fujitsu, the Fujitsu logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Fujitsu Limited in Japan and other countries. Other company, product and service names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. omag1112pCov2_p001.indd 2 10/31/12 1:56 PM Reach new heights SPARC64 X: Fujitsu’s latest SPARC processor carrying the inheritance from the world’s top-level supercomputer to provide unprecedented performance and scalability. Fujitsu, together with Oracle, ensures that SPARC systems interoperate well with next generations of Oracle Solaris, Oracle Database, and Oracle software products. © Copyright 2012 Fujitsu Limited. Fujitsu, the Fujitsu logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Fujitsu Limited in Japan and other countries. Other company, product and service names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. omag1112pCov2_p001.indd 3 10/31/12 1:55 PM 2 FEATURED CONTENT VOLUME XXVII - ISSUE 1 CONTENTS 2012 ORACLE EXCELLENCE AWARDS /28 Oracle customers and partners continually discover innovative ways to deploy successful, groundbreaking solutions and establish best practices using Oracle technology. The Oracle Excellence Awards recognize customers and partners who have excelled in driving business value together with Oracle. This year, the Oracle Excellence Awards include 12 different award programs—with new programs for 2012—that reach across efforts ranging from leadership and technology to enterprise sustainability and database administration. –By David A. Kelly, with additional reporting by Patty Waddington Cover: Nicholas Pavkovic SPARC at 25 /18 Extreme Performance with Oracle Exadata X3 /19 In 1987, a small With a massive boost in flash and DRAM, Oracle Exadata startup called Sun X3 delivers faster applications. Juan Loaiza, senior vice Microsystems president of systems technology at Oracle, talks about developed its these and other new developments in Oracle’s engineered own microprocessor, called SPARC, and systems with Tom Haunert, Oracle Magazine editor in chief. introduced the first computer based on the –By Tom Haunert new chip. On November 1, 2012, many early SPARC team members gathered for SPARC at 25: Past, Present, and Future, an event that provided a look back at the history of SPARC as well as a glimpse of what’s to come. –By Diana Reichardt JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013 ORACLE.COM/ORACLEMAGAZINE JF13_TOC_R1.indd 2 12/5/12 9:16 AM Use your programmer's point of view... WIN! Win a tablet or choose a 50% discount on PL/SQL Developer! Use your logical skills to find the secret code, go to www.plsqldev.com/code and have a chance to win a new iPad or ASUS TF700! Challenge accepted? Real solutions for Oracle developers. Closing date: March 1, 2013 4 DEPARTMENTS VOLUME XXVII - ISSUE 1 Up Front / 6 FROM THE EDITOR / 6 MASHUP / 8 Congratulations and News, views, trends, Thanks —Tom Haunert and tools At Oracle / 11 EVENTS / 11 RESOURCES / 13 BRIEFS / 15 Find out about upcoming Your guide to Oracle The latest product news technology and industry Webcasts, podcasts, white events. papers, and more Community / 22 PARTNER NEWS / 22 ARCHITECT / 25 UP CLOSE / 26 PEER-TO-PEER / 27 BOOK BEAT / 22 Roadmaps and Guardrails On Code Reviews and Green Is Good It’s time to revive the Standards Peers use performance conversation about IT A user group speaker gives optimization, e-readers, governance. —Bob Rhubart development teams simple and mobile solutions to do ways to succeed. their part. —Blair Campbell —Jeff Erickson Technology / 45 PL/SQL 101 / 45 TUNING / 51 SQL 101 / 57 ASK TOM / 61 Wrap Your Code in a Neat Beginning Performance Having Sums, Averages, On Promotion, Package Tuning: Active Session and Other Grouped Data Restriction, and Part 11 in a series of articles History Part 9 in a series on the Data Loading on understanding and using Identify the root cause of basics of the relational Our technologist queries PL/SQL —Steven Feuerstein performance issues at a database and SQL missing links, custom sizes, precise point in the past. —Melanie Caffrey and external table tips. —Arup Nanda —Tom Kyte Comment / 67 IN THE FIELD / 67 TIME CAPSULE / 68 Evolutionary Thinking Flashbacks: Culture. Industry. Is the data scientist the Oracle. Oracle Magazine. next step on the information —Rich Schwerin technology ladder? —John Matelski JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013 ORACLE.COM/ORACLEMAGAZINE JF13_TOC.indd 4 11/30/12 1:43 PM 5 EDITORIAL PUBLISHING Editor in Chief Vice President Tom Haunert [email protected] Jeff Spicer [email protected] Managing Editor Publisher Jan Rogers [email protected] Jennifer Hamilton [email protected] +1.650.506.3794 Senior Editor Audience Development and Operations Director Caroline Kvitka [email protected] Karin Kinnear [email protected] +1.650.506.1985 Associate Editor Patty Waddington AdvERTISING SALES Contributing Editor and Writer Associate Publisher Blair Campbell Kyle Walkenhorst [email protected] +1.323.340.8585 Technology Advisor Northwest and Central US Tom Kyte Tom Cometa [email protected] +1.510.339.2403 Contributors Southwest US and LAD Marta Bright, Jeff Erickson, Fred Sandsmark, Rich Schwerin, Leslie Steere Shaun Mehr [email protected] +1.949.923.1660 Northeast US and EMEA/APAC DESIGN Mark Makinney [email protected] +1.805.709.4745 Senior Creative Director Advertising Sales Assistant Francisco G Delgadillo Cindy Elhaj [email protected] +1.626.396.9400, x201 Senior Design Director Mailing-List Rentals Suemi Lam Contact your sales representative. 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