Oracle Regular Expressions Pocket Reference

Support for regular expressions in SQL and PL/SQL is one of the most exciting features of Oracle Database 10G. Oracle has long supported the ANSI-standard LIKE predicate for rudimentary pattern matching, but regular expressions take pattern matching to a new level. They provide a powerful way to select data that matches a pattern, as well as to manipulate, rearrange, and change that data.

This concise pocket guide is part tutorial and part quick-reference. It's suitable for those who have never used regular expressions before, as well as those who have experience with Perl and other languages supporting regular expressions. The book describes Oracle Database 10G's support for regular expressions, including globalization support and differences between Perl's syntax and the POSIX syntax supported by Oracle 10G. It also provides a comprehensive reference, including examples, to all supported regular expression operators, functions, and error messages.

O'Reilly's Pocket References have become a favorite among developers and database administrators everywhere. By providing a wealth of important details in a concise, well-organized format, these handy books deliver just what you need to complete the task at hand. Whether you're using regular expressions for the first time or applying your skills from other languages to the latest version of Oracle, the Oracle Regular Expressions Pocket Reference is the book to have close by.

Jonathan Gennick is an O'Reilly & Associates editor specializing in database and programming titles. Prior to joining O'Reilly, Jonathan amassed some 17 years of programming and database management experience. During the latter part of his career he specialized in relational database programming, and more recently in database management. Jonathan got his start with relational database systems in 1990, first working with Ingres, and later with Digital's Rdb software. During that period he developed a fondness for SQL, and for the challenge of applying SQL creatively in ways that leveraged it's set-oriented capabilities. In 1994 Jonathan made the leap to Oracle, and is now often found writing about it. Recent projects include Oracle SQLLoader (O'Reilly & Associates, 2001); Oracle SQLPlus Pocket Reference (O'Reilly & Associates, 2000); Oracle SQL*Plus: The Definitive Guide (O'Reilly & Associates, 1999); More recently, Jonathan has made forays into other database products, coauthoring Transact-SQL Cookbook (O'Reilly & Associates, 2002) and editing Practical PostgreSQL (O'Reilly & Associates, 2002). Jonathan is certified as an Oracle DBA and is a member of MENSA and the Oracle Technology Network. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Information and Computer Science, with a Business Administration minor, from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Jonathan currently resides in Munising, Michigan with his wife Donna and their two children: Jenny and Jeff. Jonathan may be contacted by email at jonathan@gennick.com, and you can learn more about him personally by visiting his website at http://gennick.com.

Peter Linsley began his career in the computer industry as a localization engineer focusing on QA of the Oracle Database. He later relocated to Oracle headquarters in California where he acted as a Globalization consultant specializing in the database, and was responsible for developing solutions to aid database character set migration to Unicode. Peter first met with regular expressions in a SED class at Napier University of Edinburgh and has been a devoted UNIX command line addict ever since. During his tenure at Oracle, he dreamt of a world where all developers had access to regular expressions and decided to make it a personal mission to ensure that would become a reality for users of Oracle. In 2003, Peter was fortunate enough to realize this dream and landed a pivotal role in the design and implementation of Oracle Regular Expressions.