Structure of This Book

This book is divided into nine chapters and one appendix, as follows:

Chapter 1, Introduction , provides some motivations for using the Oracle database as a web platform, introduces Oracle8 i and its major products, then lays out a strategy to help you get ready for Oracle8 i .

Chapter 2, Foundations , provides some background information necessary for the discussion of web technologies. It describes TCP/IP, HTTP, and web browsers, explains the content delivery model used by Oracle's web tools, and presents the basics of database/web integration and security issues.

Chapter 3, WebDB , describes Oracle's WebDB product, which you can use to develop database-driven web applications and sites.

Chapter 4, Oracle Application Server (OAS) , describes Oracle's OAS product, which uses plug-in "cartridges" to allow you to develop database-driven web sites in a variety of languages, including Java, Perl, and PL/SQL.

Chapter 5, HTML , describes the basics of HTML (HyperText Markup Language), the standard language used to create web pages.

Chapter 6, PL/SQL , describes Oracle's PL/SQL, a procedural language built on SQL that supports a wide variety of language constructs, including packages.

Chapter 7, The PL/SQL Toolkit , describes the set of PL/SQL packages supplied by Oracle specifically for use in developing PL/SQL web applications.

Chapter 8, Developing Applications , describes two real-world web applications that demonstrate how you can use the tools described in this book to do actual web development.

Chapter 9, XML , describes the basics of XML, an emerging standard for creating structured documents.

Finally, the appendix, Appendix A, Appendix: Resources for the Oracle Web Developer , provides a list of online and offline resources for further information on Oracle and the Web.