DBMS_PIPE : For Inter-Session Communication - This article presents a brief description of the DBMS_PIPE package, explaining how it can be used for non-secure inter-session mesaging.

DBMS_RANDOM : Generating Random Numbers and Strings in Oracle - A description of how to generate random numbers and string in Oracle.

DBMS_SESSION : Managing Sessions From a Connection Pool in Oracle Databases - A guide to using the DBMS_SESSION package to manage sessions that form part of a connection pool.

Decoupling to Improve Performance - Learn how to decouple processing to give the impression of improved performance.

Dynamic IN-Lists - This article presents a number of methods for parameterizing the IN-list of a query.

Efficient Function Calls From SQL - This article presents a number of solutions for making calls to PL/SQL functions from SQL more efficient.

Efficient SQL Statements - A brief non-version specific guide to writing efficient SQL statements.

Email From Oracle PL/SQL (UTL_SMTP) - Email from PL/SQL using UTL_SMTP rather than using external procedures or Java.

FIRST_VALUE and LAST_VALUE Analytic Functions - Simple examples of how to use these analytic functions.

FTP From PL/SQL - A description of two methods for triggering FTP jobs directly from PL/SQL.

HTML with Embedded Images from PL/SQL - Use PL/SQL to create HTML with embedded images.

Implicit vs. Explicit Cursors in Oracle PL/SQL - A comparison of the relative performance of implicit and explicit cursors in Oracle PL/SQL.

Instrumenting Your PL/SQL Code - No matter who you are or how cool you think you are at programming, you can never know exactly what is going on in your code unless you instrument it.

Join Elimination - This article describes how join elimination can improve performance of queries by removing tables from the plan.

Introduction to PL/SQL - A brief overview of some of the important points you should consider when first trying to learn PL/SQL.

LAG and LEAD Analytic Functions - Simple examples of how to use these analytic functions.

Literals, Substitution Variables and Bind Variables - The article compares the affect of using literals, substitution variables and bind variables on memory and CPU usage.

Logic/Branch Ordering in PL/SQL - This article demonstrates the affect of branch ordering on the performance of CASE and ELSIF statements.

NOCOPY Hint to Improve Performance of OUT and IN OUT Parameters in PL/SQL Code - This article discusses the benefits of using the NOCOPY hint for passing large or complex OUT and IN OUT parameters in PL/SQL.

NULL-Related Functions (NVL, DECODE, NVL2, COALESCE, NULLIF, LNNVL, NANVL, SYS_OP_MAP_NONNULL) - A summary of the functions available for handling NULL values.

Object Views and Nested Tables - Use object views to present relational data as an object-relational model.

Oracle Certification : Frequently Asked Questions (OCA, OCP, OCE, OCM) - My personal opinions when answering questions about Oracle Certification.

Oracle Dates, Timestamps and Intervals - An overview of the usage of dates, timestamps and intervals in Oracle databases.

Overlapping Date Ranges - This article presents simple methods to test for overlapping date ranges.

Performance of Numeric Data Types in PL/SQL - This article demonstrates the relative performance of the numeric data types in PL/SQL.

PL/SQL : Stop Making the Same Performance Mistakes - This article describes the common PL/SQL performance mistakes I see people making time and time again.