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 Oracle8i and its major products, then lays out a strategy to help you get ready for Oracle8i.

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.