Introduction and Database Fundamentals
- Overview of Oracle AI Database 26ai, relational concepts, data model and ERD
- Tools in use: SQL Developer and SQL*Plus
- Using Oracle documentation effectively
- The database as a «converged database»: relational, JSON, graph and vectors under one roof
Querying, Filtering and Sorting Data
- SELECT fundamentals, arithmetic expressions, column aliases, DESCRIBE
- Handling NULL values
- WHERE and ORDER BY, row limiting with FETCH FIRST
- Substitution variables for reusable queries
- New in the 23ai/26ai line: BOOLEAN data type, SELECT without FROM DUAL
Functions and Expressions
- Character, number and date functions
- Conversion with TO_CHAR, TO_DATE and TO_NUMBER
- NVL, NVL2, NULLIF and COALESCE
- Conditional expressions with CASE and DECODE
Aggregation, Joins and Set Operators
- Group functions, GROUP BY and HAVING
- Joins: natural join, USING, ON, self-join and outer joins
- UNION, UNION ALL, INTERSECT and MINUS
- Advanced grouping with ROLLUP, CUBE and GROUPING SETS
Subqueries
- Single-row, multiple-row and multiple-column subqueries
- Correlated subqueries, EXISTS and NOT EXISTS
- The WITH clause (common table expressions)
- Hierarchical queries with CONNECT BY
Changing Data and Creating Objects
- INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE and transaction control with COMMIT, ROLLBACK and SAVEPOINT
- Creating and altering tables, defining constraints
- Sequences, synonyms and indexes
- Creating and altering views, and writing through views
- Temporary tables and external tables
Advanced Queries and the Data Dictionary
- Multitable INSERT and MERGE
- Flashback queries: viewing earlier data states
- Querying the data dictionary
- Privileges: system and object privileges, roles
- Time zones and interval types
Outlook: SQL in the AI Database
- JSON in SQL and JSON Relational Duality Views from a query perspective
- The VECTOR data type and a first similarity search with VECTOR_DISTANCE
- SQL Property Graphs: GRAPH_TABLE and MATCH in an example
- Regular expressions in SQL
