Meet The Experts: OCP Guide Author Bob Bryla

Wishing all our readers a very happy, healthy, prosperous and productive

New Year 2009!

Our first blog post this year is a "Meet the Experts" feature where we got an opportunity to have a conversation with author of best-selling OCP Exam guides, the larger-than-life Bob Bryla.

Bob shares his Oracle experiences including certification exam secrets in his own imitable way. Enjoy knowing more about this best-seller extraordinaire.

OCP Advisor (OCPA): Please tell us about your professional background and Oracle experience

Bob Bryla (BB): Well, it all started back in 1976, when I was senior in high school, planning to be a physics major in college. I bombed out in physics, but had the opportunity to write BASIC programs on a DEC PDP-8 (paper tape for mass storage). I immediately changed my major!

Flash forward about 10 years, I'm doing PL/1 and FORTRAN programming, and started to use an early version of Oracle. Then, I had another life changing moment and databases became my life. Of course, I used a variety of other databases along the way, such as SQL Server and MS-Access.

I worked as a database specialist for American College Testing for about 10 years, then for an avionics software development company for another 10 years. I dabbled in the consulting world as an Oracle DBA for a few years as well.

In 2000, I ended up at Lands' End in Dodgeville, Wisconsin and have been there ever since. I wear many hats at Lands' End, including database designer, data analyst, SQL and PL/SQL developer, and of course an Oracle DBA! I really enjoy the mix of duties, all revolving around Oracle databases.

OCPA: You have been a popular author of Oracle Certification Exam Guides for over a decade. How did you start writing them? What motivates you to write on new subjects and editions every year?

BB: I've always been a writer, starting with writing satire and other comedy back in 6th grade. That never panned out, but my writing career was revived about 15 years ago when a fellow consultant and Oracle instructor (who had taught me in four different training classes) asked me to be the technical editor for one of his certification books. After doing a respectable job as a technical editor, the publisher asked me to write a few chapters, and before I knew it, I had a whole book to myself! I've written books for several different publishers, both certification and non-certification Oracle titles. Recently, I'm more or less exclusive to Oracle Press (McGraw-Hill Professional).

The motivations to write new books are many. Mostly, it helps me to keep up my skills on many different aspects of Oracle Database technology that I might never encounter in my day-to-day job as an Oracle DBA and SQL developer. For example, at one of my recent employers, we did not use RMAN at all; however, because I have written extensively on RMAN in several of my books, I consider myself to be somewhat of an expert, although I have not been "tested by fire".

OCPA: You are in an unique position to advise certification candidates to prepare for the exams. Which books and reference materials should they study for the exams?

BB: There are four main categories of information to help study for the exam: (1) classroom materials, (2) exam guides (like the ones I write), (3) Oracle online documentation, and (4) simulated Oracle exams (for example, from Self Test Software).

Until a few years ago, you did not have to attend any Oracle training courses, but now you must attend at least one instructor-led course as a requirement for the OCP certification. Before that, you could just use the exam guides, and thus be able to become certified with an investment of under $100. It does not hurt, and is still a good supplement, to buy the exam guides for each certification level as a refresher after taking an in-class, hands-on course. The practice exams included with the exam guides mirror the actual exams very closely and are much more cost effective than buying the simulated Oracle exams. This is not to say that the simulated Oracle exams are not effective, but if you only use them as your study guide, you may very well be able to pass the exam but you will not learn the real-world skills that you will get from the exam guides and the included hands-on scenarios.

OCPA: A common question asked by our blog readers is the time required to prepare for the exams. Please suggest what you think as an optimum preparation window.

BB: My recommendation would be a minimum of one month, ideally two, especially if you're working full-time at your "day job". If you take a typical exam guide with about 16 chapters, then covering about 2 chapters a week, trying out the examples, and taking the practice exams several times, you will be adequately prepared to take the exam. This includes spending a week in a hands-on Oracle course, which ideally should occur within a couple weeks of the exam. In many cases, I scheduled the exam on a Friday afternoon after the last day of the 5-day hands-on course, so that the material was still extremely fresh in my mind! Exam centers will almost always be within close proximity of Oracle training centers, but be sure to schedule the exam at least a week or two in advance of the hands-on training class to make sure there is a spot available. Each evening of the week during hands-on training, I would review the exam guide materials associated with the material I covered during the day; that is an extremely effective way to learn the material and retain it at least long enough until I take the exam!

OCPA: New Oracle technologies are being introduced every year. Which technologies excite you most? How do you get up to speed yourself and go on to author new books on these, e.g. Oracle 11g DBA Handbook? What are your forthcoming publications?

BB: Oracle clustering technology has been one of my favorites over the last few years. With inexpensive Intel-based hardware and only 8GB of RAM, it is easy to set up a 3+ node Real Application Clusters environment on a single server using products such as VMware. Some of the shops where I work do not use clustering, but instead use standby databases and other Oracle failover technologies -- thus, sometimes I have to "grow my own" at home!

While it is not production ready, I can certainly exercise all the features of multiple Oracle instances within a RAC, and most certainly write a chapter on RAC with authority. I have had many DBAs comment on my RAC chapter in both the Oracle 10g and 11g DBA Handbooks, and how it helped them get up to speed quickly on RAC technology, more so than even from using Oracle's own documentation!

Of course, Oracle clustering technology isn't just for databases -- that will be a chapter in a future book!

My latest book is the OCP Oracle Database 11g Administration II Exam Guide, just out in December of 2008.

In 2009, I am looking into revising the Oracle Database 11g DBA Handbook to include new features of 11gR2, in addition to writing an Advanced Oracle SQL book.

OCPA: A curious question: Have you written a certification exam yourself? Were the questions similar to what readers would find in your books?

BB: If you consider the sample exams written for the exam guides as certification exams, then yes! I typically write enough questions for several certification exams, and they will mirror the exam itself very closely. Before final publication of the exam guide, I take the beta exam from Oracle at least once, sometimes twice, to get a feel for the format of the questions and the kinds of knowledge that the exam tests for. As a result, when you take the exam questions in my books, you will certainly feel you are in familiar territory when you take the actual exam.

OCPA: Lastly, what benefits did you get from your Oracle certification experience?

BB: There are several benefits. Certification gives you some up-front credibility with your current (or future) employer; like a college degree, you still have to prove yourself once you are in the door. If all you do to get your certification is pass a sample exam, either from my books or from an online test, then you are going to disappoint your employer, and yourself!

In addition, certification will more or less force you to cover topics that you might not encounter on a day to day basis, but when the need does arise, you are ready to tackle the challenge.