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Indexes are optional data structures associated with Database tables. Indexes are logically & physically independent of the data in the associated table. They are independent database objects created to reduce disk I/O & speed up execution of SQL statements on a table. We can create many indexes on a table given that each index points to different column (in case of a single column) or unique combination of columns from a table. All Indexes offer complementary performance functionalities based on their structure: B-Tree indexes : B-Tree Indexes are stored as a conventional binary data structure in the database. Each branch node contains a key prefix to make a direction between two keys. Each Leaf Node is at same depth from the branch node and contain complete key value for each row & ROWID. Features : All leaf blocks of the tree are at same depth, resulting same performance for retrieval of any record from the indexed table. B-Trees are stay balanced automatically. Exc...

PL/SQL Collections Index-by tables (Associative Arrays) : They are arrays with the only difference that we can use numbers, string literals for subscript values. Associative Arrays are sets of key-value pairs, where key can be an integer or a string. There is no limitation on the size of Associative Arrays. Syntax: TYPE type_name IS TABLE OF element_type [NOT NULL] INDEX BY [BINARY_INTEGER | PLS_INTEGER | VARCHAR2 (size_limit)] ; Nested Tables : They are single dimensional, array-like tables, that can hold any number of elements inside another database table and can be manipulated by SQL as other database objects. Syntax: TYPE type_name IS TABLE OF element_type [NOT NULL]; Varying Arrays : As the name suggests, varrays (Varying Arrays) are fixed length arrays that use sequential numbers as subscripts. varrays need to be dense and we cannot remove/delete individual elements from the array. Length is defined at design time and can be manipulated at runtime subject to maximum ...

Recently, I came across the Time.com ’s list of 25 sites, We Can’t Live Without . I read it till the end to discover the new websites, I might be unaware of. I thought so because being a software professional, I spend much of my time daily browsing Internet. Not to my surprise, I came across quite a few websites, I had not heard of. More so, may be because I don’t need the services offered by them like one that’s selling shoes and accessories. But there were some websites, I was happy to browse. One of them is Craiglist , it’s more like Yellow Pages cum Free Advertisements that are bundled for free alongwith the Newspapers. I was surprised to see a separate section for Bangalore and that too quite an active one. Others in the list were mainly News-Related Websites or portals like Yahoo , MSN & AOL . Though they are not exactly comparable in terms of size and content, but that’s a broad category I’m putting them into. Drudge Report , Factcheck.org , National Public Radio and ...

Lyceum is an extension of the popular Wordpress blogging software. While Wordpress is a single user blogging software, Lyceum is a multiple users blogging software. Under early development, read about it here I tried installing it on my Windows XP system, running Apache 2.0.59, PHP 4.4.3 & MySQL 3.23.42 and faced quite some problems, so thought to blog about it. Installation Steps Download, Install and configure Apache, MySQL and PHP on your Windows Machine. Download and Installation should not be a problem. For configuration, you may follow these links: http://www.thesitewizard.com/archive/php4install.shtml http://www.dmxzone.com/ShowDetail.asp?NewsId=6452 After you’ve configured all the above 3 components, download Lyceum source from here Extract the source and place it under your DocumentRoot ( ). You should have the following directory structure. /lyceum + /dev | /doc | /src | + /bin | | /config | | /installation | | /lib | + /lyceum + /tests Befo...

Recently, I read this article, where in the Author has imagined interoperability of all files some way; where all possible file formats could be represented in a standard/single format, so as to ease the process of file editing/creating and parsing. Read it here

Definition / Concept If we need to retrieve data from more than one table we use JOINs. A join is a query, used to retrieve data from more than one table based on JOIN condition (Note: Same table can referenced more than once). Conditions In SQL terms, Join occurs when we specify more than one table in the FROM clause of the SELECT statement. Additionally, we also specify a condition in the WHERE clause to specify JOIN condition in the SELECT statement. Now, JOINs are conditions to join/compare two tables’ data retrieved from the selected tables’ columns based on JOIN Condition. Oracle combines the rows’ data to compare with other tables’ rows and evaulate the JOIN condition for TRUE/FALSE. We need to qualify columns having same name with table names/aliases to avoid ambiguity errors, for joins can be extended to multiple tables. In case of multiple joins extending to more than 2 tables, let’s say 3 for example, we create a recordset based on 1st join between 1st two tables & j...

Google is launching web-based spreadsheet application called Google Spreadsheets . Still under beta test, requiring invites to try out this new application; nothing much can be said about the application & its future as of now. But, as I was going through various news articles, people are already claiming that Google is seriously competing with Microsoft by launching this spreadsheet program. In my opinion, it’s just small view of a bigger vision. For, I believe it’s not just about Google taking on Microsoft or any other XYZ Co., but what Google is trying to achieve is reducing the dependance of the users on an operating system largely. When we observe the recent moves made by Google, we observe that Google launched Email , Instant Messaging , Calendar etc and now Google Spreadsheets, a spreadsheet application. The straight & obvious advantage of all such applications is availability on the web, so no matter where you are, you’ve access to your information everytime; no more d...

A group of four full-time political activists have developed a portal to encourage Internet Explorer users to adopt Firefox Web Browser. They’ve launched their website: ExplorerDestroyer.com as an aggressive strategy to promote Firefox amongst Internet Explorer Users, as Internet Explorer is still the most popular Web Browser. The group states : “Firefox is one of the most important software applications in the world because it can play a big part in determining the future of the web. It is crucial that an open-source, standards-based web browser becomes the most popular browser, and Firefox has a shot at being that. It’s the best product, and its popularity is climbing, thanks to amazing efforts by the Mozilla Foundation , the SpreadFirefox.org juggernaut, and many others.” Apart from talking about the advantages of Firefox, they are promoting the use of Firefox, by advertising the Google Adsense program that pays $1 for each new Firefox user you refer. Also, they are offering ready...

Microsoft released a new test release of Internet Explorer, the market leadingWeb browser facing stiff competition from smaller players like Firefox & Opera lately. The new beta, available Tuesday for free download to English-language customers, includes fixes for problems that were causing Internet Explorer 7 to stop working.With the previous test version, the most common problems reported involved banking and news sites, in part because of security changes. The new beta release is targeted at technology enthusiasts, after earlier versions of the browser primarily catered towards developers of websites and online applications. Improving security can be tricky since any changes can cause legitimate Web sites to stop working, frustrating users. “We want to get them to start using the product and get us some feedback,” Margaret Cobb, group product manager for Internet Explorer at Microsoft told vnunet.com. “We still have a few months before we release publicly and we want to make thi...

Xie, a researcher for the Web Search and Mining group within Microsoft Research Asia , is working on technology called Photo2Search, which is designed to provide information on the go for users of camera phones. “As the old saying goes,” Xie says, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Maybe more, actually. Photo2Search gives users a way to search a Web-based database by using nothing more than an image captured by a cellphone equipped with a digital camera. “This technology,” Xie says, “aims to solve the problem of mapping a physical-world object to a digital-world object. You see an object in the physical world, and you want to know the corresponding information in the digital world - for example, its price on the Web, user comments, or Web sites. There are many different solutions. You can use a bar code or radio-frequency identification. But using a picture of the object is very convenient and very easy to deploy.” The easy part is the key. Camera phones are simple to use, but...

Dymeta Inc., a small security firm based in Bettendorf, in Iowa says it has discovered why Yahoo’s email is sometimes slow.An analysis of Yahoo Inc. mail servers found that they were only able to accept email about half the time on average, making it likely that email was taking longer than normal to deliver. “We’re not saying that mail isn’t going to get through, but it’s likely to take longer than normal,” Gillette said. “Normally, when you send email from one account to another, you can expect it to be delivered in minutes. With the problems they’ve got, it could take hours or even days to get through, or it could be bounced back entirely.” In testing 16 Yahoo mail servers found on average that the servers were unable to accept email 45 percent of the time, and the number of available servers ranged from as low as four to as high as 12, Aaron Gillette, chief technician for the company, said. Yahoo, among the largest Web mail providers in the world, sending more messages per qua...

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. will buy Flextronics Software Systems for around $900 million. Flextronics International Ltd. is world’s largest producer of electronics for other companies. KKR is buying 85% of the Bangalore-based India unit of Flextronics and marks its presence in the region after it opened its office in Tokyo & Hong Kong last year. Flextronics said it would retain a 15% stake in the business that would operate as an independent software and solutions company. KKR last year bought Agilent Technologies Inc.’s semiconductor unit, whose operations are mainly in Singapore. Palo Alto, California-based Agilent is the world’s biggest maker of scientific-testing equipment. “ Our investment in Flextronics’ software development and solutions business is an outstanding opportunity to create value in a high-growth sector, ‘’ Adam H. Clammer, a KKR executive said in the statement. The Indian unit was formerly Hughes Software Systems, based in New Delhi, before Flextronics...

Google Inc, the Internet Search Giant has finally launched Google Calendar , as discussed earlier . The Google Calendar service allows its users to see their friends' and family's schedules right next to their own; quickly add events mentioned in Gmail conversations or saved in other calendar applications; and add other interesting events that are found online. Calendar and Events can be shared with the public, invitations can be sent to invite concerned people, send reminders and keep track of RSVPs right inside Google Calendar. Organizations can promote events, too. You can set up automatic event reminders, including SMS notifications, and instantly bring up anything on your calendar with the built-in search tool. Google Calendar is the latest offering Google, which analysts have said is gradually replacing its search-only business model with that of a portal, or all-purpose Web site. Over the past time, Google has been catching up to rivals Yahoo Inc. and Micros...

To help increase awareness of Firefox among this target audience, Mozilla has launched Firefox Flicks. They are high-quality, innovative 30-second ad that introduces Firefox to mainstream Web users. Create a 30-second ad, in any style (live action or animated,) that brings Firefox to life for the millions of Web users who have yet to discover Firefox and the better Web experience it delivers. Watch the Latest flicks here: 1. Double Click Relief 2. DareDevil 3. Drama Queen

Novell today admitted that despite Company's efforts to internally migrate to Suse & OpenOffice.org, more than half of its workers still have dual-boot installations with Microsoft Windows. At a press event, Novell's president Ron Hovsepian told the project to migrate the remaining employees shall be completed over the next year or so. Hovsepian’s remarks indicate Novell will have only a few months’ experience as a complete Linux and open source desktop shop behind it when, according to the vendor’s predictions, the software starts taking off in the mainstream. The Novell executive said in Australia the Suse Linux implementation had been missing some of the pieces enterprises needed, but said version 10 of the software would help the market for desktop Linux pick up. Regarding his company's own Linux migration, Hovsepian said Novell had learnt a lot from the implementation, and overcome challenges involving, for example, porting macros from Microsoft Office to OpenOf...

Microsoft launched a Web site to promote its Linux and open-source interoperability work, at the LinuxWorld exhibition in Boston. Port 25 -- the site's named after the port used to listen for SMTP e-mail traffic -- is an attempt to promote conversations about Microsoft, open source, and how the twain might meet. It is aimed at creating community for businesses and developers working with mixed platforms, mainly Unix and Windows, and also Linux. Sponsored by the Redmond, Wash. developer's Open Source Software Lab, the site will offer blogs and other content on the OSSL's efforts. " This will be the place we not only blog, but also where we put analysis from our OSS labs and also where we discuss and show other parts of Microsoft that we think are just plain cool, " wrote Bill Hilf, Open Source Software Lab head. He was recently promoted, to manage all of Microsoft's open-source compatibility efforts, including its controversial " Get the Facts anti-L...

I got the Yahoo Mail Beta Invitation today and there was no reason to skip/miss it. It took some time to initialize, first time I launched, but since then it's been working blazingly fast, just a Desktop Application. Includes a Left Pane, where you got all the links to the Mail Folders, Calendar and Notepad. RSS feeds can also be added within in the mailbox only. You click on a Mail folder and it is loaded in the right-pane of the Window, and that's where it is fast at. You can right-click on Mail Folders as well as on the messages to perform most of the tasks. Double-click on a message in the list and it is loaded with full height, without a preview window. With Keyboard shortcuts similar to Gmail, the experience is much better and simpler. Sign up for Yahoo Mail Beta here. Those who've already joined Yahoo Mail Beta, can join this Yahoo Group

Alcatel is planning to buy the rival Lucent Technologies creating World's largest telecom equipment supplier with combined sales volume of $25.33 billion. The talks revive the negotations that sparked off five years ago and fell over due to issues with structuring of the new company. This time, the 2 companies are talking about a "merger of equals" that would be "priced at market". Lucent chief Patricia Russo is likely to become the CEO when Alcatel chief Serge Tchuruk retires in June. Pressure had been mounting on telecom equipment majors after the consolidation of telephone service providers that buy the gear. Major customers like AT&T have already been consolidating, with the latest move being the $64.5 billion AT&T bid for BellSouth; Cisco agreed in November to buy Scientific-Atlanta Inc. for $6.9 billion to enter the growing market of Internet TV. After the merger talks, share prices of Alcatel & Lucent jumped to $3.05/share, 13.14 euros/share r...

ATI launched first Graphic Accelerator card with the capacity of 1 GB memory. The graphics accelerator card features an extremely powerful ultra threaded, parallel processing GPU, and the famous ATI's Avivo video & display technology. Featuring full Shader Model 3.0 support and a scalable ultra-threaded architecture with true 128-bit floating point precision, 8 parallel geometry engines, 16 pixel shader processors, and an ultra efficient 512-bit ring bus memory controller, ATI FireGL V7350 provides the graphics horsepower for today’s professional applications and tomorrow’s technology innovations. ATI’s Avivo video and display platform brings an increased level of visual fidelity to theprofessional graphics market with features such as automatic gain control, gamma correction and increased colour bit depth. With a 10-bit per RGB component graphics pipeline, instead of the standard 8-bit, the FireGL’s colour palette increases to over a billion colours. The result should be a fin...

Long awaited by FC users, Fedora Core 5 has been released. The latest release includes latest Gnome 2.14 and KDE 3.5 versions. XFce 4 has also been bundled alongwith. Running on the 2.6.15 kernel, Fedora Core 5 disallows the loading of any non-GPL modules. FC 5 offers the recent releases of other standard softwares like Mono, Java, Firefox and GIMP. It installs GCC 4.1 and tools built with it like Eclipse. Yes, Mono will be installed by default now. The Gnome Menu is a little streamlined and needs to be adjusted for user-defined behaviour. Mono based applications like Beagle, Tomboy and FSpot have also been offered alongwith the distro. New look package managers are available by the name of Pirut and Pup, with sleek interfaces, though YUM is being used at the command line. The new look GUI Interface based package managers are not much efficient at packages management. FC5 is quite sluggish in performance with high system requirements. The release notes for FC5 suggest a minimum of 256 ...