Expert Oracle Exadata - Parent Directory

AcknowledgmentsAs always, it’s the people closest to you that pay the price for your indiscretions. So I’d like to take thisopportunity to thank my family for putting up with me while I struggled through this project. It was farmore work than I ever expected, but what really surprised me was that there was a sense of impendingdoom hanging over me every day for almost a year. I joked that everything was measured in paragraphs.I could go out to dinner with my wife, or I could write another two paragraphs. (Actually, I couldn’t writethem that fast, but you know what I mean.) So again, I’d like to thank my wife Jill and my kids for puttingup with the distant stares and the self imposed rain cloud hanging over all of our heads.Kerry OsborneI want to say thank you to my kids, Brandon and Charis, who endured the many long nights andweekends I spent at the kitchen table writing this book. They are such an inspiration to me. My daughterCharis, a truly gifted writer, is so creative and bold. My son Brandon, the brilliant scientist and strategicthinker of the family, never gives up. Watching them grow into young adults has taught me the value ofcreativity and perseverance, especially when the task seems insurmountable. I love you, kids.To my parents, family, and friends, I’d like to say thank you for all your encouragement andsupport. You were always there for me when I needed you. I won’t try to name everyone here, but youknow who you are.And finally, I’d like to say a special thanks to Kerry for inviting me on this journey with him. Afew years ago, if you’d told me I was going to write a book someday, I’d have laughed out loud. But Kerryhas a talent for nudging me out of my comfort zone. In addition to being a mentor, over the years he hasbecome a trusted friend.Randy JohnsonThis is the first book I've co-authored, so this acknowledgment is going to be a thank-you note to anyonewho has ever helped me with my career and supported my passion for solving problems with data,algorithms, and computers. If you have ever taught me, helped me, or given me advice— thank you! I'dlike to give a special thanks to my parents, who strongly supported my interest in technology,electronics, and computers when I was a kid. Additionally, a big thanks to my wife Janika, who, despitenot being a computer geek, understands that it's perfectly normal to sometimes stare at a computerscreen for 24 hours in a row.Tanel Pöderxviii