How can I practice as I'm learning through the videos?
Our ByteWare appliance provides a plug and play solution using pre-configured test servers. You can test drive any Oracle Technology at home or office with a simple plug and play methodology. All you need is an open USB port, 1-2 GB memory (the more the better) on any PC or Laptop running Windows XP or Vista. Plug it in and you’ll very quickly have access to a fully functioning Oracle environment.
I don’t have any IT background or experience. Can I be successful becoming a DBA?
Starting a new career in IT as a DBA will be challenging, rewarding and satisfying experience. It has to be approached in a serious and diligent manner for training to be most effective. Oracle is a huge product with many technical paths and products. Don’t be discouraged! While it certainly helps to have a technical aptitude, we at OraByte have trained people from all walks of life, from truck drivers to degreed engineers, MBA's and even PHD’s with physics, chemistry and biology backgrounds. In short, if you have the motivation, an infallible passion to succeed and the dedication to your new career in IT, we will not let you fail. With over 500 people being trained and a nearly 100% success rate, we feel confident you can be successful. You’ll start with the very basics, SQL, PLSQL, Oracle Database Architecture components, 100's of commands, backup and recovery and basic tuning. Practice, practice and more practice. Once you’ve mastered the core DBA curriculum, you can optionally move on to more advanced technologies like RAC and Apps DBA or start you new career as an Oracle DBA. There are virtually unlimited job opportunities worldwide with over 320,000 Oracle based companies to potentially work for and the list is growing. So to leave no doubt in your mind, it will be a substantial challenge requiring lots of time and commitment but OraByte will be there for you every step of the way. Your success is our top priority.
I have IT experience and want to enhance my skills? How would this course help me?
If you are DBA or Developer who has had experience with Oracle technology, we’d recommend review of any gap skills from our free library of videos then the DBA Advance track where you can learn about Complex performance tuning, Advance backup and recovery strategies, Advance Architecture, Infrastructure design, Oracle RAC 10g and 11g and integrating databases to LDAP server etc. Then move on to the Apps DBA track.
How long does it take to complete the eLearning course?
OraByte courseware is self guided and self paced. If you are highly motivated and have 10-12 hours per day to spend on training and hands-on practice with our ByteWare hardware, you can get to an Apps DBA level in 90 days. We know this is a bold statement but feel it is realistic based on our history of over 500 folks we have trained. If you only have 10-20 hours per week it will take longer. One hour of our highly informative video may translate to hours of learning and practice. In addition to our basic DBA videos, we have close to 100 hours of Videos to upgrade your skill base to an Apps DBA level. Roughly translate that to 400-500 hours of your time with solid practice, confidence and mastery of what we have to offer.
Do I get any certificate of completion after I take the course?
We are not a certifying authority. Many of our students have passed Oracle’s OCA and OCP exams. Keep in mind that these formal certifications are more on theoretical than practical level. We consider them the 101 of Oracle know how. We are here to make you effective with practical knowledge that you will use every day to service and operate effectively at work. After going through our videos, you’ll have no doubt that while we did not focus on theory, all your fundamental skills will be so strong that it will take very little effort to pass the exams. We will eventually be offering OraByte certified DBA and APPS DBA certificates once we have the official exams setup.
What are the versions of oracle products that are taught on the eLearning courses?
9i and 10g for Oracle administration tracks, 11g is being developed. One of the benefits of joining our Premium Membership program is that as we enhance our current library and produce new leading edge materials, you have full and free access to this for an entire year. Renewals are discounted 50% for existing members. To make financial sense of all this, you’ll get over $10,000 to $20,000 worth of training every year for substantially less than you’d pay for a typical single classroom course. Every few months we keep adding new videos to our site membership where all subscribers can use and view them as many times as they want. In short we keep in tune with existing versions as much as possible. New videos are extensively researched and validated through practical use before sharing with our members so they can confidently put these technologies into maximum use.
Are there any archived courses? Can I get access to them?
We maintain 100% availability of our free and premium training videos. What that means for our Premium members is as our research and development moves ahead with new products and technologies, so do you. Your video repository grows with you so you can keep what you have already paid for and enhance your experience and learning with new materials. New Premium members are automatically given access to all archived videos for the track of their choosing.
What are the upcoming courses for eLearning? Is there is any schedule that is posted?
We are in a constant state of evolving and researching. It takes various cycles of testing the new software as it pertains to deployment, architecture possibilities, real life situational use and other factors that you will potentially face. There are a huge number of simulations of real life scenarios our research teams go through to come with a simple video, so there is lot of work involved and serious investment on our part to your success. We currently have plans to release OBIEE+ and SOA tracks in the coming months with a go live expectation of June 2009. To put it in perspective, there are various ERP track enhancements at play. For example there is ERP and OBIEE integration, ERP and SOA integration then ERP and SSO. It takes substantial effort to fully test a product’s impact. We will not release a video unless we feel we are offering you the best we can for your financial commitment.
Is there any advantage to membership as a group compared to buying it as an individual?
Our products are currently licensed on an individual basis though group discounts purchases will be evaluated on a case by case basis. Please contact us at
elearning@orabyte.com to discuss your particular needs.
Sometimes I'm not able to open the video in Firefox or Internet explorer. Please help?
Our Video's are tuned to perform optimally under both of these browsers. There are unusual circumstances where security or unknown technical reasons that the videos might not work. Typically you must check your pop-up blocker, use F11 to see windows view of our videos, etc. Please use our helpdesk system with example screenshots of your issues.
Do you also have in-class training or one-on-one training?
We do offer one-on-one training for those students seeking the highest level of interactive feedback. This track offers 10 hours per week of an instructor’s time personally allocated to you for maximum of 40 hours. Web conferencing hours can be varied based on your individual needs and a mutually agreed upon timeframe. The base price for personal one-on-one tuition is $2,000. This includes site membership, a ByteWare appliance and a fully licensed copy of our ByteArmor software. Classroom training options are being developed. Cost and schedule will be released as soon as plans are finalized.
How do I communicate if I have any questions regarding the videos?
Users of our products may submit Help Desk tickets at anytime. Premium site members have can use direct and unlimited email communications along with helpdesk system. For technical issues with any products, please use the helpdesk system. Site members are also allocated 10 hours per year of phone consultation time, optimally designed to be consumed once they are on assignment at their client or employer. Typically members will call us with design, direction, strategy and ByteArmor usage questions. Assume your new role with confidence knowing our internal staff, research teams and other members will offer you the support and technical guidance needed at a time of crises. Where permitted we can web conference to evaluate your situation and guide you towards a solution. Site membership is growing community of sincere and professional DBAs who enjoy sharing their knowledge and will help you to be successful. The 10 hours of call backup is your life line in a time of crisis. This alone pays for your site membership fee.
I want to buy one course first. Based on how I perform I want to decide on Premium membership? Will I get any discounts?
Our Premium site membership is aggressively priced and structured to be an all inclusive offer so if you chose to take an individual course and then decide on Premium membership, no discounts will be given. Unless you truly have a very specific need, we highly recommend Premium site membership.
