After the downtime we experienced on 25 October, Amazon Web Services informed usethat there are "issues in the Availability Zone" hosting our database and we have been asked to move the instance.
Unfortunately, that instance is really heavy. :-)
No, seriously, my dear friends at Apex Evangelists will be performing the move this weekend. We are not sure of the precise time or how long it will take, so please don't be shocked if you visit this weekend and find the site unavailable.
The PL/SQL Challenge (www.plsqlchallenge.com) offers a daily quiz on the PL/SQL language, through which thousands of Oracle technologists demonstrate and deepen their knowledge of PL/SQL. This blog contains posts by the PL/SQL Challenge founder, Steven Feuerstein, as well as comments from players.
26 October 2012
Results for 25 October Quiz Not Ranked
With a heavy heart, I have decided to void results for 25 October. They will not be included in rankings, nor used to determine participation in the quarterly playoff.
I did this because several players reported that they were unable to play the quiz, and we know that the site was unavailable for at least four hours - and maybe more, since we are unable to pinpoint the exact time the site became unavailable.
That was a very frustrating experience, waiting and waiting for Amazon Web Services support to take action. Finally they did (thanks to John Scott's prodding) but by then the damage was done.
I did this because several players reported that they were unable to play the quiz, and we know that the site was unavailable for at least four hours - and maybe more, since we are unable to pinpoint the exact time the site became unavailable.
That was a very frustrating experience, waiting and waiting for Amazon Web Services support to take action. Finally they did (thanks to John Scott's prodding) but by then the damage was done.
25 October 2012
19:30 UTC Website is back up!
Just to make sure you are aware: the website is back up.
We are just under the wire for the four hour mandatory voiding of the quiz (with the full confession that we are not entirely sure when the site first went down).
I am going to open things back up and see how it goes. If anyone complains that they weren't able to take the quiz today, we will void it.
We are just under the wire for the four hour mandatory voiding of the quiz (with the full confession that we are not entirely sure when the site first went down).
I am going to open things back up and see how it goes. If anyone complains that they weren't able to take the quiz today, we will void it.
Website Unavailable - 15:30 UTC 25 October
The PL/SQL Challenge website is having problems. We are investigating and plan to have it back online ASAP.
If you have not already done so, please follow PLSQLChallenge at twitter.com so you can receive updates on website status that way.
If you have not already done so, please follow PLSQLChallenge at twitter.com so you can receive updates on website status that way.
22 October 2012
Q3 2012 Playoff on 24 October
The next quarterly championship playoff (for Q3 2012) will take place on Wednesday, 24 October. Forty-five players have qualified to take five tough quizzes in forty minutes. Wish them luck!
Here's some background on the players in the upcoming playoff, including the number of playoffs in which they've already played; their rank in that quarter, their rank in the playoff, and their best playoff performance.
Here's some background on the players in the upcoming playoff, including the number of playoffs in which they've already played; their rank in that quarter, their rank in the playoff, and their best playoff performance.
| Name | # Playoffs | Qtr Rank | Last Playoff Rank | Best Playoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| swart260 | 1 | 1/1454 | 24/33 | Q2 2012 - 24th |
| Sean Stuber | 5 | 2/1454 | 9/33 | Q3 2010 - 5th |
| Jerry Bull | 5 | 3/1454 | 14/33 | Q3 2011 - 9th |
| Stelios Vlasopoulos | 4 | 4/1454 | 33/33 | Q4 2011 - 22nd |
| mentzel.iudith | 7 | 5/1454 | 19/33 | Q4 2010 - 4th |
| Vinu | 1 | 6/1454 | 32/33 | Q2 2012 - 32nd |
| Chad Lee | 5 | 7/1454 | 26/33 | Q1 2012 - 1st |
| Viacheslav Stepanov | 6 | 8/1454 | 12/33 | Q2 2011 - 4th |
| Randy Gettman | 7 | 9/1454 | 22/33 | Q3 2011 - 4th |
| Marco Siefert | 1 | 10/1454 | 31/35 | Q1 2012 - 31st |
| Frank Schrader | 8 | 11/1454 | 3/33 | Q1 2011 - 1st |
| Siim Kask | 7 | 12/1454 | 6/33 | Q4 2011 - 4th |
| Yuan Tschang | 4 | 13/1454 | 27/33 | Q2 2012 - 27th |
| kowido | 6 | 14/1454 | 1/33 | Q2 2012 - 1st |
| Justin Cave | 6 | 15/1454 | 2/33 | Q2 2012 - 2nd |
| Niels Hecker | 8 | 16/1454 | 5/33 | Q3 2010 - 1st |
| Anna Onishchuk | 6 | 17/1454 | 11/33 | Q1 2011 - 6th |
| Frank Schmitt | 2 | 18/1454 | 4/33 | Q2 2012 - 4th |
| Jeroen Rutte | 1 | 19/1454 | 20/62 | Q3 2010 - 20th |
| Chris Saxon | 3 | 20/1454 | 8/29 | Q2 2011 - 2nd |
| Zoltan Fulop | 2 | 21/1454 | 29/33 | Q1 2012 - 17th |
| Giedrius Deveikis | 1 | 22/1454 | 7/33 | Q2 2012 - 7th |
| koko | 0 | 23/1454 | N/A | N/A |
| Sebastian Kolski | 2 | 24/1454 | 17/33 | Q2 2012 - 17th |
| Kim Berg Hansen | 3 | 25/1454 | 8/33 | Q4 2010 - 6th |
| Janis Baiza | 4 | 27/1454 | 2/29 | Q4 2011 - 2nd |
| Markus Langlotz | 1 | 29/1454 | 11/38 | Q4 2010 - 11th |
| Ivan Blanarik | 2 | 30/1454 | 15/33 | Q1 2012 - 3rd |
| Jens Petersen | 1 | 34/1454 | N/A | N/A |
| Tony Winn | 1 | 35/1454 | 17/62 | Q3 2010 - 17th |
| Patrick Barel | 0 | 37/1454 | N/A | N/A |
| Jason H | 0 | 46/1454 | N/A | N/A |
| Goran Stefanović | 2 | 50/1454 | 30/33 | Q2 2012 - 30th |
| Michal Cvan | 5 | 57/1454 | 12/35 | Q1 2012 - 12th |
| Gary Myers | 4 | 68/1454 | 1/34 | Q2 2011 - 1st |
| Mike Pargeter | 7 | 69/1454 | 20/33 | Q4 2011 - 6th |
| puchtec | 0 | 78/1454 | N/A | N/A |
| Peter Schmidt | 2 | 80/1454 | 14/38 | Q3 2010 - 2nd |
| macabre | 2 | 87/1454 | 27/31 | Q2 2011 - 17th |
| Vijay Mahawar | 0 | 99/1454 | N/A | N/A |
| Tobias Stark | 1 | 140/1454 | 35/35 | Q1 2012 - 35th |
| Karel Prech | 0 | 166/1454 | N/A | N/A |
| mark kavalaris | 0 | 274/1454 | N/A | N/A |
| Dan Kiser | 1 | 308/1454 | N/A | N/A |
| Fernando Bautista | 0 | 464/1454 | N/A | N/A |
10 October 2012
Time for the Q3 2012 Championship Playoff!
The following players will be invited to participate in the Q3 2012 championship playoff. The number in parentheses after their names are the number of playoffs in which they have already participated.
It's very impressive to see the #1 rank taken by a player who has participated in just one previous playoff. Six players have never been in a playoff before - it's always good to have "new blood" giving those repeat players a run for their money.
See the FAQ for an explanation of the three ways a player can qualify for the playoff. And congratulations to all listed below on their accomplishment and best of luck in the upcoming competition!
We will set and publish the date of the playoff very soon.
It's very impressive to see the #1 rank taken by a player who has participated in just one previous playoff. Six players have never been in a playoff before - it's always good to have "new blood" giving those repeat players a run for their money.
See the FAQ for an explanation of the three ways a player can qualify for the playoff. And congratulations to all listed below on their accomplishment and best of luck in the upcoming competition!
We will set and publish the date of the playoff very soon.
| Name | Rank | Qualification | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| swart260 (1) | 1 | Top 25 | Netherlands |
| Sean Stuber (5) | 2 | Top 25 | United States |
| Jerry Bull (5) | 3 | Top 25 | United States |
| Stelios Vlasopoulos (4) | 4 | Top 25 | Belgium |
| mentzel.iudith (7) | 5 | Top 25 | Israel |
| Vinu (1) | 6 | Top 25 | India |
| Chad Lee (5) | 7 | Top 25 | United States |
| Viacheslav Stepanov (6) | 8 | Top 25 | Russia |
| Randy Gettman (7) | 9 | Top 25 | United States |
| Marco Siefert (1) | 10 | Top 25 | Germany |
| Frank Schrader (8) | 11 | Top 25 | Germany |
| Siim Kask (7) | 12 | Top 25 | Estonia |
| Yuan Tschang (4) | 13 | Top 25 | United States |
| kowido (6) | 14 | Top 25 | No Country Set |
| Justin Cave (6) | 15 | Top 25 | United States |
| Niels Hecker (8) | 16 | Top 25 | Germany |
| Anna Onishchuk (6) | 17 | Top 25 | Ireland |
| Frank Schmitt (2) | 18 | Top 25 | Germany |
| Jeroen Rutte (1) | 19 | Top 25 | Netherlands |
| Chris Saxon (3) | 20 | Top 25 | United Kingdom |
| Zoltan Fulop (2) | 21 | Top 25 | Hungary |
| Giedrius Deveikis (1) | 22 | Top 25 | Lithuania |
| koko (0) | 23 | Top 25 | Ukraine |
| Sebastian Kolski (2) | 24 | Top 25 | Poland |
| Kim Berg Hansen (3) | 25 | Top 25 | Denmark |
| Janis Baiza (4) | 27 | Wildcard | Latvia |
| Markus Langlotz (1) | 29 | Wildcard | Switzerland |
| Ivan Blanarik (2) | 30 | Wildcard | Slovakia |
| Jens Petersen (1) | 34 | Wildcard | Germany |
| Tony Winn (1) | 35 | Wildcard | Australia |
| Patrick Barel (0) | 37 | Wildcard | Netherlands |
| Jason H (0) | 46 | Wildcard | United States |
| Goran Stefanović (2) | 50 | Correctness | Serbia |
| Michal Cvan (5) | 57 | Correctness | Slovakia |
| Gary Myers (4) | 68 | Wildcard | Australia |
| Mike Pargeter (7) | 69 | Correctness | United Kingdom |
| puchtec (0) | 78 | Wildcard | Germany |
| Peter Schmidt (2) | 80 | Wildcard | Germany |
| macabre (2) | 87 | Correctness | Russia |
| Vijay Mahawar (0) | 99 | Correctness | India |
| Tobias Stark (1) | 140 | Correctness | Germany |
| Karel Prech (0) | 166 | Correctness | Czech Republic |
| mark kavalaris (0) | 274 | Correctness | No Country Set |
| Dan Kiser (1) | 308 | Correctness | United States |
| Fernando Bautista (0) | 464 | Correctness | United Kingdom |
01 October 2012
Should PL/SQL Developers Care About "Internals"?
We've posted a new Roundtable discussion with the title
Should PL/SQL Developers Care About "Internals"?
This discussion point was provided Jeff Kemp, a long-time player of the PL/SQL Challenge who writes:
Our esteemed colleague Steven once wrote: "...regarding the question of "internal" storage: I have no idea how Oracle manages these structures. ... why should we care? We just need to know that we can use the data structures with confidence (no or minimal bugs, good performance). Why get caught up with 'internal' details that can change from version to version anyway?" Do you agree?
I encourage you to visit the Roundtable discussion page, read Jeff's full presentation, and add your thoughts.
Should PL/SQL Developers Care About "Internals"?
This discussion point was provided Jeff Kemp, a long-time player of the PL/SQL Challenge who writes:
Our esteemed colleague Steven once wrote: "...regarding the question of "internal" storage: I have no idea how Oracle manages these structures. ... why should we care? We just need to know that we can use the data structures with confidence (no or minimal bugs, good performance). Why get caught up with 'internal' details that can change from version to version anyway?" Do you agree?
I encourage you to visit the Roundtable discussion page, read Jeff's full presentation, and add your thoughts.
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