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Steven Feuerstein named Oracle Magazine’s PL/SQL Developer of the Year for 2006

Writing good code—and testing it—is one developer's mission.

"PL/SQL developers don't test their code often enough or deeply enough," says Steven Feuerstein, Oracle Magazine's PL/SQL Developer of the Year. "It's a big problem, and not just in our small part of the programming world. Sure, unit testing is tough and there are lots of obstacles, but we've got to reduce the number of bugs that make it into production applications."

Feuerstein emphasizes testing in his training sessions and conference presentations. He's also the development manager for a new unit testing tool for PL/SQL from Quest Software. Of course, there is more to coding than testing, and Feuerstein's 10 books on PL/SQL prove the point. He complements his interest in testing with a broader focus in his Best Practice PL/SQL column on Oracle Technology Network and his PL/SQL Practices column in Oracle Magazine.

His take on the PL/SQL language? "It's elegant and accessible. It may not have all the power of Java, but it is without doubt the premier database programming language," says Feuerstein. "And let's face it: the tens of thousands of mission-critical production applications built on PL/SQL will be running for decades. It's critical for developers to pay attention to the robustness, maintainability, and testability of that code."

See the entire list of Editor's Choice Awards...

Jonathan Lewis named Oracle Magazine’s Oracle Author of the Year for 2006

Consultant tries to reach as many people as possible by writing books.

Computer glitches rarely launch a writing career, but for Jonathan Lewis, Oracle Magazine's Oracle Author of the Year, the Y2K problem was a blessing.

In 1999 Lewis, who lectures, trains, and consults with companies around the world on maximizing the efficiency of their Oracle databases, found that corporate budgets were devoted to the Y2K problem. Rather than take a long holiday, he used the time to write his first book, Practical Oracle8i. This year Lewis wrote Cost-Based Oracle Fundamentals, the first of a three-volume series.

"Few people understand how Oracle's Cost-Based Optimizer works. Virtually anyone who worries about the performance of their database should read the book," says Lewis. "I decided to write down some of the stuff I knew about cost-based optimization so that I could help thousands of people instead of training individual groups of 50 or 100."

He found a rich subject—the first book has more than 500 pages and he has two volumes left to go. But it's a job he enjoys.

"Researching technology problems can be interesting, and working with customers on specific performance issues can be exciting," says Lewis. "But the writing part of my job is the toughest bit, which is why it gives me the most satisfaction when I think I've got it right."

See the entire list of Editor's Choice Awards...