Oracle performance firefighting is not for everyone. It's a strange breed that enjoys being faced with shouting, scared, crying, angry, jealous, and happy people, all while solving a difficult technical problem. I, and others like me, get a strange rush of adrenaline when plunging wholeheartedly into these situations.

To operate effectively in firefighting conditions takes a unique combination of method, perfect diagnosis, deep Oracle internals knowledge, the ability to communicate the complex in simple terms, and confidence in each of these areas. This book is squarely focused on helping you develop these characteristics and skills.

This book has been a long time in coming! For years, my colleagues, students, partners, and friends have asked me to take my courseware, technical papers, stories, and how I explain things, and turn them into a book. But it's a massive undertaking that I've put off. I finally relented, and here is the result.