How to Install Oracle AI Database 26ai on a Mac (Using Docker)

Oracle Database 26ai has officially landed. As of January 27, 2026, Oracle finally flipped the switch on the General Availability (GA) for the Linux x86-64 version, bringing the “Enterprise Edition” to data centers everywhere. This marks a major turning point in Oracle’s recent rebranding saga, where the anticipated “23ai” was bumped up to 26ai to signal its role as the long-term support (LTS) foundation for the AI era.

Oracle Database has been a powerhouse in enterprise environments for decades, and the new “AI” branding reflects their recent addition of AI-powered features like vector search.

Read more

Getting Started with the Netflix Sample Database in SQL

If you’re learning SQL or looking for a real-world dataset to sharpen your database skills, the Netflix sample database could be an option. This free, open-source database is based on publicly available information from Netflix’s Engagement Report and Global Top 10 weekly lists, making it both relevant and engaging for practice purposes.

Read more

Using Multiple CTEs in a Single Query

Common Table Expressions (CTEs) are a handy way to break down a complex query into readable, reusable pieces. When you need several intermediate results – say, a filtered set, an aggregation, and a ranking – you can stack multiple CTE definitions together. PostgreSQL, SQL Server, MySQL 8+, and many other engines support this syntax.

Read more

Oracle Adds Support for IF EXISTS and IF NOT EXISTS Syntax Modifiers

Many RDBMSs implement IF EXISTS and IF NOT EXISTS syntax modifiers that can be used with DDL object creation, modification, and deletion, such as CREATE TABLE and DROP TABLE statements, to name just a couple.

These syntax modifiers allow us to run such statements without getting an error in the event that the object already exists (if we’re trying to create it or modify it) or doesn’t exist (if we’re trying to drop it).

Read more

3 Oracle LIMIT Clause Alternatives

Many RDBMSs have a LIMIT clause that allows us to limit the rows returned by a query to a specified number. SQL Server doesn’t have a LIMIT clause but it does have a TOP() function that allows us to do the same thing.

But Oracle Database has neither.

Fortunately, Oracle does have a number of options that allow us to get the same result.

Read more

Understanding the OFFSET Clause in Oracle

In Oracle Database, we can use the OFFSET clause to make a SELECT statement skip a certain number of rows in its result set.

The OFFSET clause is defined as part of the FETCH row limiting clause, which allows us to limit the number of rows returned by a query.

We can therefore use both OFFSET and FETCH to limit the output to just the specified number or percentage of rows, at a specified offset.

Read more