Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The animals on the cover of Optimizing Oracle Performance are yellowjackets. Though frequently mistaken for bees, yellowjackets are a type of wasp. They can be distinguished from bees by their lack of hair. They also often have brighter black and yellow coloring on their tails. Yellowjackets are around half an inch long, and the queen is about three-quarters of an inch long. They can be found throughout North America. Wasps build nests by chewing bits of wood and leaves into a paper-like pulp. The nest is built in a dry, protected place such as a tree, log, shrub, or hole in the ground, or attached to a building.

Yellowjackets live in large colonies comprising a queen, female workers, and males. In the spring, the queen, who is the only yellowjacket that breeds, builds a small nest and lays eggs. When they hatch, the female workers expand the nest, look for food, and take care of the queen and the colony. The males fertilize the queen, who continues to lay eggs and expand the colony. In the winter, all yellowjackets except the queen die.

Yellowjackets are scavengers. They eat other insects, rotting fruit, and garbage. They are often considered to be pests because they are attracted to the food at picnics. Yellowjackets can sting repeatedly. Humans should avoid yellowjackets, which are attracted to bright clothing and sweet smells. If you encounter a yellowjacket, stay calm and walk away slowly. Swatting at it may anger it and cause it to sting. Furthermore, if hit, a yellowjacket may release venom into the air, which is an alarm signal that will summon other yellowjackets. Yellowjackets are beneficial because they eat large numbers of agricultural pests. Jane Ellin was the production editor and proofreader for Optimizing Oracle Performance. Emily Quill provided quality control. James Quill and Jamie Peppard provided production support. Nancy Crumpton wrote the index.

Ellie Volckhausen designed the cover of this book, based on a series design by Edie Freedman. The cover image is a 19th-century engraving from the Dover Pictorial Archive. Emma Colby produced the cover layout with QuarkXPress 4.1 using Adobe's ITC Garamond font.

David Futato designed the interior layout. This book was converted by Joe Wizda to FrameMaker 5.5.6 with a format conversion tool created by Erik Ray, Jason McIntosh, Neil Walls, and Mike Sierra that uses Perl and XML technologies. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont's TheSans Mono Condensed. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano and Jessamyn Read using Macromedia FreeHand 9 and Adobe Photoshop 6. The tip and warning icons were drawn by Christopher Bing. This colophon was written by Jane Ellin.