Can Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) avoid delivering an unpleasant surprise to Wall Street when it reports first-quarter earnings next week? The leader in database software has left investors with a bad taste in their mouths for the last two quarters and five out of the last six when it comes to living up to earnings and revenue expectations, falling short on both sets of numbers for most of the last 18 months. During the last quarter, Oracle's miss was most pronounced, with earnings nearly 10% below expectations and revenue off by more than 2%. Analysts are trying to be optimistic, but are finding it difficult to back that up with actions — at least for now. "Despite the uncertain macro (economic conditions), Oracle managed to close some deals and increase... More