A concise introduction to the fundamentals of working with MySQL.

MySQL is an open-source relational database management system that is rapidly growing in popularity. Known for its speed, reliability, and ease of use, MySQL has proven itself to be particularly well suited both for beginners and for experienced developers to create sophisticated database-backed Web sites and applications.

MySQL Tutorial is a clear, concise introduction to the fundamental concepts and techniques of working with MySQL. It teaches the beginning MySQL user how to create and administer powerful databases that can be used at home, at work, and on the Web.

Whether you are a novice to databases or a technical professional looking to find out more about how MySQL works, MySQL Tutorial efficiently guides you through the information you need in order to get started with MySQL and quickly become proficient.

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 7 Ratings

Add This To Your Library - 2004-10-12
Reviewer Rating:
Luke Welling and Laura Thomson have the special gift of taking information, disseminating it, and making it simple to understand for everyone. This is the second book I bought from these authors (Php and MySQL Web Development) without any complaints.

It is nice to see books of this size (250 pages) at this price point coming out. Nothing is worse than those large tomes that weigh a ton and cost an arm and a leg. You should be able to get through this in a week, which is perfect for busy professionals.

This tutorial is written very clearly and does what I want from it - nail down the 80% of the necessary information needed to get work done. After each chapter there is a quiz to test your knowledge. The authors tackle both the user and administrator side of using the product. One of my favorite sections in the book is the Database Crash Course which discusses normalization.

If you are serious about using mySQL in your web projects, look to this book to get you started quickly. This book won't turn you into an immediate mySQL expert. But what it will do is give you the skills to be proficient. It was good enough to get my projects started on my website, KerryOnWorld.com. This is a top 30 book in my 15-year technical library. That is how much I like it.

Why Aren't All SQL Tutorial Books Like This? - 2008-06-24
Reviewer Rating:
I'm looking at you, Microsoft Product Writers, although you're certainly not alone. In 240 pages and 2 days I learned, easily comprehended, and retained more about the fundamentals of a SQL server than I ever did reading many of those "Introduction To..." behemoths.

The book starts with introducing you to both the product as well as database design and efficient database/table creation. Following this is an excellent overview of using MySQL and the MySQL-flavor of SQL focused on language (query language keywords, functions, etc), table types (MyISAM, InnoDB, etc), and transactions. You're reading is concluded with an excellent overview of general administration and optimization. Each section is broken down into discussion, fully-functional examples, a quiz, and to-do exercises, ensuring that you get to implement and solidify the skills you just acquired.

At the time of my writing this, the book is 4 years old, and the version of MySQL it addresses (4.x) has already been upgraded. I knew that when I purchased the book, and it doesn't matter as the fundamentals haven't changed. MySQL may have released improved GUI tools to accomplish many tasks as well as introducing additional features, but the underlying SQL language, design methods, and structure is the same, and knowing/understanding the fundamentals improves your efficiency and makes using the product easier.

As the purpose of this book is to teach you the fundamentals of database design and creation, this will not be your last purchase. But for those new to MySQL, you can not go wrong starting here, even now.

Basic, very basic - 2009-10-03
Reviewer Rating:
I needed to get up to speed pretty quickly on MySQL. From the point of ordering this book until it arrived, I had already figured out 80 percent of the material the book covers, on my own.

I am a fan of printed material. All of the information here is available on the Net, but it is sometimes good to have a handy reference with all the material in one organized spot. It would also be good for a class of beginners, which I think this book is used for, too.

It didn't cost a lot and I'm happy to have it to grab from time to time, but I just got a real "blah" feeling flipping through it, as I felt like I knew everything it covered already.

Good, Basic Overview. - 2009-05-13
Reviewer Rating:
This book is a very good basic overview of what MySql can do -- it gives you a little bit of information about a broad range of topics. So while the book is a good "survey course" in MySql, you will need to use additional sources to get into more complex features of MySql.

My "go to" book when I have a question about MySQL - 2009-01-10
Reviewer Rating:
This relatively small 270 page book is packed with information you need to know if you work with MySQL databases. I'm impressed with it's efficiency and conciseness and use it as a reference all the time.

If you work with MySQL databases you'll love this book.

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