SQL (Structured Query Language) is a standard programming language for generating, manipulating, and retrieving information from a relational database. If you're working with a relational database--whether you're writing applications, performing administrative tasks, or generating reports--you need to know how to interact with your data. Even if you are using a tool that generates SQL for you, such as a reporting tool, there may still be cases where you need to bypass the automatic generation feature and write your own SQL statements.

To help you attain this fundamental SQL knowledge, look to Learning SQL, an introductory guide to SQL, designed primarily for developers just cutting their teeth on the language.

Learning SQL moves you quickly through the basics and then on to some of the more commonly used advanced features. Among the topics discussed:

• The history of the computerized database

• SQL Data Statements--those used to create, manipulate, and retrieve data stored in your database; example statements include select, update, insert, and delete

• SQL Schema Statements--those used to create database objects, such as tables, indexes, and constraints

• How data sets can interact with queries

• The importance of subqueries

• Data conversion and manipulation via SQL's built-in functions

• How conditional logic can be used in Data Statements

Best of all, Learning SQL talks to you in a real-world manner, discussing various platform differences that you're likely to encounter and offering a series of chapter exercises that walk you through the learning process. Whenever possible, the book sticks to the features included in the ANSI SQL standards. This means you'll be able to apply what you learn to any of several different databases; the book covers MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, and Oracle Database, but the features and syntax should apply just as well (perhaps with some tweaking) to IBM DB2, Sybase Adaptive Server, and PostgreSQL.

Put the power and flexibility of SQL to work. With Learning SQL you can master this important skill and know that the SQL statements you write are indeed correct.

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 28 Ratings

Updated for the latest database management systems including Server 2008 and Oracle 11g - 2009-07-17
Reviewer Rating:
Computer libraries will relish Alan Beaulieu's LEARNING SQL, 2ND EDITION, updated for the latest database management systems including Server 2008 and Oracle 11g. It provides self-contained lessons on key SQL techniques and shows how to create database objects, interact sets with queries, and convert data. A 'must' for any SQL programmer.

Clear, detailed, and useful - 2009-05-30
Reviewer Rating:
If a person is looking to become a database administrator, or just needs to get up to speed on the basics with some understanding of what they are doing and why, this is an excellent place to start. However, this book does require that you have some experience with computers, especially a base knowledge of what a database is and how or why programs might want to interact with one. This isn't a book for someone who is a complete novice to the realm of data storage and interaction, but rather intended for people who know what they want to do and why and need an in depth manual for how to accomplish the task of storing, retrieving, and using data.

I love that the book is written by a very experienced Oracle administrator, but uses MySQL as the base for all examples and instruction. The book itself focuses on teaching the ANSI standard clearly and well, but gives great examples using one free and open source product that is available for any reader to download and install on their system. Then, the author discusses some of the differences that may be discovered by readers as they move into the real world and begin to interact with other database systems such as Oracle or SQL Server.

The book uses examples that are well formed, clear, and which adhere well to standards. I especially appreciate that the examples use good coding technique that is easy to read and would be a joy to maintain in the wild if it were discovered by a person taking over responsibility for a database they did not create.

Beginner's Luck - 2009-05-20
Reviewer Rating:
Wouldn't it be great if your first study guide on databases covered database theory in general, your own favorite database server in particular, and also the ins and outs of SQL?

Alan Beaulieu's Learning SQL comes as close as possible to covering exactly those three topics, and it covers them with clarity, completeness, enthusiasm, and scrupulous attention to the reader's needs.

When I say the book comes "as close as possible" to covering the designated topics, I'm making allowance for the fact that the examples in the book rely on MySQL Community Server, the no cost, freely available, open source database server.

The author recommends that you download and install MySQL and load the sample database so that you can run the examples and experiment with the data. In most cases, though, the examples will run on Oracle Database and SQL Server without modification, and in any case, when modifications are needed, they are provided in the text. Also, in point of fact, almost all of the SQL statements can be used in any application (e.g., Microsoft Access) that relies on SQL to query data.

The book starts by considering the challenges of storing data efficiently. It very briefly explores the history of computerized databases, including the rise of relational concepts and the development of SQL. Then the book introduces a very simple, easy-to-understand database of banking operations and begins to explore how data in the various tables can be added, modified, and deleted through the power of SQL.

The book's strength lies in its careful unfolding of concepts and examples. At no point are you asked to digest more than one concept at a time, and with each new concept, concrete examples are provided to illustrate the concept and cement your understanding.

The book takes note of the fact that SQL statements can be divided into schema statements, data statements, and transaction statements. The bulk of the book is devoted to explication of data statements, but schema statements are also covered fairly extensively in a chapter on creating and populating a database and in a separate chapter devoted to meta data. Transaction statements also receive a dedicated chapter.

Early in the book, a "Query Primer" demonstrates how to think about and exploit the power of SELECT, FROM, and WHERE clauses of standard queries. From there, the book proceeds to filtering, updating, and deleting, before proceeding to queries involving multiple tables. A chapter on basic set theory ("Working with sets") is very well done and includes highly graphical presentations. Additional chapters cover data generation, conversion and manipulation, aggregation, subqueries, conditional logic, indexes and constraints, and data views (i.e., interfaces to shield users from the complexity of the underlying data).

The entire book is well written and thoughtfully organized. As you read along and follow the examples, your reaction is likely to be, "Aha! This new concept is simple and easy to grasp, just like the last one!" And, indeed, Beaulieu does an excellent job of breaking down the complexities of database theory and the SQL language into fundamental underlying concepts that anyone can understand.

The book is so readable that you won't have any trouble breezing through it from start to finish in the order presented, but if you want to dip into it for reference purposes, the detailed table of contents and extensive index will allow you to do so. Either way, after just 320 pages of highly illustrated text, you will feel in complete command of SQL fundamentals.

Extremely straight and effective - 2009-10-12
Reviewer Rating:
This book is great if you want to learn SQL quickly without taking the pain to scan the available tutorials from the Internet.

In contrast to my preceding reviewer Mr Garland, I want to claim that for anybody bringing a little computer science and/or IT background plus a minimum of common sense, this book is of great value: it teaches SQL very straight and effective, and even motivates own experiments with the easy accessible and open source MySQL DB.

Very Easy SQL - 2009-04-06
Reviewer Rating:
This book is easy understand i dont know any about SQL and now y can make some querys with simple use of SELECT, FROM, WHERE.

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