Discovering SQL : A Hands-On Guide for Beginners

by Kriegel, Alex

• ISBN13: 9781118002674
• ISBN10: 1118002679
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-04-19
• Publisher: Wrox

Summary

Although SQL is a relatively small language in terms of the number of statements, its actually quite a challenge for those new to databases. The book will clearly and concisely explain SQL statements, showing readers how to write SQL code that gets the desired results with the greatest speed and efficiency.The reader will create a sample database that incorporates all SQL concepts taught in the book. As the reader progresses through the book, this database will be developed and enhanced in order to demonstrate solutions to the sort of practical issues that arise in business-oriented database systems. This book will be very much a hands-on type of book, keeping the reader involved and interested rather than simply providing a guide to SQL syntax.To highlight both the power and limitations of SQL as a set-based language, some of the most popular procedural extensions (such as Oracle's PL/SQL and Microsoft's Transact-SQL) will be covered. The author will also cover more recent developments, including dynamic SQL, XML/SQL, and NoSQL.The author will also demonstrate how SQL interacts with the database via various interfaces, including vendor provided utilities, programming languages (C#, Java) , third party SQL clients (WinSQL, SQLAnyWhere, JaySQL...), and productivity software (MS Office, OpenOffice), reflecting the real-world environment that most SQL users will face. The appendices will include primers on Database normalization Brief Introduction into Set Theory and Bollean Algebra RDBMS software step-by-step setup guides Database connectivity primerNote that wherever possible, code examples will be database neutral, but where needed the author will explain compatibility differences with commercial database implementations of SQL.

Author Biography

Alex Kriegel is an enterprise systems architect for the Oregon Health Authority, State of Oregon. He has more than 20 years of professional database and software development experience and holds numerous certifications, including MCTS, PMP from Project Management Institute, TOGAF 8 Certified Practitioner from The Open Architecture Group, and Certified Scrum Master from Scrum Alliance.

Wrox Beginning guides are crafted to make learning programming languages and technologies easier than you think, providing a structured, tutorial format that will guide you through all the techniques involved.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION.

CHAPTER 1: DROWNING IN DATA, DYING OF THIRST FOR KNOWLEDGE.

CHAPTER 2: BREAKING AND ENTERING: STRUCTURED INFORMATION.

CHAPTER 3: A THING YOU CAN RELATE TO — DESIGNING A RELATIONAL DATABASE.

CHAPTER 4: OVERCOMING THE LIMITATIONS OF SQL.

CHAPTER 5: GROUPING AND AGGREGATION.

CHAPTER 6: WHEN ONE IS NOT ENOUGH: A QUERY WITHIN A QUERY.

CHAPTER 7: YOU BROKE IT; YOU FIX IT: COMBINING DATA SETS.

CHAPTER 8: WHAT ELSE IS THERE, AND WHY?

CHAPTER 9: OPTIMIZING PERFORMANCE.

CHAPTER 10: MULTIUSER ENVIRONMENT.

CHAPTER 11: WORKING WITH UNSTRUCTURED AND SEMISTRUCTURED DATA.

CHAPTER 12: NOT BY SQL ALONE.

APPENDIX A: INSTALLING RDBMSS RDBMS SOFTWARE.

APPENDIX B: ACCESSING RDBMSS.

APPENDIX C: ACCESSING RDBMSS WITH THE SQUIRREL UNIVERSAL SQL CLIENT.

APPENDIX D: INSTALLING THE LIBRARY DATABASE.

INDEX.