Sams Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes, Third Edition

SQL Queries for Mere Mortals: A Hands-On Guide to Data Manipulation in SQL

Sql

SQL for Dummies

Format: Paperback
Author: Allen G. Taylor
ReleaseDate: 08 August, 2003
Publisher: For Dummies
Rating:

A proper start in SQL, nothing more
As is always the case, they needed the course right away, so I had little time to prepare the lessons. About a year ago, I was writing up a series of lessons for a course in Java DataBase Connectivity (JDBC) that I was preparing for a local business. To illustrate what can be done using JDBC, I used the executeQuery() method of the Statement object. The executeQuery() method accepts an SQL command as input, so it was necessary for me to quickly brush up on SQL commands. This is the book I reached for to get myself back to speed on SQL commands. Like all ""For Dummies" books, it can be used to quickly learn the basics of the topic, although it has little use beyond the beginning. I found it adequate for my needs at the time, although when I needed to delve deeper into SQL for a later course, I went elsewhere.
All of the basics are covered at the level one expects from the series, and at the level of the beginner. Of course, some people will struggle with the book, as there is no precise definition of "beginner", or "dummy" for that matter. Nevertheless, if you need to learn the fundamentals of SQL in a hurry, then this book is the one for you. It is simple, direct and just thorough enough to put you on the right track.
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Absolutely terrible


Unfortunately, SQL for Dummies, turned out to be that absolute worst technical book I have ever laid eyes on. I have read several books in the Dummies series and found them all excellent, so when it was time to learn SQL for a programming project I got this one immediately.

It jumps from topic to topic without ever really explaining anything. It uses examples that are unecessarily complex -- I get the feeling his examples just come from years of working with databases, rather than a desire to illustrate any particular thing -- and the examples are never explained. Over and over, there will be a snippet of SQL code used as an example, and I will wonder, "what does this or that part of the statement do?" But he never explains anything. He just throws it out there and then moves on.

Dummies books always have a conversational tone, but the tone in this book is overly hokey and just reads like meaningless filler; all the more frustrating because there isn't really any content that it's filling in between.

All I wanted was the basics of database design and interaction, an enumeration of the commands used for creating and interacting with databases and why some actions are useful and for what, and examples throughout of how one would do typical things. Instead I got an intolerable and incoherent ramble.

Shipped in a very short time
We were very pleased with this purchase. This book was shipped to us in a very short period of time.