Joe Celko's SQL Puzzles and Answers (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Data Management Systems) [Paperback]

Joe Celko (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1558604537 | ISBN-13: 978-1558604537 | Publication Date: March 15, 1997 | Edition: 1

Joe Celko challenges you with his trickiest puzzles and then helps you conquer them with a variety of solutions and explanations. The puzzles are a compilation from Joe's columns in DBMS and Database Programming & Design magazines. They include new, never-before-published puzzles plus new solutions and extra background for previously published puzzles. In his usual entertaining and informative style, Joe demonstrates the thought processes that are involved in attacking a problem from an SQL perspective. Through the practical, enjoyable puzzles, he introduces immediately useful new techniques and applications for SQL programming, and shows the database programmer how to write and use non-procedural programs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This little collection of puzzles is something to bash your head against while awaiting your SQL epiphany."
—Joe Celko

Book Description

Joe Celko, the SQL programmer's guru, expands and updates his classic SQL puzzles book! --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann; 1 edition (March 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558604537
• ISBN-13: 978-1558604537
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,840,075 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was a member of the ANSI X3H2 Database Standards Committee from 1987 to 1997 and helped write the ANSI/ISO SQL-89 and SQL-92 Standards. I have eight books and have written over 800 columns in the computer trade and academic press, mostly dealing with data and databases.

I live in Austin,TX. When I am not writing, I am consulting, speaking at conferences, teaching SQL training classes anywhere on Earth or beating up newbies in SQL Newsgroups.

The rumor that I own only one black suit that I have worn for 30 years is false; I own six identical black suits that I have worn for 30 years.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good puzzles, answers could be better, July 11, 2000

By 

Lex van de Pol (Tilburg Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Joe Celko's SQL Puzzles and Answers (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Data Management Systems) (Paperback)

This is a very nice book! I used it to increase the SQL level of my employees. We did two puzzles a week, and compared our answers. And it sure helped. But there are some buts in this story. First, the puzzles are not always defined well, so you do not know what to do before you see the discussion in the answer part. Second, a lot of the solutions are not very good. Whenever I found a better one, I mailed Joe Celko. Every time he replied to me (very nice!) that somebody else also pointed it out and that there were even better solutions that mine. This means that the solutions are not always that good in the book. But still, it has alo of good brainteasers. But try them first yourself before looking to the answers as your answer could be better.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The practical application of the SQL for Smarties concepts, September 20, 1999

By 

Kenneth W. Henderson "khen" (Plano, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Joe Celko's SQL Puzzles and Answers (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Data Management Systems) (Paperback)

The hidden jewel of the Celko trilogy, this is one of my favorite SQL books. It takes the concepts in Celko's seminal work, SQL for Smarties, and illustrates how to apply them to solve real-world problems. As always, the book is rife with tales from Celko's long and varied career in the SQL trenches, as well as the subtle witticism for which he is famous. Like all great technical books - it's timeless - the techniques you learn today will work tomorrow because Celko follows the ANSI/ISO standard to the letter. As a fellow author, I can appreciate the work that went into writing this book - real examples require real work, especially by the author. This book belongs in the library of every would-be SQL practitioner.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good material but where is the source code?, July 10, 2003

By 

appletizer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Joe Celko's SQL Puzzles and Answers (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Data Management Systems) (Paperback)

I have been working with SQL professionally for about 5 years and I was looking for a collection of elegant SQL code tips and techniques from the pros to add to my arsenal. So I eagerly bought SQL Puzzles and Answers a few weeks ago and read it from cover to cover.

The book essentially introduces the reader to the "thinking out of the box" approach to solving difficult SQL problems. The author walks us through the logic behind solutions of a collection of SQL puzzles that were submitted by readers of his magazine columns over the years. He demonstrates that there are numerous ways to solve SQL problems and that sometimes the solution lies right in the design of the base tables. But more importantly he helps the reader see that you can often solve seemingly unsolvable sql problems if you approach the problem with the right technique.

My one complaint is that the book does not come with turnkey source code files and they are not available for download. So the reader will have to type everything to test the solutions solutions that are presented.

Short of this there is plenty to learn here for the SQL programmer that wishes to pick up a few tricks of the trade from a pro.