Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This book gives you the opportunity to improve you SQL skills by solving the tricky puzzles. Celko's insightful solutions will provide you with a SQL gurus approaches.

You should have some SQL experience before trying this book.

This book contains a set of problems to be solved using SQL, and the problems are such that they make the reader think of SQL and use it in a set based manner as opposed to mixing in procedural techniques.

A stellar book for instruction is SQL, as not only do the problems teach about how to solve SQL problems correctly, but many of the problems are quite difficult, providing for major mind expanding opportunities.

Definitely worth the money if you have an SQL package to attempt to solve the problems with.

I agree with "online shopper"; these puzzles do not present anything out of the ordinary for a day-to-day SQL programmer. If you are looking to learn some basic principles and patterns, this book will definitely satisfy you. If you are looking to be stymied and actual beat your head against the wall, you bought the wrong book. I ended up selling my book within a week.

This book is for a typical sql programmer. Some puzzles took me hours of fun trying to solve them on my own. Trying to solve the puzzle that will run on all databases(Oracle,MS-SQLSERVER OR SYBASE, Informix).
Once in a while, I found that there's a specific database function that can be replaced a bunch of line of code.
If you are new to SQL this is not a book for you. But this book have good mental exercises for the typical SQL programmer.
My only negative comment is that the solutions is right after (within or the next page)of the puzzle.
Somehow you can glanced at solution sql itself.

Great problems and amazing solutions. I'll probably never have to use a cursor again. I'm not lending my copy to anyone. They'll have to get their own.

I just started reading this book and the puzzles are challenging and interesting. However, it would have been nice if someone would have taken the trouble to create sample database scripts, with sample data. That would make solving the puzzles much more fun and less labour intensive. A model for this would be the excellent websites where SQL problems are presented with table variables and a small script to create the table in both TSQL and Oracle.

This omission drops my grade a full 2 stars from 4-star to 2-star.

Short Review:
This book is for all of them who enjoy little puzzles or just something which gives them challenge. Some puzzles took hours to solve and some were straight forward. This book teaches you some basic principles and patterns as well satisfy your need for brain teasers.

Detail Review:
This book for all the SQL programmers regardless of database language you prefer. Book contains examples in different languages (SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase, Informix etc). If reader is absolute beginner this book is not what reader needs to start. This book is perfect for someone who has industry experience or has deep understanding of different SQL concepts.

This book contains 75 different puzzles. Each puzzle starts with puzzle definition or question and follows by multiple answers. Answers vary by either techniques or programming languages, in many cases both. Puzzles contained in this book are like typical day to day work problems, many time any developer can find the solution if they spend some time on it. However, some problems are quite unique in their own way and reading them gives broader idea of database programming.

One thing I will note about book is the quality of the puzzle, as other reviewer has noted some puzzles are just not puzzle but simple problems which can be solved easily by experienced developer. Not all developers are on same level and I am sure every reader has their own opinion and choice.

The idea on which the book is written is very simple - "Think out of the box". The problems are real, the solutions are real and multiple answers from wide verity of participants - this makes this book worth the time. Every solution has its own flair and taste. If any problem is attempted with right technique and sound theory it is always easy to reach resolution.
There is no source code available to download for this book so reader will have to write everything by their own. It is good in one way as ideally all readers should try to solve each puzzles by their own, however, source code will sure help many ways.

Rating: 4 Stars

Summary: I think this book should be there available for every database developer who has reached advanced level. If developer can solve most of the puzzles from this book he sure is advanced level developer, if not while trying to solve them he will reach advanced level.

Pinal Dave
Principal Database Administrator
(blog.sqlauthority.com)