6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Basic Intro to SQL Statement Writing, March 21, 2009
This review is from: Simply SQL (Paperback)
Simply SQL is a basic introduction of writing SQL statements. It covers the elements of statement development, covers the keywords, and also includes a brief discussion of database design.
The writing is clear and concise, many of the "gotchas" of statement writing are covered. Some of the fine points of choices re data types are described.
This is a good introduction to the subject.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good book with clear info that does well at maintaining focus on its intended audience, May 30, 2009
This review is from: Simply SQL (Paperback)
I found this book easy to read and understand. I liked that the code focus is on using ANSI standard SQL as this gives knowledge that will work across platforms on multiple database systems from free options like MySQL to common proprietary ones like Oracle and SQL Server. The examples are clear and well written and the figures are wonderful (as is usual in sitepoint products).
This book is not intended for people who wish to learn to become database administrators. It was written for web developers who want to have a better understanding of the basics of SQL. This is an important fact. If you fit this role, this book is excellent. If you want to go deeper, O'Reilly's Learning SQL is better.
I appreciated the book's focus on adhering to ANSI standards while noting how different databases from various vendors may require slight adjustments in coding. This book is suitable for people using any of the databases mentioned in the first paragraph and others.
The coding style was easy to read, but there were some odd quirks that I didn't like. For example, as noted by the author himself, he likes to put commas at the beginning of lines when making lists. This is the only place I have ever seen that done. Now, this isn't technically wrong, but it is unusual. I would have preferred to see code examples written with strict adherence to commonly accepted standards as this makes the task of reading other people's code or writing good and readable code easier. However, I guess doing it this way can also be seen as a benefit as it will remind the reader that there is more than one way to do things, and that in the real world he will be sure to encounter non-standard methods and have to adapt. Honestly, that is my only big complaint about the book, and it isn't a deal breaker.
If you are part of the intended audience for the book and are interested in learning SQL, this book should serve you quite well.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Book for learning SQL!, February 1, 2010
This review is from: Simply SQL (Paperback)
This book is by far the best SQL learning book I ever purchased. I struggle in college learning SQL from books that served it's purpose of confusing me and professors that couldn't teach but hold PhDs. I wished I had this book back then...so if you are a student learning SQL, consider yourself lucky to have a book this clear and concise. Buy it, it's totally worth it and throw away other books you have (please don't donate them to the library as you will be confusing other).
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