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51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Resource - one of the best, April 26, 2004
Fully updated to include information on MySQL 4.0 and 4.1 "The Definitive Guide to MySQL, Second Edition" is one of the most through and yet easily understandable texts on MySQL available. The author assumes no previous knowledge of SQL or even database theory and design so you really start at the beginning. In fact chapter five, database design, is one of the more lucid explanations of relational databases and design theory that I have read anywhere. Another item that differentiates this book from others of the same genre is the inclusion of a chapter of SQL recipes. This chapter is basically a cookbook that takes the most common tasks you may need to accomplish with your MySQL database and provides a recipe to accomplish that task. It includes coverage of InnoDB tables (very important in a multi-user environment) and many other items besides the usual installation, administration, and configuration items you would expect. Of course, if you are writing a MySQL application you will have to use some sort of programming language to write your program. In keeping with the OpenSource theme of the book it includes extensive coverage of PHP, Perl, Java, C, C++, Visual Basic, C#, and ODBC. The book does not pretend to teach any of these programming languages but provides the information to use them with MySQL if you know that particular language. As a regular user of PHP, Perl, Visual Basic, and ODBC connections I found the coverage to be excellent, including everything you need to know to connect to the database and do whatever you need. The book ends with an excellent reference section, a section on MySQL Tools, and even a section an API reference. In short it is one of the most exhaustive books on the subject and provides everything for a new user as well as complete reference coverage for an experienced user, programmer, or administrator. "The Definitive Guide to MySQL, Second Edition" is highly recommended for anyone interested in learning, administering, or programming MySQL.
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