The Definitive Guide to MySQL, Second Edition (Paperback)

by Michael Kofler (Author)
Key Phrases: library management, introductory example, web application, Visual Basic, New Riders, Control Center (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
(Michael Kofler) did the hard work of taking the documentation and sifting through it to bring the useful parts together clearly and concisely. Definitive indeed.</a></p> </blockquote> <p id="quoteAuthor">&#8212; Craig Maloney, Slashdot Contributor</p></div>

<p>This second edition of Michael Kofler's acclaimed <i>MySQL</i> book has updated and expanded to cover MySQL 4.0, the most recent production release of the popular open source database, which boasts more than 4 million users worldwide.</p>

<p>Like the first edition, this revision, which has been renamed to reflect the breadth and depth of Kofler's coverage of the topic, provides a thorough introduction to the installation, configuration, implementation, and administration of MySQL. In addition, Kofler demonstrates how you can use MySQL in conjunction with various other technologies to create database-driven websites, and he gives practical advice on database design. Kofler also covers what's coming up next in MySQL 4.1.</p> <p> <i>The Definitive Guide to MySQL, Second Edition</i> is an irreplaceable resource for MySQL novices and experts alike.</p>

About the Author
Michael Kofler holds a Ph.D. in computer science from Graz Technical University. He has written a number of successful computer books on topics such as Visual Basic, Visual Basic .NET, and Linux.

Product Details

• Paperback: 824 pages
• Publisher: Apress; 2nd edition (October 17, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590591445
• ISBN-13: 978-1590591444
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #549,257 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars many samples, compact SQL reference, up to date, July 19, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: MySQL (Paperback)

what I liked most at this book is the sample-oriented approach: the books starts with the setup of a WAMP/LAMP system; in the next chapter, the first 'real' application is presented: a simple web opinion poll (using PHP); thus, after only 80 pages I had a running test environment and my first application to work with

examples are also omnipresent in the following chapters: the chapter on MySQL user interfaces explains how to configure and use phpMyAdmin; relations, normalization and other ideas of good database design are explained by showing the design process for two databases (a books database and a database for a discussion forum); the chapter on SQL shows how to query these databases;

next is programming: the book explains how to build MySQL applications using PHP, Perl and VB (all databases and samples are available for download at the author's website)

the book also covers new MySQL features which have been added only recently: transactions with BDB, InnoDB and Gemini, full-text queries etc.

perhaps the only shortcoming is in the programming part: while the author covers PHP, Perl and VB (via ODBC), he mentions neither Java nor C/C++

overall, this is by far the most useful and up-to-date MySQL book I know of

51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource - one of the best, April 26, 2004

By	Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.

64 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Saved my you-know-what, February 27, 2003

By	Ms. Mary R. Sweeney "M. R. Sweeney 'book lover" (Issaquah, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: MySQL (Paperback)

I committed to doing a MySQL project because it was less expensive overall for my client than using software I'm more familiar with (I'm not naming names but let's just call them SQL Server and .Net). I'm very experienced creating databases but brand new to MySQL and PHP. I don't know how I would have survived without Kofler's book. He not only explains everything step-by-step but in a very relevant, clear way. I had several other books in my arsenal and found I dropped all of them when I needed to look something up and just used Kofler all the way. Everything I needed to do, he had an example for in his demo files!

I know from experience how frustrating it can be not to have the right resources available. Although there are some great user's groups and so on, Kofler's book saved me a ton of time because I found pretty much everything in his book. Using his book and the free, on-line PDF MySQL manual is all you'll need to do a complex business application for the web.

Thanks Kofler. You're my hero!