John L. Viescas - Effective SQL: 61 Specific Ways to Write Better SQL

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61 Specific Ways to Write Better SQL

John L. Viescas
Douglas J. Steele
Ben G. Clothier

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2016955468

Copyright 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication is protected by copyright, and permission must be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. For information regarding permissions, request forms and the appropriate contacts within the Pearson Education Global Rights & Permissions Department, please visit www.pearsoned.com/permissions/.

Some of the examples used in this book originally appeared in SQL Queries for Mere Mortals: A Hands-On Guide to Data Manipulation in SQL, Third Edition (Addison-Wesley, 2014). These examples appear with permission from the authors and Pearson Education Inc.

ISBN-13: 978-0-13-457889-7
ISBN-10: 0-13-457889-9

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Given the reputation of the authors, I expected to be impressed. Impressed doesnt cover it, though. I was blown away! Most SQL books tell you how. This one tells you why. Most SQL books separate database design from implementation. This one integrates design considerations into every facet of SQL use. Most SQL books sit on my shelf. This one will live on my desk.

Roger Carlson, Microsoft Access MVP (20062015)

It can be easy to learn the basics of SQL, but it is very difficult to build accurate and efficient SQL, especially for critical systems with complex requirements. But now, with this great new book, you can get up to speed and write effective SQL much more quickly, no matter which DBMS you use.

Craig S. Mullins, Mullins Consulting, Inc., DB2 Gold Consultant and IBM Champion for Analytics

This is a great book. It is written in language that can be understood by a relative beginner and yet contains tips and tricks that will benefit the most hardened workhorse. It will therefore appeal to readers across the whole range of expertise and should be in the library of anybody who is seriously concerned with designing, managing, or programming databases.

Graham Mandeno, database consultant and Microsoft MVP (19962015)

This book is an excellent resource for database designers and developers working with relational and SQL-based databasesits an easy read with great examples that combine theory with practical examples seamlessly. Examples for top relational databases Oracle, DB2, SQL Server, MySQL, and PostgreSQL are included throughout. The book walks the reader through sophisticated techniques to deal with things such as hierarchical data and tally tables, along with explanations of the inner workings and performance implications of SQL using GROUP BY, EXISTS, IN, correlated and non-correlated subqueries, window functions, and joins. The tips you wont find anywhere else, and the fun examples help to make this book stand out from the crowd.

Tim Quinlan, database architect and Oracle Certified DBA

This book is good for those who need to support multiple dialects of SQL. Its divided up into stand-alone items that you just grab and go. I have been doing SQL in various flavors since 1992 and even I picked up a few things.

Tom Moreau, Ph.D., SQL Server MVP (20012012)

This book is a powerful, compact, and easily understandable presentation of how to use SQLit shows the application of SQL to real-world questions in order to teach the construction of queries, and it explains the relationship of how data is stored to how data is queried so that you obtain results successfully and effectively.

Kenneth D. Snell, Ph.D., database consultant and former Microsoft Access MVP

It has been problematic for many that there is no book on going from a novice database administrator to a much more advanced status until now. Effective SQL is a road map, a guide, a Rosetta Stone, and a coach on moving from basic Structured Query Language (SQL) to much more advanced uses to solve real-world problems. Rather than stumble around reinventing the wheel or catching glimpses of the proper ways to use a database, do yourself a favor and buy a copy of this book. Not only will you see many different approaches it would take years to see as a database consultant, but you will get a detailed understanding of why the databases of many vendors do what they do. Save time, effort, and wear and tear on your walls from banging your head against them and get this book.