Discovering SQL : a hands-on guide for beginners

"Wrox programmer to programmer"--Cover.

Includes index.

Drowning in data, dying of thirst for knowledge -- Breaking and entering : structured information -- A think you can relate to--designing a relational database -- Overcoming the limitations of SQL -- Grouping and aggregation -- When one is not enough : a query within a query -- You broke it ; you fix it : combining data sets -- What else is there, and why? -- Optimizing performance -- Multiuser environment -- Working with unstructured and semistructured data -- Not by SQL alone -- Installing the library database -- Installing RDBMSs software -- Accessing RDBMSs -- Accessing RDBMSs with the SQuirreL Universal SQL Client.

Structured Query Language, more popularly known as SQL, is a standard database language used to create, access and manipulate data, and store and maintain information in relational databases such as Access, SQL Server, Oracle, and MySQL. If that's all you know about SQL, then you're already ahead of the curve! Assuming no prior knowledge of SQL or relational databases, author Alex Kriegel takes you on a voyage of discovery as you learn SQL basics and learn to work with data stored in a relational database. Written in a beginner-friendly tone, this guide walks you through the creation of a sample database that incorporates all the SQL concepts taught throughout the book and also introduces data modeling, query tuning, and optimization. Discovering SQL: covers the most important SQL dialects along with the current release of SQL Standard; highlights the differences between particular implementations as well as the power and limitations of SQL; demonstrates how SQL deals with all types of data: structured, unstructured and everything in between; looks at dynamic SQL, procedural extensions and latest developments in the field; shares best practices for optimizing query performance; walks you through the basics of database design and introduces the tools for working with normalized data --