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Donahoo - SQL - Practical Guide for Developers (Elsevier, 2005)
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SQL: Practical Guide for Developers
The book lives up to its title: it is a very practical guide. The authors clearly know their SQL
and manage to write about the language in a step-by-step style that progresses smoothly
from the simple to the more difficult aspects of the language. The profuse use of examples,
each with an accompanying motivation and explanation of the results, lets the reader follow
even complex topics without a constant struggle. The authors have even included examples
that illustrate common errors programmers make, explaining the right way to perform the
task. It doesn’t hurt that the sample application is based on something everybody uses every
day: food.
I especially enjoyed the manner in which the authors explained the rationale behind most
of the SQL facilities. Even though they have not been an active part of the standard’s development
efforts, their insight into the underlying reasons for a feature’s inclusion is spot
on. They also do an excellent job of explaining complex sets of rules in easily understood
language—I learned new ways of understanding some of the very rules that I personally
wrote into the standard!
Each chapter ends with a summary of the principle points, and most of them include practical
advice for programmers who intend to use the SQL language features described in the
chapter. The inclusion at every chapter’s end of a set of questions and exercises—all directly
relevant to the chapter’s material—makes this book an excellent candidate for use in the
classroom.
– Jim Melton, Oracle Corporation, Editor of ISO/IEC 9075-* (SQL) and Co-Chair, W3C XML
Query Working Group
This book provides a succinct yet complete introduction to the fundamental aspects of the
SQL language. It is not just another SQL text. The authors’ use of simple yet clear examples
to illustrate difficult concepts throughout the text makes this a perfect book for use in an
introductory database systems class as a supplement or as an introductory reference for
the novice practitioner.
– Paul Fortier, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth
