SQL in a Nutshell, Third Edition

A Desktop Quick Reference Guide

By Kevin Kline, Daniel Kline, Brand Hunt
November 2008
Pages: 591
Series: In a Nutshell
ISBN 10: 0-596-51884-6 | ISBN 13: 9780596518844
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 Description

The essential reference to the SQL language used in today's most popular database products, this new edition of SQL in a Nutshell clearly documents every SQL command according to the latest ANSI standard. It also details how these commands are implemented in the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and Oracle 11g commercial database packages, and the MySQL 5.1 and PostgreSQL 8.3 open source database products.
Full Description

For programmers, analysts, and database administrators, SQL in a Nutshell is the essential reference for the SQL language used in today's most popular database products. This new edition clearly documents every SQL command according to the latest ANSI standard, and details how those commands are implemented in Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Oracle 11g, and the MySQL 5.1 and PostgreSQL 8.3 open source database products. You'll also get a concise overview of the Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) model, and a clear-cut explanation of foundational RDBMS concepts -- all packed into a succinct, comprehensive, and easy-to-use format. This book provides:
  • Background on the Relational Database Model, including current and previous SQL standards
  • Fundamental concepts necessary for understanding relational databases and SQL commands
  • An alphabetical command reference to SQL statements, according to the SQL2003 ANSI standard
  • The implementation of each command by MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server
  • An alphabetical reference of the ANSI SQL2003 functions, as well as the vendor implementations
  • Platform-specific functions unique to each implementation

Beginning where vendor documentation ends, SQL in a Nutshell distills the experiences of professional database administrators and developers who have used SQL variants to support complex enterprise applications. Whether SQL is new to you, or you've been using SQL since its earliest days, you'll get lots of new tips and techniques in this book.


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Media reviews
"Who won't like it? Probably anyone who doesn't like any of the other nutshell books from O'Reilly. This book is pretty much exactly like my Unix in a Nutshell, Linux in a Nutshell and MySQL in a Nutshell books. If the format and approach bothers you, don't look for any radical departure that will make it more palatable here. If you are like me and already know you like the format, then this is pretty much a sure thing. For the vast majority of us that work in the database world, this is the reference...when one wants to know quickly about SQL statements and functions, I can't think of a better resource."
-- JR Peck, Slashdot.org


"Developers and programmers will find this most useful as a comparative guide, especially in environments using different relational databases."
-- Carol Bean, The Tech Static


"The book is not focused on databases and SQL from a specific vendor, but gives great data and comparisons of commands and queries using ANSI SQL (SQL2003, aka SQL3) and then adjusting as needed for MySQL 5.1, Oracle 11g, PostgreSQL 8.2.1, and Microsoft SQL Server 2008. If you are responsible for moving data from one vendor’s product to another, or if you are responsible for databases from multiple vendors, this book could be a Godsend. Really, if you only use one of these products, the book is still a great value. "
-- Matthew Helmke, MatthewHelmke.net



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"For the vast majority of us that work in the database world, this is the reference...when one wants to know quickly about SQL statements and functions, I can't think of a better resource."
--JR Peck, Slashdot.org