1. Chapter 1 SQL, Vendor Implementations, and Some History

   1. The Relational Database Model

   2. The Databases Described in This Book

   3. The SQL Standard

   4. Dialects of SQL

   5. Principles of Relational Databases

2. Chapter 2 Foundational Concepts

   1. Row Processing Versus Set Processing

   2. The Relational Model

   3. SQL99 and Vendor-Specific Datatypes

   4. Processing NULLS

   5. Categories of Syntax

   6. Using SQL

   7. Conclusion

3. Chapter 3 SQL Statements Command Reference

   1. Recommended Reading Approach

   2. Quick SQL Command Reference

   3. ALTER PROCEDURE

   4. ALTER TABLE

   5. ALTER TRIGGER

   6. ALTER VIEW

   7. CALL

   8. CASE

   9. CAST

   10. CLOSE CURSOR

   11. COMMIT TRANSACTION

   12. Concatenation Operators

   13. CONNECT

   14. CREATE DATABASE

   15. CREATE FUNCTION

   16. CREATE INDEX

   17. CREATE PROCEDURE

   18. CREATE ROLE

   19. CREATE SCHEMA

   20. CREATE TABLE

   21. CREATE TRIGGER

   22. CREATE VIEW

   23. DECLARE CURSOR

   24. DELETE

   25. DISCONNECT

   26. DROP Statements

   27. DROP DATABASE

   28. DROP FUNCTION

   29. DROP INDEX

   30. DROP PROCEDURE

   31. DROP ROLE

   32. DROP TABLE

   33. DROP TRIGGER

   34. DROP VIEW

   35. FETCH

   36. GRANT

   37. INSERT

   38. LIKE Operator

   39. OPEN

   40. Operators

   41. RETURN

   42. REVOKE

   43. ROLLBACK

   44. SAVEPOINT

   45. SELECT

   46. SET CONNECTION

   47. SET ROLE

   48. SET TIME ZONE

   49. SET TRANSACTION

   50. START TRANSACTION

   51. TRUNCATE TABLE

   52. UPDATE

   53. Conclusion

4. Chapter 4 SQL Functions

   1. Deterministic and Nondeterministic Functions

   2. Types of Functions

   3. Vendor Extensions

5. Chapter 5 Unimplemented SQL99 Commands

1. Appendix A SQL99 and Vendor-Specific Keywords

2. Colophon

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The animal on the cover of SQL in a Nutshell is a chameleon. There are approximately 85 species of chameleons existing in the world today. They are mostly indigenous to Africa, although there are a few species found in Asia and in Europe. Most are tree dwellers. The chameleon is relatively small; the average adult size is between 6 inches and 12 inches. It lives mostly on insects, and uses its long tongue to capture its prey. Indeed, the tongue is a critical tool. It can stretch up to 1.5 times the lizard's body length, and there is an adhesive pad on the end, which the insects are trapped on. There are several other characteristics common to all species of chameleons. For example, its eyes are large and protruding, and the lizard can see 360 degrees around without moving its head or body. Its toes are on either side of its feet, usually with three on one side and two on the other. This is ideal for moving quickly and efficiently through tree branches.

Chameleons are best known for their ability to change their appearance to adapt to their physical environment. Actually, several types of reptiles can change their skin color, but the chameleon is far and away the most accomplished. This skill, which is moderated by the nervous system, obviously is invaluable for hunting prey and avoiding predators, and also helps to stablize body temperature. The extent of this camouflage capability is related to the gender, age, and species of the lizard. Mary Sheehan was the production editor and proofreader for SQL in a Nutshell, and Jeffrey Holcomb was the copyeditor. Emily Quill and Colleen Gorman provided quality control. Linley Dolby provided production assistance. Brenda Miller wrote the index.

Ellie Volckhausen designed the cover of this book, based on a series design by Edie Freedman. The cover image is a 19th-century engraving from the Dover Pictorial Archive. Emma Colby produced the cover layout with QuarkXPress 4.1 using Adobe's ITC Garamond font.

Melanie Wang designed the interior layout based on a series design by Nancy Priest. The text and heading fonts are ITC Garamond Light and Garamond Book. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano using Macromedia FreeHand 8 and Adobe Photoshop 5. This colophon was written by Mary Sheehan.