Molinaro has provided an exceptional resource for all SQL programmers interested in getting the best out of the language. Molinaro says, "Databases are the foundation of IT So, knowing how to retrieve information is of utmost importance. Additionally, poorly performing SQL is typically at the root of database performance problems; knowing how to write efficient queries enables fast data access, which is crucial today. People want their information and they want it immediately. Knowing new features such as window functions provides better performance in many cases. Moreover, window functions allow you to do in SQL what used to be done in application code."

The book contains more than 200 recipes for solving SQL problems. Molinaro describes it, "Queries, queries, queries. My goal from the beginning was not so much to write a 'SQL Cookbook' as to write a 'Query Cookbook.' I've aimed to create a book of queries ranging from the relatively easy to the difficult in hopes the reader would grasp the techniques behind those queries and use them to solve their own business problems."

SQL Cookbook covers SQL Server, PostgreSQL, Oracle, MySQL, and DB2, and includes recipes on the following important topics:

Molinaro is known as the go-to guy among his clients when it comes to difficult SQL query problems. He's thoroughly well versed in the subject, understands relational theory, and has nine years hands-on experience solving tough SQL problems. He has given SQL users at all levels the ideal book, written in the popular problem/solution/discussion format of O'Reilly's Cookbook series.

If you know the rudiments of the SQL query language, yet aren't taking full advantage of it, the SQL Cookbook can show you how to get more out SQL before you resort to other tools or languages.

As Olivier Pomel, director of technology for Wireless Generation, Inc. says, "Once you find out how many lines of convoluted application code you can save when leveraging SQL, this book won't leave your desk."

Additional Resources:

• More information about the book, including table of contents, index, author bio, and cover graphic

SQL Cookbook
Anthony Molinaro
ISBN: 0-596-00976-3, 595 pages, $39.95 US
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938; 1-707-827-7000

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