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# National Reading Month: SQL QuickStart Guide

By Nathan L. GambrelDLA Disposition Services PaCE Program

                BATTLE CREEK, Mich.  –              
***Editor's Note:**March is National Reading Month. Everyday reading increases knowledge and develops personal and professional skills. Throughout the month, the DLA Disposition Services Pathways to Career Excellence program participants are sharing insights from books* they recently finished.*No official Department of Defense endorsement implied*

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For this year’s National Reading Month, I decided to review a book that would allow me to refresh my query skills and gain new knowledge as I begin work with Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services’ Network Management Branch.

                SQL QuickStart Guide: The Simplified Beginner’s Guide to Managing, Analyzing, and Manipulating Data with SQL                            SQL QuickStart Guide: The Simplified Beginner’s Guide to Managing, Analyzing, and Manipulating Data with SQL            SHARE IMAGE:Download ImageImage DetailsPhoto By: Kelly BurellVIRIN: 230323-D-D0441-201While there were several books available through Skillsoft  on the subject, I felt an entry level guide to SQL (pronounced sequel) queries was best for my purposes. It is fairly ubiquitous in its usage for database management.

SQL is similar to many other languages and syntaxes in use. An entry-level guide ensured I didn’t skip over any best practices. Finally, its level was most appropriate for a wider audience.

The 251-page book includes exercises and features an example database from which to practice query building. It covers topics such as database structure, how to retrieve and combine data, and the most frequent types of queries, as well as their application in the professional world.

I felt the book covered those first sections very well, the lone exception being that the book brought the join function into the exercises prior to adequately explaining how the different types of joins work in the text. That aside, for the most part it went into sufficient level of detail, and it really sets the reader up to be able to understand the sections that follow. Heading into the proceeding chapters, I really felt I had a good foundation of knowledge to proceed and learn more advanced concepts and think that will be the experience of most readers.

That said, I went in hoping to feel like I refreshed my prior knowledge and gained some new knowledge, and for the most part the book accomplished that, even if it didn’t take me quite as in-depth in some areas as I’d initially hoped.

To summarize, this is an easily readable guide for working with databases as well as creating and manipulating queries for beginner level users. I felt it did a fairly good job of it and is available for free to DLA employees through Skillsoft 24/7, as part of Learning Management System. The book is not without its faults, but I believe its strengths and availability outweigh them.

There are four audiences within DLA for which I believe this book is a great start:
                              - Those who already utilize other query languages and want to add SQL to their toolkit
                              - Those who work with databases, and want to retrieve data quicker and more efficiently, build their own queries, and/or manipulate existing queries
                              - Those who consume reports and analysis from databases, so that they can better understand capabilities and better communicate with those performing queries to improve the end-product they receive
                              - Those who simply want to add knowledge of relational databases and query building skills to their existing skillset as they continue to develop within their career

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