SQL provides for communication with database engines on the command line. From its early chapters about relational database theory to its superb coverage of transaction management, this book is informative and easy to follow. The authors begin by explaining how to design efficient data structures, an important part of database management. From there, they discuss how to populate a database with pieces of data and then explain how to construct queries that extract needed information. You ought to be able to follow along on any ANSI SQL 92-compliant system as you read this book.
Later chapters cover reports, joins, views, subqueries, and security.
The authors explain each from a practical point of view. A good glossary exists in the back of this book, and a comprehensive table documents the differences among Sybase, Microsoft, Informix, and Oracle SQL command sets. This newly updated edition of the classic Understanding SQL gives newcomers everything they need to know to get started working with SQL code, plus it contains coverage of the brand-new SQL 3 standard. It takes the readers from the fundamentals to the most complex features of SQL, providing a smooth transition from other programming languages. In the SQL database community, Joe Celko is a well-known columnist and purveyor of valuable insights.