SQL for Dummies
Author: Allen G. Taylor
List Price: $24.99
Our Price: Click to see the latest and low price
ISBN: 0764540750
Publisher: For Dummies (28 July, 2003)
Sales Rank: 6,242
Average Customer Rating: 2.87 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 4 out of 5
Excellent Starting Point
The last time I worked with databases, my entire computer (RAM + mass storage) had less than one MEGAbyte of memory. No hard disk, just two 360 kB floppy disk drives and 128K of RAM. I just got saddled with a data-mining project that will process tens of gigabytes of data in a networked environment. My analysis tools can use SQL to access the data. This book was the first thing I insisted on. (Kind of embarassing for a senior person to be seen carrying a thick yellow and black book with the word "DUMMIES" on it ...)This has proven to be an excellent starting point. I know plenty about computers and programming. I vaguely remember the essentials of relational databases (for those who don't, basic information is in the book, it should be enough to get started, even if you are absolutely ignorant!) Taylor packaged enough of the right information that I could read his book over the weekend and dive into the planning stages of our project on Monday sounding like I knew a thing or two.
The book charts a course from the most basic elements of databases to modestly complicated database and query materials. The author discusses common pitfalls and useful strategies. This book isn't enough, by itself, to turn somebody into a database wonk, but it's a great starting point.
I got a bit annoyed by some of the "cute" material used to make the subject seem less threatening, but that filler doesn't take up too much space and is easily skipped. Also, the book is overly Microsoft centered--the author uses Windows applications as examples and champions Microsofts ODBC. A section about using SQL in a Unix/Linux environment should have been included (access from shell scripts, PERL, etc?). A solid four-star introduction to SQL and database technology in a Microsoft world.
(If you'd like to discuss this book or review in more detail, please click on the "about me" link above and drop me some email. Thanks!)
Rating: 3 out of 5
All that it claims to be
I like to start off projects with simple concepts and a few examples to get off the ground. Well this book does just that. Unfortunately I would also like to have some example of input and output. I chose this book because it was not database specific, as I am converting files from an Informix database, through a filter, to a flat file, for later conversion to an Oracle database, with a different structure. Unfortunately this book (being universal) has no universal explanation as to how to get information from a flat file in or out of the database. First you have to find the term they use, not ASCII, not flat, not import, not export, not not not. The term is found in chapter 7 "foreign." The explanation on how to do this is to "...turn to one of the professional data translation services." Great, just what I wanted to know.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Its Great
This book was just a good as my University's suggested text book. If you need to know something regarding SQL, it is IN HERE. Definitely worth checking out, you won't have regret or be disappointed. Similar Products
Crystal Reports 9 for Dummies
Book Index