SQL Book Recommendation

  • Thread starter Thread starter Michelle
  • Start date Start date
M

Michelle

Can someone recommend a good book to help me learn SQL? I have no experience
with it at all. All I know about databases, queries, etc. is what I've
learned from using the F1 key in Access a lot.

I know this question has been asked before, but the link in the answer
didn't work for me. Sorry.

Thanks,

Michelle
 
Try "SQL Queries for Mere Mortals" Look in Half.com - you can probably pick
one up for less than $15. SQL is not very dynamic in its evoultion so
anything from the last decade (maybe two) is fine.

Regards

Kevin
 
I can HIGHLY recommend Microsoft SQL Server 2008 T-SQL Fundamentals by Itzik
Ben-Gan.

Even if you aren't sure tha SQL Server is your database system of choice,
the author calls attention to language elements which are specific to T-SQL
and provides examples of both ANSI SQL and T-SQL. There are exercises at the
end of each chapter which help to master the material. It is clearly
written, concise yet readily understandable for those with no SQL experience.
The author also provides some (but not too much) background on set theory
and the basis upon which SQL and the relational database model was created.
This may sound excessively deep, but as a computer information systems
student myself, I found this background information invaluable to my
understanding of how SQL works and why. There is a 2005 version of this book
also, but why not go with the latest, especially when the author also calls
attention to anything which is 2008 specific and usually gives a 2005
alternative. There are two other books in this "series" which build off this
one and these too are excellent though definitely more advanced. They are
all from Microsoft Press.
 
As you work in Access using Query Designer, once the query is returning the
results that you need use TOOLS>VIEW SQL to take a look at the SQL that
Access generated. It'll give you a really good starting point with the basics.
 
Thanks! Neither of those books is expensive, so I might just buy both of them.

I sometimes look at the SQL view of queries that I created in design view. I
think I've learned a little bit about SQL that way, but I'm still clueless
about how to write it myself. I've tried to change things in my queries by
guessing at what I should write, but it never works. I think it's probably
because I'm so clueless about the basics.
 
Thanks! Neither of those books is expensive, so I might just buy both of them.

I sometimes look at the SQL view of queries that I created in design view.. I
think I've learned a little bit about SQL that way, but I'm still clueless
about how to write it myself. I've tried to change things in my queries by
guessing at what I should write, but it never works. I think it's probably
because I'm so clueless about the basics.






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I've also had good luck with www.sqlzoo.net

HTH,
Chris M.
 
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