XQuery : The XML Query Language

Rating:
Summary: The definitive work on XQuery
Review: Brundage writes in a style that is direct and without ornamentation. This has resulted in a book that is concise and straightforward while still being comprehensive. In the hands of a lesser author, the text might easily have topped 1000 pages. As it is, Brundage comes in at just under half that without skimping on a single thing you need to know to use XQuery effectively.

Another thing I really like about the book is the emphasis on practical application. XQuery is the most complex of all the XML standards to date, and it would be easy to waste pages and readers' time on the esoterica. Brundage doesn't do that. Instead, he gears the book toward the practical use of XQuery in real-world scenarios and succeeds wonderfully.

This book belongs on the shelf of anyone serious about mastering XML and using it effectively to build sophisticated applications. Brundage can count me among what I'm sure will be a growing legion of fans as word of this excellent work spreads.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent language introduction and reference
Review: This is a well written introductory and reference work on XQuery. It's primarily an introductory work, the first 260 pages are introduction and the final 240 are a reference that is organized as an appendix.

The writing is solid, and it by no means panders to the reader, so you should be prepared to read over sections multiple times to completely understand the topic. I can't penalize the book for this because the topic is fairly complex.

On the downside there could be more in the way of real world examples in the text as they explain so of the more complex topics. It easier for the reader to retain the information if they knew why they would be using the language feature in the real world. In addition the book needs a section on existing tools and support for XQuery.

Strong chapters are chapters five and six which cut to the heart for the FLWOR expression syntax.

Overall this is a fine introductory work that could use some expansion and some more focused explanations.

Rating:
Summary: Concepts & Practical Programming
Review: Too many development books are slanted towards either concepts or practical, in-the-trenches development. This book manages to balance both by giving not only the what's and why's, but the how to's, and does so in a readable and highly credible manner.

The discussion about why Xquery instead of Xpath, XSLT or even direct access through another programming language shows both the strengths and some weaknesses of Xquery. This discussion extended into documents, databases, the state of the Xquery specification, and culminated in a essential types, and types you will not need. This is both conceptual and practical.

For the developer who wants to get up-to-speed with (or refine skills in) Xquery, this book goes deep into every facet, using concepts, concrete examples, and code. More importantly, the author's extensive experience is shown in Chapter 11, which covers problem areas and common points of confusion. This short chapter will prove invaluable to new developers. I also liked the chapter on query optimization, and the rich reference material in the appendices, which is almost half of this book.

If you want to learn Xquery, hone existing skills, or step back and see the big picture this book is the best one in my opinion. Expect in-depth technical information, and expect it to be provided by someone who understands developers and provides the code to make it real.