Rating: 
Summary: Want to learn SQL? Find some other book.
Review: .
I worked with SQL some years ago and bought this book as a refresher. I've used only one other "dummy" book and that was "ASP for Dummies" and found it so excellent for a subject I was NOT familiar with that I figured getting one of the same series on a subject for which I just needed to refresh previous knowledge was a no-brainer.I was wrong; I've put this book aside and ordered the "SQL: Visual Quickstart guide" (haven't read it yet, so no verdict yet). I've used this series to learn Dreamweaver MX and found it exceptional. The "SQL for Dummies" book seems to have lost track of its intended audience. The examples are arcane and overly complex. Often, when a SQL statement is presented, it's not fully explained. Excruciatingly often, the author states he'll explain something later when the situation cries for (at least) a quick explanation NOW. The author is obviously expert in the subject, but presents the material as one who forgets that in his explanation the reader may not have the same background nor is able to read the author's mind to fill in the gaps the author has not shared with the reader. With no offense intended for the author, this reader, at least, recommends you look for another tutorial for learning SQL.
Rating:
Summary: Want to learn SQL? Find some other book.
Review: .
I worked with SQL some years ago and bought this book as a refresher. I've used only one other "dummy" book and that was "ASP for Dummies" and found it so excellent for a subject I was NOT familiar with that I figured getting one of the same series on a subject for which I just needed to refresh previous knowledge was a no-brainer. I was wrong; I've put this book aside and ordered the "SQL: Visual Quickstart guide" (haven't read it yet, so no verdict yet). I've used this series to learn Dreamweaver MX and found it exceptional. The "SQL for Dummies" book seems to have lost track of its intended audience. The examples are arcane and overly complex. Often, when a SQL statement is presented, it's not fully explained. Excruciatingly often, the author states he'll explain something later when the situation cries for (at least) a quick explanation NOW. The author is obviously expert in the subject, but presents the material as one who forgets that in his explanation the reader may not have the same background nor is able to read the author's mind to fill in the gaps the author has not shared with the reader. With no offense intended for the author, this reader, at least, recommends you look for another tutorial for learning SQL.
Rating: 
Summary: Good for Some...
Review: A good introduction to SQL for people who have some programming experience, and need to know how to integrate their applications with a database, and for people who use MS Access, but want to work independently of the query design grid. The book is especially good for defining the common SQL and database terminology. It was nice to finally get a thorough explanation of the various types of joins, and the brief chapter on ODBC was pleasantly simple. SQL is not a very exciting subject, however, and a little more humor would have been helpful to ward off boredom. Some hands-on exercises for MS Access, VB or SQL Server would have been helpful.
Rating:
Summary: Dummies, my hat!
Review: After being thrown kicking and screaming into the world of the relational database, I figured I'd better get some book-learning from something that would start with the absolute basics and building blocks of SQL. After reading the book's introduction, I thought I had found my answer. WRONG! He LIED about the level of knowledge needed to use the book. What happened to the the 'for Dummies' philosophy?? Obviously, no one told the author. Taylor writes to the level of persons already familiar with SQL basics, and more complex programming languages. I had to look up definitions for his definitions. Half the time I had no clue as to what the man was talking about, and I AIN'T NO DUMMY. ...
Rating: 
Summary: SQL, Unequalled
Review: Buying any book targeted for 'dummies' sets the record straight in terms of my knowledge of SQL. I'm a South African computer science student and bought SQL for Dummies to supplement material prescribed by the university. Firstly, the book is set out in an easy to understand manner starting with the section called Contents at a Glance and followed by an extensive Table of Contents. The text uses icons for tips, things to remember, warnings, technical stuff, etc. which reinforces key concepts. Mr Taylor conveys his thoughts on a serious subject, particularly for first timers, in a humourous manner making the subject even more accessible. The contents of the book is set out in clear and concise way, with key topics highlighted. The book is extensive in its covering of the subject, not only directed at building and extracting information from a database, but also giving information on security issues and using SQL with the internet. I found the book of particular use and can recommend it to any newcomers to SQL.
Rating:
Summary: SQL, Unequalled
Review: Buying any book targeted for 'dummies' sets the record straight in terms of my knowledge of SQL. I'm a South African computer science student and bought SQL for Dummies to supplement material prescribed by the university. Firstly, the book is set out in an easy to understand manner starting with the section called Contents at a Glance and followed by an extensive Table of Contents. The text uses icons for tips, things to remember, warnings, technical stuff, etc. which reinforces key concepts. Mr Taylor conveys his thoughts on a serious subject, particularly for first timers, in a humourous manner making the subject even more accessible. The contents of the book is set out in clear and concise way, with key topics highlighted. The book is extensive in its covering of the subject, not only directed at building and extracting information from a database, but also giving information on security issues and using SQL with the internet. I found the book of particular use and can recommend it to any newcomers to SQL.
Rating:
Summary: Overall adequate, but could have been better
Review: First off, I must stress that after I finished reading this book I did walk away with a far greater knowledge of SQL. To this end the book served its purpose and was worth the time/money I invested in the book. My most serious criticism is that the early chapters introduced complex examples, which I forced myself to understand...only to discover that the author explained the issues more thoroughly at a later stage. On page 55 the author explains the MIN function with a sub/nested SQL query...introducing nested queries at such an early stage was a little confusing and it distracted me from the function being discussed. As a result I spent considerable time working through the early chapters...but the later chapters were easy to follow. Had the author taken a bit of time to consider the placement and appropriateness of each example, this book would have received a 4/5 rating in my mind. Of course an indirect advantage of this lack of fore-thought is that if the reader is prepared to work through the earlier examples the learning process is much more active.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent introduction.
Review: I am an accounting student and I read/studied this book prior to taking a formal, semester long class in SQL/Oracle Intro class. And it helped me a great deal. I agree with the individual above that stated that the book helps demistify SQL. You will walk away feeling less dumb but don't expect this book to land you a job querying databases for a living. This is an excellent first step in the right direction. There are portions of this book that only serve to expose you to certain siuations in which SQL may be practical. (For example...embedding SQL withing code) Don't even read that chapter until the end. Good Luck.
Rating: 
Summary: Would Rate This Book 6 stars out of 5
Review: I bought SQL for Dummies when I was handed a web project that demanded a high traffic database. Previous to the purchase I had only worked with flat text files and had no SQL experience. This book can take you from basic database design all the way up to advanced SQL issues. Thanks to SQL for Dummies I never lost pace with the project. It explained terms and issues very plainly. It also had excellent example code. I still use the book today as an excellent reference tool. If you were stranded on Database Island, this would be the only book you would need...
Rating:
Summary: Would Rate This Book 6 stars out of 5
Review: I bought SQL for Dummies when I was handed a web project that demanded a high traffic database. Previous to the purchase I had only worked with flat text files and had no SQL experience. This book can take you from basic database design all the way up to advanced SQL issues. Thanks to SQL for Dummies I never lost pace with the project. It explained terms and issues very plainly. It also had excellent example code. I still use the book today as an excellent reference tool. If you were stranded on Database Island, this would be the only book you would need...
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