(Part 2) Best sql books according to redditors
We found 487 Reddit comments discussing the best sql books. We ranked the 102 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
> I disagree. Structured Query Language.
Okay so I want to ask you guys something that has always bothered me.
According to SQL: Visual QuickStart Guide (I had to use it in my one SQL class I took ages ago), it states this:
> Not an Acronym. It's a common misconception that SQL stands for structured query language; it stands for SQL and nothing else. Why? Because ANSI says so. The official name is Database Language SQL. . . . This is the worst possible description, because SQL:
> Isn't structured (because it can't be broken down into blocks or procedures)
> Isn't for only queries (because it has more than just the SELECT statement).
> * Isn't a language (because it's not Turing-complete . . .)
Anyway, I haven't used SQL in ages and don't care, but I was wondering if anyone knew if the book is correct or not . .
The best series of books is the Inside SQL Server series, and although they are quite advanced, database internals aren't a simple topic. The idea is to find an area that you're interested in, and take a deep dive from there. Maybe I should write a series of articles on the topic, for people with your experience level.
If you are interested in how the storage engine works, then Microsoft SQL Server 2008: Internals is a good choice.
If you're more interested in how queries are processed, then perhaps starting with Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2008: T-SQL Querying would be a better option.
Additionally, I highly recommend a good selection of blogs, particularly the guys and girls over at SQLskills. Also, consider reading the Books Online pages on Planning and Architecture.
Any questions, feel free to ask - I love chatting about SQL Server, particularly on the MSDN SQL Forums, or SQL Server Central.
This is the best book to learn SQL properly: Beginning SQL Queries: From Novice to Professional
The important part is to run the examples yourself and play with it. Make up your own queries and figure out how to get them to work. That's what you'll be doing all the time anyway.
After that, pick any of the books for your DB vendors SQL dialect. But first, get the fundamentals right.
http://www.amazon.com/Murachs-Server-2008-Developers-Murach/dp/1890774510/
I learned SQL from an earlier version of this book. I thought it was good and was useful as a reference later on. It had the lesson on the left then the example on the right.
Edit: A five year old sql book is still relevant when talking about the majority of sql. Not much has changed really besides adding a couple more advanced features to the servers. All the select, delete, update, table, procedure, function, create, etc stuff will all be the same.
I've posted this before but I'll repost it here:
Now in terms of the question that you ask in the title - this is what I recommend:
Job Interview Prep
Junior Software Engineer Reading List
Read This First
Fundementals
Understanding Professional Software Environments
Mentality
History
Mid Level Software Engineer Reading List
Read This First
Fundementals
Software Design
Software Engineering Skill Sets
Databases
User Experience
Mentality
History
Specialist Skills
In spite of the fact that many of these won't apply to your specific job I still recommend reading them for the insight, they'll give you into programming language and technology design.
Have you read this yet? http://www.amazon.com/SQL-Dummies-Allen-G-Taylor/dp/1118607961
I went from being mostly lost to being surprisingly competent after spending a weekend with the 2nd edition of that book.
Another accountant to BI person...
I found Khan Academy's Intro to SQL course useful and it's what I'd make my associates run through. Additionally, SQL Visual Start Guide was and continues to be a useful reference book.
If these items are unique to a single user (that is, one user has many items; one item belongs to exactly one user) then I think what you're doing sounds good. ItemID would be your primary key (since it alone uniquely identifies the record), and UserID would be a foreign key reference to your Users table. You'll definitely want an index on UserID since it sounds like the vast majority of queries would be able to make use of it.
There's no reason that shouldn't perform well up to a fair number of records (the amount will depend on lots of other factors, but a few million rows is maybe a good first guess). If/when you do run into speed issues, you can look at partitioning the table, which would allow you to have something that behaves as if it was one big table, but is actually made up of a number of smaller tables under the hood. It's a little more work, and there are a few snags to watch out for, but it can be really helpful when you need it. And it's not something you need to start out with -- you can add it on later if/when you find you need it. Take a look at http://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/static/ddl-partitioning.html for some more information.
That said, while you can make some educated guesses about indexing/partitioning strategies, really the only way to know for sure is to analyze how it behaves in practice. Query performance is pretty dependent on things like the data itself, usage patterns, and server configuration. You can try loading up a lot of data (just generate so fake data if you need to), and analyze some of your expected queries -- that should give you a better glimpse of what is going on. Take a look at the docs for the EXPLAIN command to get started on that. http://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.4/static/using-explain.html
Lastly, I think the Douglas book on PostgreSQL might be helpful, if you wanted to read up on this some. http://www.amazon.com/PostgreSQL-2nd-Korry-Douglas/dp/0672327562 It has some general information about performance topics, as well as a lot of specifics about how these things work in PostgreSQL.
Hope that helps a bit :)
(Edit: my grammar is atrocious :()
I like this. Linq Pocket Reference by the same guy who wrote linqpad which you should also get to know
> Cached plans are still very much a black box to me.
I'm still there with you learning most of this myself. If you more detailed info, check out this SQL Server Internals book. I've been reading it and its helped out alot.
I'm at a community college, and am currently taking an entire specialization in databases (earlier I built an entire bug tracker using ADO.NET and Windows Forms, right now we're reimplementing the school's application form as an Azure webapp, we also do some Oracle/MySQL/SAP stuff).
My recommendation is always Learn SQL in 24 Hours. I read it straight through in an afternoon, it teaches you vanilla SQL, and from there it's all just learning tiny tweaks for each vendor.
software developer here. I use sql every day and its an integral part of the majority of the software i work on. That said i would NOT recommend w3schools for sql. w3schools is a great "reference" site for html,css, and sometimes javascript. Meaning it has a lot of information but isn't the best place to learn sql but a good resource once you know it. also w3schools has slowly but surely fallen behind its former glory.
I'd recomend picking up one or more books off amazon. With sql its important to have a database set up to help you learn. if you already do i'd go with: http://www.amazon.com/SQL-Nutshell-OReilly-Kevin-Kline/dp/0596518846/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1318654308&sr=8-16. O'reilly makes a large number of computer language related books and its going to take you step by step through learning sql. If you don't have a database set up already and are not sure where to begin then go with: http://www.amazon.com/Language-SQL-Access-Relational-Databases/dp/143545751X/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1318654308&sr=8-12. the first chapter(s) are devoted to installing and setting up either Microsoft Sql Server or MySql (and maybe oracle sql developer too) the three most popular database systems used. then its going to walk you threw, step by step, the one you choose.
I'll add im not an actuary so i cant make to many assumptions on what you already know and what you don't but as a software developer find some hands on resources to teach you is definitely what i'd recommend, and there are lots of good and cheep books on amazon to help you do that.
Lastly you may want to post this question on r/programming or r/sql or something like that explaining your situation and they might have even better recommendations.
If you like web development stuff, you could try your hand at something like PHP. Try building a simple login form.
If you're in a position to purchase a book, I would highly recommend this book. It's nice and simple and is really easy to follow. You should be able to grasp the basic concepts of PHP pretty easily. Plus, if you're already looking at HTML5 then you should have a logical thinking flair so you've already got a foot in the door.
Seeing as you're chatting to me on this reddit bot centered AMA, I'm going to take a stab in the dark and assume you could be interested in coding simple bots. If so, you could try looking at Python - that's another coding language and it reads quite well. Some people say it's like reading English (it's not, but what they mean is it's easy to follow and pretty much forces good code etiquette).
I can give you some examples of Python scripts if you'd like, so you can see what it could be like to start learning it.
Another good tip for you is to download some ready built PHP scripts. You can find them for free via Google, or head to www.codecanyon.com and grab a pretty much ready built site for a small amount of money. You'll be able to see the source code behind the sites and hopefully be able to read through the code to see how things work. You may need to start a development server, but you could create one locally on your own machine at low to zero cost.
I started down this path about 12 years ago, and had a lot of luck with PHP & MySQL for Dummies by Janet Valade. It was good about teaching me the necessary pieces for coding basic PHP and having it speak to a MySQL database, which I was able to build off of. What the edition I used did not teach was how to properly sanatize strings or how to properly secure the DB, but you can learn security hardening separately.
Check your local library to see if they have a copy of it somewhere.
Best of luck!
http://www.w3schools.com/sql/default.asp
Judith Bowman's book is pretty good.
If your just needing to learn basics and some intermediate/advanced get a head-start this is the book I used in an SQL courses. It's older but I mean all the information still holds today:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Practical-SQL-Handbook-Variants/dp/0201703092/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1331190818&sr=1-1
older version, but concepts hold over: https://www.amazon.com/SQL-Server-2008-Administration-Action/dp/193398872X
Hey hey, maybe a little late but wanted to post my experience as I started in my current position with very little sql experience and was able to ramp up quickly.
I started with the Harvard online courses on databases, it’s free. The biggest help I found was this book on Amazon: SQL: Visual QuickStart Guide (Visual QuickStart Guides). You should be able to find this for less than the 40 bucks, but still a good investment regardless.
Understand that types of SQL vary but are all inherently similar. I use Teradata, Oracle and SQL Server pretty much daily.
For certification, I’d recommend any of the Microsoft certificates, MCSE. Personally I’m working towards the Data Information and Analytics as its the best fit for me.
PHP: The Right Way is an excellent option.
Another one is PHP & MySQL (https://www.amazon.com/PHP-MySQL-Development-Developers-Library/dp/0321833899) It has just been updated to the 5th Edition.
You could give him something like this as a gag...
This was my first SQL book, and it was really well done for beginners.
Let me clarify a little. It's helpful to find books that I can digest from the ground up on and compare with current standards or use creatively. Simple put I enjoy doing the homework on a book. What I am look to accomplish is to write SQL Queries for corporate finances and manufacturing. Working in the environment I am in currently allows me the opportunity to learn and practice it.
Here are a few I looked into:
https://www.amazon.com/SQL-Minutes-Sams-Teach-Yourself/dp/0672336073/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1519240184&sr=8-4&keywords=beginning+SQL
https://www.amazon.com/SQL-Beginners-Learning-Programming-Course/dp/1532716958/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1519240184&sr=8-14&keywords=beginning+SQL
https://www.amazon.com/SQL-Practice-Problems-learn-doing/dp/1520807635/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1519239367&sr=8-7&keywords=beginning+SQL
I'm not sure what the policy is on promoting your own work, but I wrote a book titled "SQL Practice Problems", specifically to help with this problem. People came to me regularly and asked how to get more real-world practice using SQL, and I finally decided to write this book.
[SQL Practice Problems: 57 beginning, intermediate, and advanced challenges for you to solve using a “learn-by-doing” approach] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1520807635)
My class uses Murach's SQL Server 2012 for Developers (Training & Reference). I like it since there isn't too much fluff of tutorials.
Also here is a page with some past "problem statements"
If you're talking about a publicly available dataset, it will probably be in a delimited format, like .csv or .tsv. Go get MySQL or even the Microsoft SQL Server free version and then you'll just import your dataset into your server and then you can start querying. It's been a while since I've looked, but you might still be able to pick up a free copy of AdventureWorks here, which is a nice starter database w/ several tables so you can figure out how joins work. As for books, I like the Murach books. A nice one for conceptual stuff (first few chapters) is The Art of SQL
You sound like you'd like to become a Data Scientist. :)
For SQL take a look at Beginning SQL Queries: From Novice to Professional. It's a very good (text) book. You'll be amazed how easy SQL is with the right mindset.
I used Murach's SQL Server book to learn SQL. It's honestly the best technical book I have ever read. I also had trouble learning SQL but this book got me over the hump.
I quite liked Masterminds of Programming: Conversations with the Creators of Major Programming Languages
I picked this up a few months ago and have been learning tons -
http://www.amazon.com/SQL-Queries-Mere-Mortals-Hands/dp/0321444434
I've been a web developer for two years and can tell you what I learned over time that led to me getting an internship at a software company. I didn't major in computer science but I did eventually go to a bootcamp.
I'll note that I'm not a huge fan of that flowchart, because it's backwards. You need to be familiar with what all those tools can accomplish, but I don't think anybody is capable of holding expert-level competence in so many areas at the same time. The key is getting to the point where you know or can figure out what tool will be required for any given task. For example, I don't really know much about Websockets, but I know that I'd probably need them if I wanted to build a chat application.
Anyway, here's my learning track in terms of programming
Pre-2011: Excel formulas
First programming I ever did for a bunch of random things, and at this time I didn't realize I wanted to be in software development yet.
2011-2013: SQL
Started with the DBA where I was working sending me a Word document with some common queries I could run in a SQL client so I could answer other people's questions and same him time. Over time I learned how to change the queries and then write my own. This book helped: https://www.amazon.com/SQL-Queries-Mere-Mortals-Hands/dp/0321444434/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1494701750&sr=8-2&keywords=sql+queries+for+mere+mortals
2013-2014: Java, shell scripting, other unix/linux related things
Took a programming class using Java and a shell scripting class in a local university's online program. Used these books:
https://www.amazon.com/Java-Introduction-Problem-Solving-Programming/dp/0132162709/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1494701761&sr=8-14&keywords=introduction+to+programming+with+java
https://www.amazon.com/Unix-Shell-Programming-Stephen-Kochan/dp/0672324903/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1494701778&sr=8-6&keywords=unix+programming
I think Java is a very good first object oriented language to learn, even though most bootcamps want to do either Ruby or Javascript. Ruby (and Rails) have a little too much syntax sugar and other shortcuts that make it hard for a beginner to understand, and JavaScript is just plain weird (along with its ecosystem, which requires knowing a little history of the language and why it is the way it is).
2015: Ruby, Rails, a little JS. Attended a bootcamp and got my first job.
2016: ReactJS, actually understanding JS
2017: More JS, and now learning Elixir and the Phoenix framework.
As I mentioned before, these languages and frameworks are just tools. The way I've learned has been to do projects, figure out what tools would be necessary to accomplish all the functionality, and then slowly make progress on learning how to use those tools, eg, copy/pasting, modifying code other people have written, and then finally taking the training wheels off.
Granted this was a long time ago (circa 2005) but I learned by reading PHP and MySQL Web Development. Cover still looks the same as it did back then: https://www.amazon.com/PHP-MySQL-Development-Developers-Library/dp/0321833899/ref=asc_df_0321833899/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312125971120&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16526201816409799004&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9008452&hvtargid=pla-434745475082&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=61316180839&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=312125971120&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16526201816409799004&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9008452&hvtargid=pla-434745475082
I got mine from the library. I'd browse your library for some books, check out a few, and see what works for you. I only ended up reading half the book. But for that half, I did all the exercises. From there I began building the ideas I had been dreaming of. Not a lot of good code in those early years, but thats part of learning. It definitely gave me a good basis. Before reading that I only had basic programming understanding like if statements and variables, didn't even understand loops or arrays.
I can't recommend your local library enough. Don't buy a book from Amazon or Barnes and Nobles that might just collect dust. If they don't have anything good then buy.
The 5th edition is the most recent, I believe, which covers up to PHP 7.
Currently plowing my way through this: PHP & MySQL For Dummies https://www.amazon.ca/PHP-MySQL-Dummies-Janet-Valade/dp/0470527587/
I read a bit of PHP The Right Way, but it's not The Right Way For Me Just Yet
This won't help you with the L part, but http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Yourself-MySQL-Apache-Edition/dp/0672335433/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397503875&sr=8-1&keywords=sam%27s+teach+yourself+apache+mysql+php will get you the AMP.
Franks and beans! :P
There're these books, with the sort of meta, job/project wisdom I think, being glancingly familiar with them (though I haven't read either, they just look like what you're looking for). For what it's worth they're both well-known developers.
97 Things Every Programmer Should Know: Collective Wisdom from the Experts
And -
Chad Fowler's "The Passionate Programmer: Creating a Remarkable Career in Software Development"
I have this book, it's pretty thorough: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0672327562/
Ofcourse you should also study the Postgres official docs, at http://www.postgresql.org/docs/
I don't know any books on database design or theory, does anyone have good tips?
https://www.amazon.com/Sams-Teach-Yourself-SQL-Hours/dp/0672335417
Two I have that might be helpful:
Sams Teach Yourself PHP, MYSQL, and Apache
A Practical Guide to Linux Commands, Editors, and Shell Programming
Of course, I haven't even had a chance to pick them up in a while, frankly... :(
I learnt from these 2 books
Web Design with HTML, CSS, JavaScript and jQuery Set
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1118907442/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Y1MQCbH3QGBW6
I highly recommend them, they aren’t really tutorials on how to code but goes into excellent detail on everything you need to know. They do include code examples and website concepts such as design, how to structure, ease of use etc...
If you want to progress from this, you can start looking at databases and collecting user data etc... the PHP practice is a bit outdated but it is a very good tutorial book to get started
PHP & MySQL In Easy Steps
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840785373/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_C7MQCb9JHJP5G
I’m also hoping you’ve came across w3 schools at some point but just incase you might want to have a look at this website as well, it’s great for information all website related
https://www.w3schools.com
This was my path and I’ve done 2 courses of web design at uni and there isn’t much more they were able to teach me that I hadn’t already learnt from those books. Obviously a bit more advanced stuff but tutorials and resources are always available online for that.
If you have anymore questions don’t be afraid to ask! Like I said I’m still a student who self taught all this and it’s not my job but I hope it will be in the future for me too, so hopefully a professional might be able to offer you better advice :)