SQL: Visual QuickStart Guide [NOOK Book]

A great learning and reference tool

Over the years I've used various books from the Visual QuickStart series, HTML, XML, JavaScript, VBScript, etc. to compliment training material provided by the various companies I've worked for over the years. Each book from the Visual QuickStart series is organized in a way as to build successively from basic to advanced concept, and within each chapter to build on a specific area drilling down through the topic providing an overview, a coding example and it's output, and usage tips. The end result is a great book for learning, and a great reference tool.

The Visual QuickStart Guide for SQL is no exception to the this tried and true concept. During my "development days" in IT, I've spent a lot of time developing SQL for DB2 in COBOL programs, and later in the various iterations of MS Access, but as my career migrated away from development into more complex world of business analysis and project management those skills became rusty. Rather than acquire one of those 1,200-page "everything you ever wanted to know about SQL" texts or something from the "idiot's" or "dummies" series (which can be useful if you know nothing about the topic), I opted for a format that I was confortable with and trusted, and since my current assignment requires me to employ skills which were once common for me, I've returned to a format that has served me well in the past. SQL, third edition, not only stays true to the Visual QuickStart organization that I've found useful and productive during my career, but provides the quick and easy access to the topics I need to refresh my memory after a considerable absence from the development arts. While I've only had the book a couple of weeks, it has begun to deliver benefits in analyzing the data in several of the legacy DB2 tables with which I'm currently working.

In closing, SQL, third edition, covers all of the major SQL proprietary variations, provides a good introduction, albeit brief, to relational database concepts, and proceeds to cover basic to advanced SQL coding and formatting specifics. I would recommend SQL, third edition, to both novice and experienced users as both a learning aid and a desk reference. And I would recommend the Visual QuickStart series as an excellent place to start when learning a new development skill; I've found this series quite useful over the course of my career, and have recommended the series to many of my colleagues.

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