SQL QuickStart Guide Review

picture of the cover

By Christopher Williams

Our last ClydeBank book was a wonderful read so how there’s SQL book? Pretty good actually so lets see why!

SQL QuickStart Guide by Walter Shields is an introduction book into SQL, which is a database language. The SQL QuickStart Guide first goes through what is SQL and what is a database. It then goes through how to get new information from the database with queries such as using joins, functions and comparisons. Finally it goes to some more advanced topics like inserting in your own data and saving your own functions which are called views. As you go through the chapters you will see different graphics describing how databases work, do examples along with little exercises on a practice database.

diagram of a database

I wished the book went into creating databases because right now if you were just to use the book by itself you could not really start any projects on your own. It is not the biggest issue because you do gain a good overall idea of SQL so it is workable but it feels just a little bit incomplete. It especially feels weird because the book talks about adding data into an existing database.

I do like the overall direction of the book. It talks about a little of everything such as what is a database, how to join tables, creating views and so on. I especially like the mixing of examples and exercise. It is a very simple formula where you first do an example of whatever you are learning, do a small exercise right after and then at the end of that particular chapter you have a short “quiz” which is a bigger application of what you have learned. I also like the second appendix at the end of the book because it goes chapter by chapter showing what the keywords were in that chapter and what they do. It is like a little reference book that you can use after you finish the book and can go back to the chapter if you don’t remember it at all. Finally I also like how the conclusion talks about how you can use it in your career or even switch careers. It is a small thing but it provides a nice capstone to it and gives ideas to use in your life.

some code snippets

SQL QuickStart Guide is a good start into learning about SQL, I wished it went a bit more into things like creating a database but overall it does provide a good foundation to start from. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a complete newbie to SQL or a refresher on the basics. I would not recommend it to anyone else because it simply does not have enough information if you are already decent at SQL.

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