Learning SQL recommendations

[Cliphead]

You could start with a specific query you have to write, have a go at writing it, post the query here with a request for suggestions for improvement and , err, duck.

I actually did that some time ago but unless I learned this stuff for myself my post count in tech would equal Alexei's lunch threads

Anyway, I need to start with actually learning to write a query. No books anybody can recommend?

 

[Zippy]

I actually did that some time ago but unless I learned this stuff for myself my post count in tech would equal Alexei's lunch threads

Anyway, I need to start with actually learning to write a query. No books anybody can recommend?

I bought an O'Reilly one for PHP and MySQL (for my first contract) and found it very useful. I had done SQL before though so it may not be for you.
Try one of the 'for Dummies' range - I've found them to be rather good.

 

[NickFitz]

Anyway, I need to start with actually learning to write a query. No books anybody can recommend?

Lynn Beighley's Head First SQL is pretty good if you want to get a good understanding of the basic principles and build from there - although not everybody gets along with the chatty style and slightly too-cute jokes of the Head First books, I have found them pretty effective for stuff I wasn't already familiar with or hadn't done in a while.

After that, just throw caution to the wind and try Joe Celko's SQL for Smarties (Third Edition), although be aware that it focuses on getting things done using standard SQL rather than the proprietary extensions database vendors (especially Microsoft) graft on to make life easier for people who don't understand sets and declarative programming and are too lazy to learn. In other words, it shows you how to do it the right way

As you're working specifically with MySQL, I can also recommend Schwartz et al.'s High Performance MySQL (Second Edition) which, balancing the purist approach of Celko's book, is full of info about what's actually going on under the hood and how to get the best from it.

 

[TheFaQQer]

I read Larry Ullman's "PHP and MySQL for Dynamic Web Sites" but that was more for the php side of things.

 

[Bright Spark]

This one has good tutorials, main thing is to find examples and get the sample data and practice with them

http://www.mysqltutorial.org/mysql-select-statement-query-data.aspx

 

[Cliphead]

Thanks all, ordered some books from Amazon.

 

[MarillionFan]

Had a check my stuff was all T-SQL. Better off with the books Nick has suggested

 

[MrMark]

Lynn Beighley's Head First SQL is pretty good if you want to get a good understanding of the basic principles and build from there - although not everybody gets along with the chatty style and slightly too-cute jokes of the Head First books, I have found them pretty effective for stuff I wasn't already familiar with or hadn't done in a while.

After that, just throw caution to the wind and try Joe Celko's SQL for Smarties (Third Edition), although be aware that it focuses on getting things done using standard SQL rather than the proprietary extensions database vendors (especially Microsoft) graft on to make life easier for people who don't understand sets and declarative programming and are too lazy to learn. In other words, it shows you how to do it the right way

As you're working specifically with MySQL, I can also recommend Schwartz et al.'s High Performance MySQL (Second Edition) which, balancing the purist approach of Celko's book, is full of info about what's actually going on under the hood and how to get the best from it.

More than a little quirky (as it's my blog) but there are (or were) some good links on learning Mysql on here ... One of which is this one