Only TEN Minutes!?!?! OK, I’ll take that challenge!

A few months ago I purchased this book entitled ”SAMS Teach Yourself SQL In 10 Minutes”. One reason why I purchased this particular book was to refresh my understanding on the ins and outs of SQL (Structured Query Language, pronounced ~ See-Quell), a database language, which is used within virtually all programming languages. I have used SQL in one way or another for many years, but I have never attempted to learn more than was necessary for the job. I decided that I want to lean what IS possible so that I know what I can figure out what to do when the time is right (if that makes sense).

Another reason I purchased *this* particular book is that I did not desire nor require a 1,200 page reference manual teaching me how to do everything. I just wanted a “guide” so that I would have a broad overview, but also something to fall back on to figure out a problem myself (a reference). I have other programming books, which give endless examples – but not one that gives ALL of the commands for the language in an easy-to-use format. This is what I expected from this book, and pretty much what I received.

All About The Book

First of all I’ll explain the title. It is kind of misleading to say that it will teach you “SQL In Ten Minutes”. The title is referring to each chapter requiring 10 minutes to read, of which there are 20. So, the title should be ….. “In 200 Minutes”, or about 3 hours. I believe that I spent about five hours total with this book including the reading, re-reading key portions to understand them, and trying out a few of the examples with my own databases.

The book itself is a small paperback, only about 200 pages in length. It certainly doesn’t go into the extreme depths and complexities of the SQL language, but it does cover ALL the basics. And, the complicated SQL statements (portions of code that use the SQL language) are made up of combined ‘basic’ code, so that’s just perfect. The book begins with explaining all about SQL, briefly, for the novice who is unfamiliar. By the end of the book they are using different types of “JOINS”, and actually adding and deleting data from a database.

Throughout the book the points are explained clearly, concisely, and quickly (CC&Q) <<-- I just made that up. I rarely found myself re-reading a section because I didn’t understand it the first time. It doesn’t use complex computer jargon or programming lingo – which makes this book useful for a very broad audience.

This book does not teach the SQL of any PARTICULAR DBMS (Database Management System), but the Universal (ANSI Standard) SQL Language. If you want EXACT language (improvements/enhancements) you need to look to a manual for that particular program (e.g. Access, SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL). However, this book does mention the differences between Access, Oracle and SQL Server througout the book, where applicable. Because this is only an introductory generic SQL text DBMS-specific refrences only confuse things, so is best left out of this portion of the learning curve – in my opinion.

Who Is This Book For?
I conclude that this book is useful for just the reasons I purchased it: To refresh my memory, and hone my skill. However this is also an excellent starting text for somebody who is interested in understand about how “things” work. This epinions.com site is a prime example of database functionality at work, as every page that you view incorporates several SQL queries (calls to datasets), and their database is automatically written to using SQL whenever you view a page, vote, trust somebody, etc..

Many people use databases at work either running reports from them (querying), or entering data into them using pre-programmed interfaces. I am a firm believer that anybody who works with data in ANY WAY would gain very useful knowledge by reading though this short reference paperback book. I’ve highly recommended my father read it, but he refused – so maybe I’ll convince a few people here online. <grin>.

As a ‘beginning’ programmer, I have referenced this book on several occasions when I have had some trouble with SQL errors in my code. The book showed me how I was improperly using a particular SQL command, and I was easily able to fix it. The book has paid for itself many times over already for me!

Concluding Thoughts
Almost all programs and websites use databases, but what makes them work? At the core, SQL makes them work – and an understanding of that language will help you further understand what is going on behind the scenes. Considering this book only cost me about $10.00, it’s worth the investment to anybody who can be helped with a little “behind-the-scenes” knowledge. I’ve worked a few temp jobs using databases and let me tell you, incorporating the most rudimentary knowledge of what this book presents will make you look like a genius to your coworkers! Now, Isn’t’ that worth ten dollars???!



Recommended: Yes