Sams Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes (3rd Edition) (Sams Teach Yourself)

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Ben Forta has done a great job distilling the most pertinent basic SQL concepts into simple, easy to read form. Befitting its "10 minute" moniker, this is a wonderful book for new SQL programmers. But it's also subtly different in a way that will particularly suit folks coming into SQL for the first time as part of their involvement in using web database development tools such as ColdFusion and Active Server Pages.

One one level, any new SQL programmer using any DBMS will appreciate the easily digested coverage of the fundamental query and update basics. The books is well-written, an easy read, and goes beyond those basics without going too far.

Even moderately experienced readers will be well-served by the clear, simple discussions of important topics (like data manipulation and aggregating functions, grouping data, subqueries, views, etc) that can be easily forgotten, as well as other topics (such as using transactions, constraints, triggers, etc.) that can get lost in wading through other more voluminous tomes. Ben presents a very nice balance of fundamental topics.

But there's more to this book than being a simple intro to SQL. That audience of web db developers is an exploding one, and they bring some unique needs for which Ben provides a valuable perspective. Most SQL books have some DBMS-specific bias, despite SQL's purpose as a tool for accessing any kind of database in a consistent manner. Web application development environments like ASP and CF are also similarly database-agnostic. There are subtle points about using SQL in such environments that are different from using it, say, in a query builder or in a client/server environment.

Ben, who was lead author of the highly regarded ColdFusion Web Application Construction Kit, presents the subjects in a manner suitable to such programmers and the way they'd code SQL and use its results, and he also sprinkles in discussions of how to take care of cross-platform issues on particular tasks, and often offers specific solutions for the most popular DBMS's used by that audience, such as Access, SQL Server, and Oracle.

On still another level, other books also get bogged down in issues of database design, creation, administration, security, etc. Important though those topics are, most development shops are growing to a point where those tasks are being handled by different people, and the developer who simply wants to code retrieval and update applications is challenged to find a good intro sql book that doesn't wade into detail on topics that they may not yet be able to understand, let alone ever need to perform. There are other great books that do cover those subjects, and readers would do well to seek those out as they progress in their learning.

It certainly makes it challenging to find (and no less to write) a SQL book. There are just so many potential audiences. For its intended purpose though, "Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes" is very well done. As in his previous books, Ben is right on the money--and for a very low price, at that!

I am only 13 years old and understood every line of this book!

This is a great book to get you started in database management using SQL. The format of the book is one I've never seen, I love it. He first explains a new concept, compares it to other previously learned concepts, and then gives an example. Following this he explains the example. There are lots of other things helpful in his technique as well, such as showing the examples for Oracle users (a Database management program).

The thing that I really like is the perfect balance of explanations and examples. It is hard to find a page in the book without at least one example.

Upsides to this book
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not to many words
easy to handle concepts
well written
great for beginners

Downsides to book
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Not the best book for reference, but not bad.
not for advanced SQL users

Over all, the best computer book I've ever read, don't hesitate to get yourself a copy.

This book is clearly aimed at the beginning SQL programmer with little or no knowledge of relational databases. It's a good intro that will quickly get the reader up to speed at writing some very simple queries and updates on an existing database.

However, in working with other programmers, I've learned that it's true about a little knowledge being a dangerous thing. If your only knowledge of SQL and relational databases comes from this book, you're in danger of missing out on some very basic information, such as how to normalize a database or perform an outer join.

If you learn SQL from this book, you'll quickly want to get another book on SQL that's more complete to fill you in on this missing critical information. Unless for some reason you need to start programming in SQL as soon as possible (in other words, before you understand what you're doing), just skip this book and buy just the more complete book.

I generally don't write reviews of products unless they are fantastic or absolutely horrible. This is FANTASTIC.

If you have programming experience and some familiarity with MS Access, this is a great book for you. I was able to go through the entire thing in 8 hours, take notes and import 3500 records from an old database into a new one with much greater ease.

Pros:
-It differentiates between SQL Server, Oracle and the SQL specification on several examples.
-An introduction to advanced features is given in the last few chapters with examples.
-Small book allows quick scanning

Cons:
-Not very visual. Organization of information and the layout of it is done well, but as far as pictures go, they are absent.
-Title is somewhat deceiving, 10 minutes if you are only trying to find an example to use for reference.
-Not for those who have little or no programming experience. Explains functionality of code and the big picture. On more complex examples, details on sections of code are left out and assumed to be understood.

Update (Dec 1, '06): updates marked with >>>

-don't know which program you will be using for SQL and have no knowledge of SQL commands, this book is directed at you and you should get it.

-know which program you will be using, get a book on your specific program, because there is enough variation between the programs that another book will serve you much better.
>>>I think I will change this recommendation -- if you don't know SQL, consider this book regardless of which program you are working with.

-are familiar with a few commands in SQL, look for a different book because you will probably breeze through this book and not gain nearly as much as if your time was spent reading something else.

I was in the first category and found this book to be an excellent introduction. With the exception of 2-3 of the 18 lessons, this book is quite clear...those 2-3 lessons just take a bit more time getting familiar with the concepts. You won't find yourself breezing through the chapters in 10 minutes each, with the possible exception of the first 5 or so, but the lessons do only take about 20 minutes on average and are straight-forward.
>>>The book teaches by example, which I'm typically not a big fan of, but this book pulled it off well.

So, if you are brand new to SQL and don't know what program you will be using, buy this book and take an hour each day for a week to read it.
>>>If you are new to SQL, consider buying this book, but... you may also benefit from the free tutorial on w3schools . com, which is found under the PHP section. Having now done some MySQL for a website, I can certainly say this book is useful and I gained from its pages but I would also recommend the free tutorial before purchasing (both because it is free and because it is actually a very good tutorial on both PHP and MySQL).

Ok, I would give it 4 1/2 if I could, but can't so I will round down. If you are learning SQL or are going to in a class room, this is a GREAT way to start, even before you start taking lessons. this book will break up learning into "10 minute" lessons, which the first few can be done thourghly in 5. (Possibly because I had already learned it but oh well). Anyway, if you go through every lesson seriously, you will walk away with a GOOD knowledge of SQL, take it from someone who uses SQL in the field.

If you are new to Database Application Design/Web Based Application Design, as I am, you will find this title most helpful in getting you off the ground. I bought this book in hopes that it would help me build SQL statements into my ASP pages, and it has done that and more. This book is an easy read and very clearly explains the basic concepts of the SQL language, techniques, capabilities, etc. It also offers a concise look into the way databases are designed and how they function. The book does a wonderful job of remaining non-proprietary, and is quick to point out when you are learning something that is specific to one Database Management System or another. This is a wonderful little book to add to your reference library if you wish to spend little and learn tons.

Structured Query Language (SQL), if it is a foreign tongue to you, after reading this book carefully, you'll speak SQL. From the start, the author explains the purpose of the language, to query relational databases, and he also defines what relational databases are. He covers how databases are tables of data containing columns and rows. In a well-organized sequence of chapters, he describes how each SQL command affects those rows and columns. My suggestion with the text is to divide its reading into two parts. If you're new to computer programming, read Chapters 1-16, then try an online free SQL tutorial on the Web for awhile. Once you get comfortable with searching for data, come back and do the last chapters, which have a programming emphasis. With constant practice, SQL programming can become straightforward and quick for you. The book has clear descriptions and is useful for the newcomer to SQL.

Great book for those who know nothing about SQL but need to get up to speed quickly. As a developer who just inherited 4 database driven projects, the book had helped immensely. Halfway through the book (page 90) you are doing advanced table joins!

Four things make this a must have for SQL beginners: easy to read chapters with great explanations (I found reading cover to cover more helpful than the '10 minute' per chapter approach), a focus on e-commerce implementations in all exercises/examples, caution boxes when MS SQL Server, Oracle, and others' code may differ - with examples of the differences, and lastly the completely populated e-commerce MS Access database is available for download.

Now on to the intermediate books!

If you are reading this book to learn, the examples provide easy understanding to the most common SQL statements for both selecting and manipulating data. Its worth trying the examples as a learning tool, and the scripts and populated Microsoft Access database is available from the authors web site (along with a few errata). If your using it as a reference, the nicely layed out contents, pages, and index provide for finding the information quickly. ASP programmers who are writing SQL to access databases for the web will particularly find this a useful guide to constructing the SQL SELECT statements to retrieve data. The book mentions more advanced features such as stored procedures and triggers which will at least give you a taste of things to learn. I suspect that as readers databases grow slower, however they may be searching for more information on indexing and keys.

The title is "Teach yourself SOL in 10 minutes" so you should know that this is just a starting book and not a complete explanation of the language. And as a starting book this book is great! If you want to learn how to build multiuser relational databases then I would look for a book that doesn't have "in 10 minutes" in the title, but if your looking to get the jist of SQL then this book is for you. I bought the ebook edition and was able to download it instantly. The author includes links to 2 free database utility's, one of which he wrote, that are worth the price of the ebook alone!

Buy this book. When I first purchased this book I knew just enough SQL to be dangerous. Since that time I have gone through the entire book (3 weeks) trying everything. I really needed this to work on a peoplesoft project so time was short. Its been great to be able to translate the examples in the book to real work situations. Its a must for someone who has had "some" exposure, but needs to write some sophisticated queries for work or school.

I'm not a great fan of Sams books, but this little SQL book has made me say (for the first time) there is a truly great Sams offering.

If you are like me and feel that 400+ pages on a subject such as SQL is overkill (for the amount of SQL features most of us use), then this is the answer. It covers all of the most useful features of SQL with examples and analysis to a level that will enable effective application in the real world. It even points out proprietary differences in implementation (Oracle/Microsoft mainly).

If you are a beginner to SQL this book won't frighten you off (nor will it leave you baffled and confused by being too short a volume to effectively cover the subject - with SQL you can get away with such a small volume, basically because it's most used functions are very simple to understand and use). Some of the coverage will leave you needing (wanting?) to read more, in particular Transactions/Triggers and Stored Procedures will demand the purchase of much larger volumes to get full mileage from them. But for what it claims to be, SQL without the fluff or overkill, this book gives you in 208 small pages, what other volumes I have read give in 800 long and tedious pages.

This is a great quick book for a beginner or casual SQL user. I don't use heavy sql everyday so I often forget syntax especially when working between different DB environments. This book is a quick refresher that allows me to pick it up and find what I need right away. The chapters are split into specific funtions (i.e. inserts, queries, grouping etc...) So you know exactly where to look.

For a beginner the cost to familiarize oneself can't be beat. I would buy this book before the more expensive learning books because this one hits the raw basics without diverging into other topics and causing confusion.

I absolutely love this book. I'm fairly new to relational databases and SQL, and I can say quite honestly that this is one book that never leaves my computer's side. Any time I have to write a query that goes beyond simple SELECTs, I turn to Forta's book because it offers quick, concise, and useful information on getting the job done.

I've had the book for about 4 months and so far, I've been able to get answers that I can apply usefully in just minutes. It's worth repeating that I'm fairly new to all this, so my demands aren't necessarily all that great.

A word of caution to other database beginners: This is ***NOT*** a beginning book on databases. Forta offers about 5 pages on database rudiments, which won't be nearly enough unless you've been exposed to the material before. For instance, if you're not familiar with the term "normalization" or the ideas behind "one-to-many" or "many-to-many" relationships, you should bone up on your basics first.

If you need to learn about database basics (especially if you're using MS Access), I'd recommend "Inside Relational Databases" by Whitehorn and Marklyn.

I started with Cold Fusion and SQL a number of months ago, knowing next to nothing about either. Although this book does not cover Cold Fusion specifically, it is populated with many 10 minute lessons which can be applied to 'any' online programming language. Forta includes many real world examples on each lesson, very descriptive explanations and an overall healthy dose of common SQL syntax, including select, insert, modify, delete, where, joins, sorting, groups, like (used with searching databases), table combinations, subqueries, aggregate functions, transaction processing and much, much more.

At the end of the book, Forta has included simple, easy to follow instructions on connecting to databases with popular programming languages like Cold Fusion, ASP, SQL Server, Visual Basic, Visual C++, DB2 and more. You will definitely keep this book by your side in your SQL adventures.

Steve - Web developer http://www.stevesdomain.net

Before I picked up this book, SQL and databases in general petrified me. But once I started reading it, I asked myself why I had waited so long to learn about SQL. Ben Forta 'demystifies' SQL and does it in a way that simplifies learning about this database language. True to its name, this is a book that can be read quickly.

Ben keeps all concepts clear and simple. By the time I'd finished the book, I had a basic understanding of SQL and realized my own fears had kept me from learning about it.

While I'm not ready to program in SQL, this book has now allowed me to at least be conversant in it and has given me a good general understanding about this database language.

This is indeed a rarity for computer books: a lot of good information in a compact format that plainly explains the basics of SQL and is easy on the wallet. In 3 years of buying computer books this is EASILY the best value I have ever gotten! I would recommend this book to anyone learning database programming for the first time, I wish I had had my hands on this book when I took VB database programming in college! Excellent book!

I like this book, I've read it about 3 times. I typed in most of the examples in MS Access 2000, and most of them worked, except those involving transactions, views and cursors. The examples using SELECT queries (including the FROM, WHERE, GROUP BY, HAVING, ORDER BY clauses), IN keyword, UNION keyword, BETWEEN keyword, subqueries, aggregate functions, INSERT, UPDATE, and CREATE TABLE, DELETE TABLE, and DROP TABLE worked just fine. Sometimes I had to tweak them, but there were no major hassles in getting them to work.

What I did not like about the book is that it did not properly identify some concepts as being non-ANSI SQL concepts. For example, triggers, savepoints, and indices are not a part of ANSI SQL. The book did not seem to properly identify them as such. To identify what is not a part of ANSI SQL, I recommend SQL Instant Reference, by Martin Grubner. It is also a small book, great at identifying the full syntax of SQL statements, but short on examples.

SAMS Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes does not give a comprehensive overview of ANSI SQL, but I was never under the impression that it would. But it does give a great start at using SQL, and focuses on the workhorse of SQL - the SELECT statement. I heartily recommend it for the beginner.

This is the kind of book you need to understand and learn the basic SQL syntax and queries in just a few days or weeks. The title is more marketing oriented (i think nobody can learn SQL in just 10 min) but what it's really true is that you can "eat" each chapter in just 5 or 10 min. (it depends how fast you read). The easy aproach of show you a few SQL lines samples...then the query's result... then the anaylis... it's what, IMO, makes this book one of the best. There is no *bs*, just facts and nice samples; straight to the point. I do this...i get this...i write this...i get this. No theory, just practice samples and results.

The drawback (and other readers think the same) it's that Ben did not show how to create the Sample Database needed to learn and practice all this stuff. There is one Appendix at the end of the book but he's almost saying "good luck" to all of us because you can find no "how to" or recipe to create the sample database he gave online. I had to make some tweaks on the MySQL script to work and a had similar problems (fewer really) creating the samples databases on an MS-SQL engine.

Price is a good point to be considered also. You will get every penny you spend back when you buy this book. Most SQL bestsellers books out there are above the $40's or $50's ... this book should be yours, brand new not used, for just $10.

I purchased this book to refresh myself on the basics of SQL. I must say that I am thoroughly impressed with the simplicity of the material. It is a good book if you ever wanted to try learning SQL or need a refresher. The downloadable material along with the step-by-step instructions make this book a much better tutor than the SQL For Dummies.

The answer is yes. The very first page tells you what the book is good for and what to expect from it, and I quote...
"This book if for you if
*You are new to SQL
*You want to quickly learn how to get the most out of SQL
*You want to learn how to use SQL in your own application development
*You want to be productive quickly and easily in SQL without having to call someone for help"

It does not say "if you want to be a SQL master" or "If you want to know everything about SQL from A - Z." Give the man his credit, he did what he set out to do.

This book is a good intro into what SQL can do and how it's used today, but it's important to realize that it's really just an intro. Forta covers pretty much all the main topics, but he really only gives a brief synopsis of each one followed by one or maybe two examples. So if you want to learn SQL, this book alone is almost pointless to buy. It's just far too surface level. However, if you use this book to get acquainted with what SQL can do and then base further purchases off what you've learned in it, you'll probably do quite well. This book is very easy to read, pretty comprehensive (though not very deep), and certainly worth the "money" you'll pay for it. However, you'll definitely need to buy other books. I recommend SQL Queries for Mere Mortals by Hernandez. While that book really only covers query related issues (joins, unions, inner queries, etc.), it covers the topics pretty deeply and gives lots of good examples. I'm giving this book 3 stars because it delivers what it claims but by itself is just not all that useful.

This book is practical and is packed with useful examples. It builds slowly and clearly states all the various outcomes for each SQL example. I like this book namely because it keeps the various DBMSs in mind while plowing through each concept. Each lesson/chapter is about 10mins long - thus the title, but its long enough so that going back to review is not a chore. Keep in mind it is a beginner's book, but as a start its a great foundation.

I recommend that before you start with the first lesson you go straight to the Appendices and get the tables (structure and data) so that you can follow along with whatever tool you're working with (Access, SQL SERV 7, etc.). I've found this to be the best method of attack.

Bravo Ben Forta! Thanks for the help!

I learned SQL while I was school and it's been about few years since. So I was trying to refresh my SQL, and my first impression of "10 minutes" series was that you would get an overview of the subject and then a few basic examples to help you get started; But I was wrong. Despite the short length, this book "cuts through the crap" and gets straight to the point. The book is oriented by examples and I found those examples very useful and practical. Author starts out with very basic "SELECT" statement to various join statments and transaction. Although I do agree that it is not the "Bible" of SQL, I think this is a very good guide that I would refer to whenever I'm not sure about a SQL statement. Very well done!

I work for a software company that makes database reporting tools that has compatability with over 35 databases. Those of us who use these programs and provide support for them do not have to know SQL in any way, the applications write the SQL for the user.

Having so much exposure to databases, I naturally wanted to learn the language that makes them run. I already know good database design by looking at bad design. I found it rather easy to figure out the interface for databases like SQL Server and Oracle, but I did not know how to use iSQL.

This book says right up front that it does not cover any topics specific to any database and does not go into design or other administrative tasks.

All I wanted to learn was SQL and that is all this book presented. I have recommended it to everyone on my team.

I bought Learning SQL (O'Reilly) mistakenly thinking that it might be a good book for a novice. Teach Yourself SQL is a good book for a novice - a really good book. This book is a series of lessons that will get you up and running right away. I found I retained more with Forta's lesson style over the reference book style. A great book to start SQL.

Why 4 1/2 stars? This book covers most of the major DBMS: MYSQL, SQL Server, Oracle, DB2, etc. It is amazing that one book can effectively address so many programs. But as I went further into the book I found myself getting stuck in sections that did not apply to the DBMS I was using (MYSQL). I eventually started using MySQL Crash Course (Sams Teach Yourself in 10 Minutes) which is a very similar, but an even better book. If you are thinking of learning SQL on MYSQL, go get the Crash Course.

Before reading this book, I didn't know the first thing about SQL. Within a few hours, I was writing queries and manipulating data. Very well written with a logical layout and clear examples. Highly recommended.

This was laying around the office and I needed to pick up SQL so I gave it a whirl. [I would have never have choosen any programming book with the phrase 'in 10 Minutes' in the title! What a crock.]

I typically work in IDL and Perl and need to add a bit of mySQL.

To me reading this book is like trying to follow the path of a running squirrel. It's jumping all over the place. The thoughts are unclear and lack flow. It's supposed to be a primer but in the scatter shot approach it really makes a mess and winds up missing the connection between points.

I'm looking for something better, and it's certain to take longer than 10 minutes.

Several years ago, I taught myself SQL by slogging slowly through a teach yourself book. While I did learn it, the process was one of struggle. In the years since then, I have examined many additional SQL books, targeted at different levels. However, when it comes to books designed for the person who needs to achieve reasonable competence in a short time, this is one of the best. I mean this to include more than SQL, but to encompass all quick and dirty learning books in general. While the pace is fast, the coverage is such that all of the introductory main points are covered in the proper ways. The inclusion of the ten minutes in the title would appear to be a bit of marketing hype, but that is not the case. Each of the lessons takes about ten minutes to go through, making it one of the most efficient learning materials you will ever find.
While the material is presented as examples, this is not an explicit hands on book. Each example is presented, along with a listing of the expected results. However, the example database and source code are available for download from the companion web site.
Occasionally, you encounter an educational book that just seems to hit on all cylinders. This is such a book and it will give you the knowledge to start using SQL in a very short time.

I was tired of heading to the Tech department to find out how to retrieve & arrange the data I wanted from existing tables. This book is just what I was looking for: examples of correct syntax & statements, without the pages & pages of technical jargon.

This is without doubt the best SQL getting-started book I have seen yet (and I have lots of SQL books). I read Ben's notes describing the book's purpose and I believe his goals have been more than met. If you need to learn SQL buy this book.

(And as for the comment beneath mine about the lack of information on implementation differences, that is just incorrect, maybe that reviewer saw an earlier draft because the copies I have cover this throughout the book and there are even entire appendixes on this).

This book was perfect for someone, like myself, who was looking for a guide to SQL. Not database management, theories, or histories, just SQL and how to use it to retrieve data from a database. It's an excellent reference to have around now too.

This is an excellent reference and quit source for anyone trying to get the feel for SQL programming. Simple enough for a novice user and techical enough to more seasoned. I would recommend it to anyone using databases.

This book is a well-written, well-organized, concise introduction to SQL. Each of the 22 lessons takes about 10 minutes to complete. The same files are used throughout and are available from the author's Web site. Using these files and the author's numerous examples, one can learn SQL step-by-step as painlessly as possible.

There is one deficiency, though. Appendix E lists all SQL Reserved Words, but doesn't provide the exact syntax to use (for different DBMS's) or examples. Correcting this would subtantially increase the size of the book but would be extremely useful for reference.

I've been programming professionally for 20 years, and until now never really had any need for a database. Over the years I've created many simple to moderately complex Access databases for my own use, but never for commercial or industrial use.

I bought this book to "flesh out" my understanding of the building blocks of SQL. To that end, this book has done an outstanding job. The chapters build upon each other in a logically sequential manner, and the information presented is both necessary and sufficient to illustrate the topic effectively.

This is not an advanced book, but it provides a solid understanding of SQL. I'm giving it 4-stars because I now write Oracle and SQL Server databases for commercial and industrial use, and I find myself still using it as a primary reference.

I bought this book a couple of years ago when I was cramming for a job interview (I didn't get the job; no reflection on the book). This is absolutely the best introduction to SQL (the language) I have ever read.

This is the standard for beginner SQL Server books. It cuts through the verbose theory in other books and gets straight to the syntax and applicability. Many other computer beginner books could learn a lesson from SQL in 10 minutes. The lesson is you don't have to try to cover every nook and cranny and confuse the hell out of people. Beginners are seperate from experts who are seperate from guru's. Speak to them in the language that they understand best. In other words, know your audience!! Ben Forta certainly did in this book. Bravo, Ben!

I've always dreaded reading those 1000+ page computer books, so when I had to learn SQL, this book caught my eye. It is short, and gets to the point very fast. Each chapter, about 10 minutes long (As the book's title suggests), has a brief explanation of the code, an example or two, and some more code. I'm very pleased that I have finally found a book that does not assume I am an incapable novice. Of course, the book does not provide a thorough explanation of SQL. However, if you need a brief understanding of it, for something like ColdFusion, this book can't be beaten. The writing style is neat and easy to understand, and the organization of the book is very neat and clean. I wish all computer books could be written like this.

Despite the type-Os, this book is pretty good for anyone new to SQL, it's a good kind of get your foot in the door book. The chapters are short and to the point, that's the difference from this and other books, no long winded explanations and nothing to confusing, very brief.

This little manual has all the information you need to get started quickly with SQL. It's also a great quick reference book for those brain failure moments when you know there is a way to .... but you just can't think of it. It's presented in logical order and has great tips and comments. For a technical book about a subject as dry as SQL, it's VERY easy to read and understand. I'd recommend this book to anyone starting out with or interested in SQL.

This book provides a quick, no frills tour through SQL. But it's done very well, covering key SQL statements, clauses, operators and functions. It's a basic starter book with clear, concise information on some of the most useful SQL commands.

I found it helpful to download the tables from the author's Web site and work with all the examples (scripts and examples run using SQL Server 7 Desktop). Completed the book in a few days, and now feel more confident to learn more complex SQL features if required. However, in the next issue, please tell the reader just ONCE that they need to "refer to the DBMS documentation for complete information"!

....This is truly one of the best (if not the best) technology books ihave ever owned. As part of a development team that started workingwith oracle/sql about 1 year ago, I have seen a ton of books(literally - most large enough to make you weep) on sql make their wayinto the office. this one is hands-down my favorite. It certainlydoesn't have the depth that you may need after you become an sql"expert", but for 99% of your chores as an applicationdeveloper, this will be the book YOU WANT on your desk. Nice job BenForta - please write more books!

With out a doubt, this is one of the best all around books I've seen to learn SQL. Mr. Forta supplies not only the script to create and populate the practice tables, but also notes on which statements might cause problems in particular DB's.

I know there is another book for then next step, (Joe Clecko's SQL for Smarties?) but this one will get you moving.

When looking for SQL books, make sure it has the create and populate scripts, or else you'll be let down before you even start.

It took me about a week to read this book. As a software developer, I need to know how to access data using SQL, and not, genrally speaking, database design. This book was a great tool for me to refresh, practice, and expand my SQL. Ben Forta has done a good job of presenting essential material concisely.

This is a very focused basic book on structured query language (SQL). It doesn't go into super depth and doesn't talk much about database software administration or installation. It was perfect for me to learn how to construct efficient SQL queries covering all the basics.

This book is exactly what I was needing. I had been getting by learning some SQL by looking at example ASP pages. Everytime I needed something more, I had to go to a friend that knew SQL and ask how to do it. This book eliminates that now. For learning how to do the different types of SQL commands without needing all that other database stuff, you can't beat this, especially the price!

This book is perfect for teaching yourself SQL. Perhaps that's why the title is "Teach Yourself SQL". I had never worked with SQL before and was recommended this book by a coworker. The chapters are divided into lessons and each lesson is fairly short, focusing on specific ideas and phrases.

You will find yourself understanding this language very quickly and being able to use it sooner than you thought. I never thought it would be so easy to learn, but this book made it very simple.

If you want to learn SQL pick up this book. If you already know SQL and are looking for a reference book or a more in-depth look at using SQL, don't pick up this book. It's definitely a beginner book, and it does its job well.

This book is great for our new employees who haven't had any exposure to SQL. I don't recommend it as a reference but it's not called "Reference Yourself SQL..." it's called "Teach Yourself SQL...".

Very easy to understand and a wonderful jumping off point for future SQL programmers.

I needed to learn a little SQL to be able to run scripts in my new job. This book is not as elementary as I'd hoped. It is well formatted and easy to read, but lost me not too many pages in.

I was okay with the Select and Where queries, but got to page 30, where it said the following statement as it related to using single quotes - "The single quotes are used to delimit a string. If you are comparing a value against a column that is a string datatype, the delimiting quotes are required" HUH??????

Sorry, close book right here. Nothing identified what that meant. I need a classroom and an instructor. Once I learn what all this is about, I will write a book for people like me.

This is an excellent book for biginners. It is very well written with a good sense of humor. The author's experience is reflected well. The book helped me understand SQL.

If you are a beginner, and have a database to practice SQL on, then this book is for you. If you have never created a database, you will need to in order to use this book. Trouble is, the book tells you how to create the database in Appendix A, and Appendix A is not very thorough. If you succeed in blindly creating your database, the book is excellent thereafter.

Some of the coding does not follow current ANSI standards, but it works.

I was an absolute raw beginner when I picked up this book. It served me well. Had I tried the companion "21 day" book by SAMS first, I would have quit trying before I learned SQL. Thankfully, I read this book first.

I searched for the smallest book on SQL, hoping to find a book that cut out the fluff and just gave me the essential information. I was coming from a programming perspective and didn't want a book that droned on and on about why I wanted to learn SQL, or how databases worked. I just wanted to learn how to write basic and not-so-basic SQL, and this is definitely the book. The pleasantly surprising part was that it actually does a great job of simply and directly explaining SQL, and it even serves as a passable reference once you've finished reading it.

I just can't say enough for the format of the book. Ben Forta has divided the book into short comprehensible chapters and then used short, direct explanations of the concepts, followed by several examples of increasing complexity that build on each other to introduce the finer points. I read this entire book on a 4-hour plane ride with time to spare. It was an easy read and there was no problem remembering it all. I can't imagine how to write a book to teach SQL either faster, easier or more effectively than this book does. I can't really say how my opinion of the book might be different if I came from a non-programming background, but for my money (and not much of it at that), this is the first SQL book anyone should buy.

Of the 7+ SQL books on my shelf, this little book is the most useful. The author has a great writing style that is easy to follow. He provides plenty of examples and doesn't waste time or pages with tons of extra info just to build the page count. I've learned more useful techniques from this book that any of the other SQL books I own. It's an excellent resource for beginner and intermediate developers and might be a good refresher for some advanced developers.

I would give this book only one star, but because it did do a good job of explaining the SQL language, I'm going to give it two. Not once in this book did they explain MySQL, which is the most popular database used today. Also, the book did cover ASP a little, but no PHP. How can you have a book about SQL and not cover the topics of PHP and MySQL, even if for a brief moment. However, they did cover Microsoft SQL Server, a commercial database server which most people will never have to interact with, and of all things, Microsoft Query. I didn't even know Microsoft still did this. They also covered Oracle, another important DBMS, but again people, Oracle is something only encountered in a commercial world. It is a great system, but most of us will not have to worry about it. And finally, the title totally throws the readers off. It is impossible to learn SQL in ten minutes. Besides the fact that most people can't read an entire book in ten minutes, it's impossible to comprehend all the material the book gives you in ten minutes. But anyway, if you're looking to get some information on how to use SQL with MySQL, or if you plan to use PHP to connect to your database, DON'T BUY THIS BOOK! It will not help you at all.

Forta's books are always exceptional... the examples are easy to follow and perfect for the beginning SQL programmer. As the title suggests, only 10 mins are needed to grasp the basics of SQL. Highly Recommended!

Finally! A quick reference guide for SQL. I find myself going to this book 100 times more often the the "so-called" manuals for SQL7. The book is laid out for quick and easy reference to the information I need. Great Job Ben!

SQL in 10 minutes?? ......I thought this guy was kidding. He wasn't. The main reason why I couldn't get a job was because I didn't know SQL, within one hour I read the book, tried all the examples, wrote SQL on my resume, applied for a job and got the job the next day requiring SQL experience :)

This language is so easy to learn, it feels more like an application than a programming language. It seems as though the whole language is really just 3 words, select, from & where, although I'm still new and theres probably a tonne more but I didn't need to know that to get the job.

Compare it to learning c,c++, Fortran and other languages for the first time where you learn to define variables, learn the functions, test cases, inputs, outputs, etc, etc. SQL you pretty much type in the inputs and you receive the outputs...its a really intuitive language, anyone can start learning within minutes. Highly recommend this book, its also probably the best quick reference out there if you need to solve a particular problem.

This is my first review and I'm sad to say it is a negative one. I bought this book after having read all the other positive reviews. I discounted some of the few negative ones.

This book requires you download and run a couple of scripts to create and populate sample tables. I provides HORRIBLE instructions on how to do this.

This guy, Ben, was nice enough to create a site where users can ask him questions. You will be lucky if he responds to your question but even if he does, it will be rather smug, and in my case, incomplete.

I bear no ill will towards this guy, but caveat emptor - unless you are already very comfortable with struggling mightily with lots of time to burn to get basic questions answered - don't buy this book.

This is a phenomenal resource that can be used as a quick resource or to learn SQL from scratch. The examples are easy to understand and then apply to the real world. It is not a resource for SQL guru's and doesn't address everything SQL is capable of. It does, however, reflect 80% of the features that are used 95% of the time.

I owe so much to this book. Coming from a static HTML and art background, I was completely in the dark about SQL. The book is so perfectly understandable that it served to be the best segue into the world of data handling. The book has also proved to be an invaluable reference as it covers a huge amount of higher level SQL statements, functionality and procedure. Add to cart now! :o)

i have been using it ever since. the steps are easy to follow and the author really knows what he is talking about.

I work on the web 5 days a week for a living - and some code is only used now and then - this book is a great refresher for those little things you do not use often.

It is a good book for people learning SQL too - one thing that is very handy is the SQL Reserved Words List...

This book is to the point.

You will get out of this book more than many of those books with too many words and errors.... Great Book - I told other programing friends about this book they bought it and they use it often too.

This is THE book for starting out writing SQL queries for any version of SQL.

There are plenty of books that cover this same material. Most of them even give more detail. But that's my point. This isn't a reference book. Going into the complex details isn't the point of this book.

The point is to buy a cheap and easy book that will give you the basics fast. That way, you can dive in and start querying your database in the least amount of training time. Think of it this way: This is half the pages of "SQL for Dummies". So which one will get you started quicker?

I recommend this book constantly to my coworkers and clients who need to learn how to query the databases that we work with every day. My usual advice to them, and to anyone reading this review, is to buy this book to get you started. Then, once you're comfortable with the basics, go out and get a more detailed reference book on the specific version of SQL that you use.

I am new to SQL and bought this book because of the "10 minutes" fast learning part. It does deliver what it promises. It is easy to read with very good hands-on examples. I downloaded the examples from the authors website and is using MS Query to test the examples. If you want to learn the basics of SQL and start being productive in no time, this is a great book.

No need for a long review as I agree with the others. I'm a project manager and learning SQL because I need it for some development work I'm completing. Spend a weekend reading this book and you'll be productive with SQL. It won't teach or give you examples of complex queries, but it will get you started. And it's proved useful as a reference several times already. Some of the best money I've spent...

I just finished reading Wrox - Beginning SQL 2000 Server, and thought to myself ' Gee thats great now what can I do with it.' I think books that teach your vendow specific SQL solutions take for granted that you allready know how to write the quieries. However I went out and picked up the Teach yourself SQL in 10 minutes book and it is really really good. At explaining the syntax that you will need to know before tackling those big fat DBMS books.

So (if you are a SQL beginner)I would say before you go out there and pick up a big fat DBMS specific book get this book and use it to familiarize yourself with how to actually write the queiries. you will still need the big fat book later on but it makes alot more sense after reading this 10 minute book.

Good job Ben Forta

Yet another well-written book by Ben Forta. This has got to be the smallest SQL book in existence. This is what makes it so great. I purchased this book for a handful of the more advanced users in my office. It allowed them to learn some basic SQL and bypass the very regimented structure of our report writer (Cognos Impromptu). This books carried them through SELECT, WHERE, GROUP BY, ORDER BY, HAVING and then went into joins. Along the way it briefly touched on a few of the text formatting and numeric functions. The ability to confront such a potentially overwhelming topic (SQL) with such a small book is refreshing.

If you are looking for a book to set you on your path to database administration or design, this one will not get you very far. You will likely be better served by the typical doorstop book. A 2nd edition has been released now, so go look for that one.

I had seen a little SQL and dabbled with basic queries but needed a desk reference with a little more depth and some of the intricacies, but not so overbearing I'd never open it. This book did it! I enjoyed reading a short chapter or two during work-breaks and learned quite a bit. This book should suffice for all my SQL work...definitely worth the minimal price, quick-paced reading, and easy examples! Go for it!

Okay, let me start by saying that I don't think that SQL is that difficult. I originally learned it by copying the code from someone and seeing what happened when I tried changing it around. I picked this book up as a quick reference and it has proven invaluable for the quick and dirty 'sneak peek'. If you read through coding/programming books by scanning the example and tend to skip the long text blurbs, this book is definitely for you.

When I went for a job interview a few months ago all I knew about SQL was that it had something to do with databases. When I informed the interviewer I didn't know SQL, the look on his face let me know I was doomed. So as soon as I left that interview I got online and purchased this book determined to learn as much as I can, in an inexpensive way, and quickly. Wow! This book turned out to be all of those things. It is very easy to understand and made SQL seem like a breeze. I loved the examples and plan to purchase an intermediate-advanced SQL book very soon. Hope SAMS Teach Yourself can help me out with one of those too. With their help I think I can add 'knowlege of SQL' on my resume.

I learned my SQL by supporting the SQL of others, reading MSDN, and working with DBAs for new queries. I never made much of SQL since I often had DBAs I was told to use or used APIs that built SQL (now such as Kodo JDOQL).

However, I since also have to debug JDOQL, that means reading SQL traces. So... I needed a cheap, concise book with easy to follow examples. This book did that, and gave me thinking points to start with "what ifs" for scenarios and failure cases.

Also, it provided a simple, non-wind-bagged explanation of joins that sticks with me. Turns out I have been doing implicit INNER JOINS for years without knowing the fancy terminology for the "equijoin".

It is not the SQL bible, but it is not over-priced liked one. It is not a replacement for your DBMSs reference manual, as it often defers to the documentation for "further details". It is fast paced and practical. It does cover several DBMSs to some degree.

If you are a hard core DBA this is not it, but if you are developer who wants to take some power back from your DBAs, understand query traces, and write some useful queries that don't over exploit DBMS X's Stored Procedure syntax... this book may be useful.

I used this book to teach a SQL class from . . . a 6 week class that meet on weekend. We finished everything SQL in 3 weeks and moved on to DBA stuff.
This book is highly recommended.

In this little book are short to-the-point lessons on SQL which are fine tuned to the particular SQL program that you are using, eg. MySQL. The book references a website from the author which gives example data and includes errata for the very few typos that made it through the editorial process. I purchased this book when I was taking a class in SQL, and the text book was really poor. This little book taught me everything I needed and more. It is not advanced. It is for newbies, and it clear and well written. Everything is turnkey. When it says type this...type it and it works. This is perhaps the best purchase, that I have made all year.

This book is absolutely awesome. It is by far the easiest and most understandable reading of any SQL book out there. The lessons are very concise and to the point, but at the same time very effectively organized, so as to get the idea accross to the reader without any extraneous or confusing jargon.
I highly recommend this book to any one who wants to learn SQL, but doesn't know which book they should start with.

You can't even read the book in 10 minutes BUT it is great for beginners who want to increase their skill in SQL.

It is easy to follow and I like how the author distinguishes between syntax for SQL, Access and Oracle. It ramps up from easy to more complex statements well.

Definitely a good buy for people who want to brush up on skills or learn more than simple statements.

This book is what it says it is. Very good book on how to learn SQL basics!! When you have completed this book, you will be able to do most of the queries that you need for your job. It is not written to teach you the complex parts of SQL, but it does touch these. I recommend this book to anyone that needs to learn SQL for reports or programming.

I bought the 1st ed. of this book. Its gr8! I use this book as a sql reminder every now and then i need quick ref tips.

This book is worth it's weight in gold! It will be the SQL reference you pull out when needed. This is great for beginners to learn, and experts to remember. You can't find anything better for the price!

This book is very helpful for me, it's really straight and simple, but there is one thing you should pay attention to. Before I read this book, I've already read several book about ColdFusion, and use cfml to play around with the database. This book doesn't specify any actual language to assist you(like ASP, PHP, or ColdFusion), just focus on the pure SQL, that means you are supposed to being already dealing with one type of database and know one programming language like ASP, PHP or whatever. Otherwise, it's a little bit difficult for you to follow the example in the book to practise.(but you can just read it without practice, still very helpful)

Most of all, each chapter is only 5-6 pages, and tell things very clear. I LOVE IT!!!! Hope every programming book is short like that.

This book doesn't cover everything, but it doesn't pretend to either. Just the right amount of SQL information, to cover the most common (and some uncommon) tasks you are likely to perform. And written in very plain language so even the novice can understand what's going on.

It makes an especially handy SQL quick reference - small size, good layout and cheap price. Overall, an ideal high-level guide, or a very useful supplement to a more in-depth book.

Sidenote - Web developers especially should consider this book. It's got just the right level of detail for almost all the SQL you will ever need to know to develop web applications.

This is an easily portable reference book which has proved so popular in the office that I have trouble getting to use it myself. Well laid-out and clearly written, a very useful reference, particularly for those just starting with SQL.

This is a no nonsense book. It will begin to teach you about the fundamentals of usage of SQL and how to put it to use immediately. This is particularly good when you're beginning web programming such as ASP, ColdFusion, PHP, etc., and you need to start learning SQL pronto to insert in your scripts. It skips a lot of SQL and database theory and fundamentals, but it gets you going quickly on the practical side. This book is really useful. I recommend it to anyone.

This book is a gem for those who want to use SQL for reading, writing, and otherwise working with data. The author himself points out that there are many good books on relational database design, database administration, etc., and sets his sights on explaining the fundamental but very frequently used syntax of working with records. The book is concise and lucid with many brief, helpful examples. I have to admit that I tend to "cheat" in writing SQL: I use the design view in Access first and edit the SQL from there. The problem was that I never really got a good active understanding of SQL and was too passively dependent on Access. Before reading this book, I had only a vague notion of the difference between "group by" and "where" and when to use them. This is one topic among many that he explains well. For a book of this brevity and level, there is a lot of good information.

I use this book to do a quick lookup of commonly used SQL commands and their syntax. This is not a book intended to teach you everything about SQL, but if you need a quick reference on a 'join' command, for example, this is the book to use.

Having read several pre-release chapters of Ben's upcoming book, I can recommend this book to both beginner and sequel "old-timers" who might have gotten a little rusty in their SQL skills. The book outlines in plain English some of the most commonly used commands from the SQL language-and leaves out the rocket science that confuses most new comers.

While not a definitive treatment on the language (as Ben himself notes in the text), with this book in hand, anyone should be up and running with the fundamentals of SQL in no time. Having said that, there is still plenty of coverage concerning some of the more in-depth features of SQL such as aggregate functions, joins, grouping, etc. A must read for anyone wishing to get up and running with SQL quickly and painlessly!

Good intro and you do learn the language and how to understand and write it by using this book

This is a true beginner's book. This is a book for people who know nothing about SQL. It is very helpful for starters.

If you manage SQL developers, or hire SQL consultants, this book will give you a deeper understanding of exactly what they are doing and give you a more realistic expectation of results.

If you are new or returning to SQL this is the ideal primer. Ben covers the gamut of SQL statements from basic to fairly advanced, and leaves you feeling that you really learned something you can use right away - this is typical of Ben's books.

This book covers general SQL statements for ANSI Standard SQL, but also addresses application specifics for Oracle, MS SQL Server, MS Access, MySQL and a few others.

Even if you are new to SQL, this is a nice reference book. I did not know anything about SQL, but know I can do some good reports.

a very good book for begginers in SQL; it explains main concepts with a lot of helpful examples

A very good and short introduction to SQL.
It can be used as a tutorial and a reference.
P.S. The name of the book is somewhat deceptive - it means "10 Minutes for a chapter", not for the whole book as a reader may think.

I am using this book for college students as a reference textbook. Book has got enough information for a one semester introductory sql course. It has got simple approach with clear explanations.This makes book also be used for a self study sql course. If the target audience of the book is taken into account, the only miss is the amount of the exercises contained in the book.

Ben Forta's SQL in 10 Minutes is a concise, easy-to-understand book. I'm going to keep it handy as a reference/teaching tool for use with friends and co-workers. I am pleasantly surprised that such a small book covers SQL so well.

This little book is straightforward and well organized. It covers all of the major DBMS platforms, like Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Access, MySQL, and Oracle. Each of the 22 lessons (chapters) take about 10 minutes to complete -- hence the title, "Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes". There are also appendixes that provide sample scripts, platform information, definitions, etc.

This little book is a fine substitute if you don't have the time or funds to attend a SQL training course.

I taught a class to co-workers who had no SQL experience using this book, covering the first 6 chapters in approximately 4 hours; and the next day they were able to assist in writing queries, easing my workload (this is an excellent book to use for learning how to write queries, but it does not cover design, for that see Steven Roman's Access Database Design and Programming). This book demands a careful reading as it explains the syntactical differences between different implementations of SQL (e.g., Access uses * and ? as wildcards as opposed to % and _).

I liked this book, however I think that the title is a bit misleading...

It does take longer than ten minutes to get this baby cracked.

Cheers

Graham F French

...

This is a thin reference book, actually. The name is somewhat misleading in that there are no exercises generally associated with "Teach yourself X in Y time" type books. Although I don't work extensively with databases, it's a good reference book to recall how to structure queries in a manner that's simple and straightforward.

This is an excellent resource for those looking to learn SQL fast. This book covers all of the *important* aspects of this language without clouding the information with tons of examples that really only sometimes are just for the authors ego. If you need to learn SQL fast this truly is the book for you. I still use it at my desk as a handy reference tool (along with some other books!). Buy this book if you need to learn SQL fast or are just curious about the subject. The price of the book is well worth the information the book contains.

Easy to understand for the beginner, and a powerful reference for the SQL pro.

Hi

I am a college student who wanted a book to help me out with my database class. I ultimately decided on this one and I am extremely happy with it!

Everything is presented very clearly: short, sweet, to the point and with plenty of examples!

It is a great supplement for my class and even on its own!

If you're in school or college and need to learn SQL, do yourself a favor and BUY THIS BOOK!

If you need a tiny cute book for the ocassional reference, this is a good solution.
I've been using it on a regular basis for the last few months, and so far... so good.

If you're a student taking any type SQL course then get this book. Super handy and a quick reference. Gives some of the differences in MS Access and Oracle when using the same type of command because they can and do differ sometimes. Get it if you're not an SQL guru. I'm not either. You won't regret it.

Yet another well-written book by Ben Forta. This has got to be the smallest SQL book in existence. This is what makes it so great. I purchased this book for a handful of the more advanced users in my office. It allowed them to learn some basic SQL and bypass the very regimented structure of our report writer (Cognos Impromptu).

This books carried them through SELECT, WHERE, GROUP BY, ORDER BY, HAVING and then went into joins. Along the way it briefly touched on a few of the text formatting and numeric functions. The ability to confront such a potentially overwhelming topic (SQL) with such a small book is refreshing.

If you are looking for a book to set you on your path to database administration or design, this one will not get you very far. You will likely be better served by the typical doorstop book.

This book is a quick reference that got me up to speed on SQL. I worked as a Excel VBA developer, then managed to get a job developing database applications despite having no real experience in databases. This book explained everything that I needed to know to get up to speed quickly.

This is a great book for SQL beginners. Each chapter is explained very well and the book goes step by step so reader do not get lost. I really like the examples about how syntax differ from SQL Server to ORACLE and some other systems. However, would be nice to have either at the beginning or at the end of the chapters all the tables with their attributes filled in. So, reader will be able to see much clearly the changes from the original tables to the new tables after using the code.

This is an excellent book for reference. Isn't much for just reading through, but if you are not a prof. DBA and you can't remember just what the syntax for a specific type of "XXXX" then this book is in-valuable in helping you quickly get back to work.

This is an excellent reference that gets to the point and doesn't beat around the bush. Easily understandable.

I was asked to review the pre-release version of this book and I'm glad I did! Although this book is not an all-encompassing-bible (and is not intended to be so,) it delivers a high magnitude of information in a easy-to-use and digestable manner. This book is great for beginners that wish to broaden their SQL knowledge and excellent for the "old pro" to use for quick reference. I also wish that I had this book when I was learning SQL. Great job Ben!

After reviewing Ben Forta's Coldfusion book, I've been asked to review the pre-version of his soon-to-be-released book on SQL. This book really covers all the SQL commands an Internet/Intranet developer needs to interact with existing databases through ODBC or OLEDB. Unfortunately, the particuliarities of the various database systems (SQL Server, Access, Oracle, Sybase, etc.) are not covered. You will still need to consult the documentation of each of them to learn how to optimize an operation for a specific product or know what is supported and what syntax to use for advanced database manipulations. You'll have to make an effort on this, Ben.

Overall a good beginners book on SQL. Ben Forta Covers most of the details that Beginners can get stumped on very nicely! A must for anyone just starting to lean SQL!

The publisher sent me a copy to review before publishing and I can only say that I wish I had had this book when I was learning SQL.

I bought this book to improve my knowledge in Access since it uses SQL for it's queries. Great and quick way to learn the language. The book is organized in a such a way that you will build a strong foundations in less than 30 minutes.

This book is excellent! I am a Web developer who has seen SQL code from other developers in my sites for years. I didn't understand any of it. I bought this book in the hopes of being able to work with database information myself.

In just a few minutes of reading the book, the light suddenly came on and everything became much clearer! I am happily writing my own SQL scripts now and I went through half the book in one night and the other half the next day! I've never learned so quickly from a book.

I especially appreciated that the author provides links to the SQL scripts you'll need throughout the course. And the appendix that described how to execute the scripts depending on which database you are using is fantastic!

If you need to learn SQL quickly this is THE book for you.

The book builds on the concepts of using SQL linearly, and quite well. There is almost no point where the author must reference a future concept in order to cover the current topic. The book was logically arragned, easy to read, and successfully taught me how to query an SQL database.

The final few chapters moved a little too fast, and didn't really teach how to accomplish the more in depth topics of transactions and procedures, but they were well explained at a high level.

The book is clear, specific, and everything I needed to introduce myself to the ins and outs of structured query language. It has 22 chapters, each introducing, and providing specific examples of progressively advanced sql commands and techniques.

It also provides short cut tips, and points out common errors for you to avoid. I'm sure I'll be using this as a great quick reference until I master sql commands when doing data analysis.

Highly recommended.

Ben Forta has a commendable honesty about him. He explains the intent of his books clearly in their Introductions and then proceeds to deliver just that. In this instance, Forta is clear that the book is for those new to SQL and who quickly want to learn how to get the most out of SQL. He is equally clear that the book does not cover every last aspect of SQL.

The book is becoming a bit long in tooth since it has not been updted since 2004. DBMSs covered are IBM DB2, Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL (Version 4), Oracle, PostgreSQL, Sybase Adaptive Server. Some of the information is now outdated and MySQL v5 has added new capabilities. On the whole, though, everything Forta presents here is still usable.

In 22 chapters, Forta teaches the reader the basics of SQL, more than enough to deal with perhaps 80% or more of common SQL requirements. Beyond that and you're in the realm of system architects and administrators who are simply not the audience for this book.

Be sure to download the sample databases and errata from the author's website.

On the whole, one of the best introductions to SQL available.

Jerry

Fairly basic, but then I'd forgotten all my SQL stuff from 8 years ago.

His website was simple and easy to get the samples and error notes.

I enjoyed using the book.

"Sams Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes" is well written and has an easy to understand style. It is great for anyone who needs to get in and start writing queries without going into huge amounts of technical data. It is also great if you need to look up quick tips and solutions.

This book serves its purpose well: It is a brief overview or primer on SQL. It is not intended to be a complete reference.

Once I got past Chapters 1 and 2, and Appendexes 1 and 2 and figured out how to get started, the book then became meaningful and understandable and I was actually excited after I did my first SQL.

For a user who is new to SQL I found this book very helpful. It provides basic information, in short easy lessons.

I chose this book for one reason - it's written by Ben Forta. I'm new to ColdFusion and SQL is used quite a bit with CF. Since Ben Forta is the guru for CF, I wanted to read what he had to say about what a non-programmer, non-DBA needs to know about SQL. I found the book very helpful. I was already fixing things by page 16. If you need to know the basics of SQL - and not all the DBA stuff, this is the book for you.

My favorite feature of this book is the emphasis on defining basic concepts clearly and in a logical order. I've bought a number of these self-teaching computer books over the years (several on Access), and this is the first one I've gotten any real good out of. I'm half way through, and find I'm learning a lot about databases and how they work, not just the SQL language.

I've been writing databases in Access for years and always found it a struggle. I'm having a much better time with that now, and I've got to believe it's due to studying the materials in this book. I'm half way through the book and still going strong. I never made it more that 25 pages into any of the other books I bought. Maybe I won't have to go take an SQL class at the local community college after all! That should tell the story right there.

I loved this book on SQL. Read it cover-to-cover (including appendices) and found it easy to understand and learn from
very efficiently. The author anticipates the special cases and questions that will occur to the reader following each exposition, and addresses them well. And I appreciated that it had an accompanying web site for downloading the example databases and scripts.

This book is a great introduction to SQL, and will give you a good foundation on which to continue to more complicated SQL. You may find the information in this book is all you'll ever need.

It's strengths are the short, to-the-point chapters. They are easy to read and understand. The range of topics covered is also quite wide. This book got me up to speed very quickly with SQL, and is much easier to digest than the SQL chapters in my university database textbook.

This book does confine itself to SQL and doesn't explain how to design a relational database.

This is a handy, inexpensive memory-jogger for those of us who can't seem to recall everything we need to know about using SQL. The format is more accessible than the small type and monotonous layout of the otherwise excellent O'Reilly books.

I have two suggestions for a third edition. I wish the author had explained how to use INSERT with composite datatypes. And by the third edition, I hope the editors rethink the idea that DBMS' forms the plural of DBMS. It's jarring to find a systematic error in a reference book.

As a ColdFusion developer, I'm used to carried around heavy tomes. This particular book is small, easy to read, and cuts directly to information you need to know for basic SQL design. In addition to covering all the basics, Ben Forta points out where syntax differes from one database (Access, Oracle, SQL Server) to another.

I recommend it to all my student programmers and co-workers. I also use it as a reference guide. It's a relief to carry a book that doesn't strain my backpack, too!

This little book serves as a great reference for novice to intermediate users. Also a good brief intro for beginners with the SQL syntax.

The reason I gave 4 instead of 5 stars, was that author put the info and data for the table setup in the appendix. If you are a new user, you probably won't know that you are supposed to create these tables and then alter them with the constraints. It would have been nice to download the text from a website instead of typing all the data to insert.

Other than that, a great book.

This book is quick, easy to follow, and to the point. Great start for those wishing to learn SQL.

To discover the secret of SQL, this is the book you need, Well written, easy to follow and understand. The author didn't waste his time writing things that you don't need. If you want to learn SQL programming, this book is not for you, however you still need it as a reference book to write your sql code, it covers almost everything you need for querries. To the author, BEN you've done a great job and keep up the good work.

Ben Forta teaches the concepts, uses, and syntax of SQL in quick easy-to-digest lessons that make you wonder why other authors make learning so difficult. This is the first, and for many people the only, SQL book you should purchase.

After searching for a solid SQL book for beginners, this is by far the best book I've found. It covers just enough advanced topics to help you get through those first-time subqueries. It's a great building block and has bailed me out of many a jam. Case in point: I couldn't get a subquery to work properly and doubted that this book wasn't advanced enough. I finally caved in and thumbed through the advanced topics and located the answer to my problem. Absolutely worth the price, and then some.

I read this book in a couple of days. Now I have a good understanding of basic SQL. There are plenty of examples and they are clear. I used Access 97 to follow through the examples. There are a couple of examples that do not work in Access. But overall, I recommend this book to anyone wanting a beginner's guide to SQL.

This is an excellent book for a quick reference to SQL coding. It does exactly what it says it will do. LEARN SQL in 10 minutes. Easy to understand with great examples.

I was learning how to use ColdFusion and I quickly realized that I needed to have a good knowledge of SQL to succeed with CF. I picked up SQL in Ten Minutes, read it on the train, and came back with the ability to code basic queries and post informaition to the database. Every concept is clearly explained, but there are (thankfully) no long-winded examples to follow, so you get what you need and get out. I also recommend it as a reference book, although it does not explain every keyword in SQL, such as "ONCE." But it's small and will not take up a lot of space on your desk or briefcase.

I am new to SQL and have found exactly what I needed in this little book : an invaluable introduction. Of course, as the author himself did, do try every single example in the book even the not-so-optimized ones.

SQL is not a topic you want to jump headlong into. An intro as concise and comprehensive as SQL in 10 minutes is worth it's weight in Gold. I know, because I read several "developers" SQL books first, and found myself overwhekmed and confused. This book cleared things up and opend my eyes. Thanks Ben Forta!

Excellent book. It gets down to business fast and doesn't beat around the bush. It will make an excellent quick reference.

If you've never used SQL before, then this will be a great introductory book if you don't intend to create complex queries or use some of the more advanced SQL features. It is by no means an SQL reference. (Not that it claims to be, mind you.) For someone who needs to retrieve simple data from databases and who has a hard time remembering the syntax, this book will be a god-send.

I've always shied away from these "10-minute" type books, and now I can see why. It is NOT at all a bad book; I guess I just incorrectly evaluated my needs. Be sure you carefully evaluate yours before purchasing.