Van Der LANs: Introduction to Sql_4 [With CDROM]

Many times people will look at the screen after typing a sql query containing a distinct aggregation and think... "How the hell did that query bring up this result". Rick F. van der Lans Does an absolutly amazing job at describing in minute detail every nuance and mathmatical thought behind the most basic of sql functions. This book is platform independent, so it doesn't go into great detail in regards to proprietary functions and DBA related issues; however, I would highly recommend it to DBA's, Data Analysts and Programmers. No matter what your skill level, you will get something from this book. -Brad

Found the text to be very very thorough, and the translation from Dutch to be excellent. My only complaint is that some of the code does not run on all servers, and wish the editors had tagged some of the code with tips on which servers the code was for. The book "SQL Cookbook" has that, and wish this book had that too. For example, in one of the last chapters, the discussion on Collections, there is code that introduces the SETOF concept, but does not mention on which SQL implementation it is applicable.

First, I should mention that I got this book in Dec. 2000 and had no trouble installing the disk on Windows98. Hopefully the problem pointed about by another reviewer has been resolved. Incidentally, I find the SOLID server very easy to set up and use, with a simple but friendly user interface. OK, now for the book. It is very clear and includes numerous detailed examples, along with step-by-step discussion as to why the syntax works the way it does. This is particularly helpful when grouping, subqueries, joins, etc., or combinations thereof are involved. Sometimes he'll solve a problem in more than one way, which is good to see. Occasionally, too, like a good teacher he will have a snare for the unwary and go on to say, "Wait, this isn't working the way intended," and use the pitfall as a way of bringing home a point. Another thing I like is the adaptation of Backus-Naur Form that he uses in specifying languages -- if you've never seen BNF before (which included me before reading this book), that may sound a little daunting. Actually, it makes correct usage really clear. One more thing to mention about this book is its excellent range of topics without bogging down on them. In addition to covering the core keywords "select", "from", "where", and so forth, he talks about imbedded SQL (which I rely on heavily when I use VB or work on web pages), stored procedures, and what ODBC is, to mention only a few extra topics. Finally, the translator should be commended for readable, fluent English.