SQL Hacks: Tips & Tools for Digging Into Your Data

This is a very useful collection of tips for doing SQL queries. The compact design makes this a valuable addition to any SQL library.

Provide tips on overcoming most common issues in SQL.

These hacks aren't for the beginning user, but for more advanced users. The authors explain the hacks, which can be written for any of a number of different databases, but then they explain necessary changes to allow a user of a differing db product to use the hacks as well. MySQL, SQL Server, Postgres, Oracle among the ones covered. If you are looking to make a step up from a decent database user to a very good one, this is a book for you.

This book is a collection of 100 different hacks, ranging from the simple to the complex. Each hack involves a specific problem that you may have already seen before, but perhaps tackled in a way you wouldn't have considered. Where it is impossible to phrase a statement that is acceptable to all of MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle, and PostgreSQL, a form is used that is acceptable to at least two of the four. As MySQL is a relative newcomer, its designers have been able to build in compatibility with many of its competitors. For that reason, MySQL is usually one of the two systems that will accept the statement unchanged. That explains why most of the examples use the MySQL command-line utility. The MySQL examples are based around the version 5.0 release. However, many examples will work with the 4.2 release. Note that some hacks involve features such as referential integrity and transaction isolation, and these are implemented only for InnoDB tables and not for MyISAM tables. The examples also work for Microsoft SQL Server 2005. The SQL Server 2000 version is good enough for all but those examples that use the RANK( ) function. PostgreSQL and Oracle users should have no problem using this book, and most of the hacks will run unchanged on both systems. Oracle has many so additional features that optimizations are not mentioned. There is also plenty here for Access users, but none of the required variations are mentioned for that database. The following is the table of contents: Chapter 1, SQL Fundamentals - This is a gentle introduction to running SQL from the command line and programs. It also touches on simple SQL constructs. Even if you are already comfortable with SQL, you may find the flexibility of the SQL shown to be surprising and instructive. Hack 1. Run SQL from the Command Line Hack 2. Connect to SQL from a Program Hack 3. Perform Conditional INSERTs Hack 4. UPDATE the Database Hack 5. Solve a Crossword Puzzle Using SQL Hack 6. Don't Perform the Same Calculation Over and Over Chapter 2, Joins, Unions, and Views - The hacks in this chapter concentrate on ways to use more than one table in your SQL. Different strategies are examined and discussed. If you find yourself using subqueries more than JOIN, you may also find the methods for converting subqueries to JOINs helpful. Hack 7. Modify a Schema Without Breaking Existing Queries Hack 8. Filter Rows and Columns Hack 9. Filter on Indexed Columns Hack 10. Convert Subqueries to JOINs Hack 11. Convert Aggregate Subqueries to JOINs Hack 12. Simplify Complicated Updates Hack 13. Choose the Right Join Style for Your Relationships Hack 14. Generate Combinations Chapter 3, Text Handling - This chapter contains a number of hacks focused on efficient and effective text querying. Hack 15. Search for Keywords Without LIKE Hack 16. Search for a String Across Columns Hack 17. Solve Anagrams Hack 18. Sort Your Email Chapter 4, Date Handling - Suppose you want to calculate the second Tue

I have not had this much fun with SQL queries till I started reading and experimenting with SQL Hacks. SQL is often taken much for granted and this books helps explore different ways of approaching SQL queries. The different DBMS vendors have their unique flavor of SQL which SQL Hacks admiringly encompasses. This book is a great reference/tutorial for readers with differing backgrounds except for the most experienced DBAs.