Re: OFFTOPIC: SQL book

Michael Meskes <meskes(at)postgresql(dot)org> wrote:

> I was asked for a good SQL book for beginners. Does anyone have a
> recommendation. It's so long since I learned SQL that I simply do not know
> anymore how I got started.

Well, as a relative beginner, allow me to offer a suggestion
to stay away from the book I've been reading: "Understanging
The New SQL: A Complete Guide" by Melton and Simon. This is
not the worst technical book I've read, but something seems
to be subtly *off* about it... it's a little too
repetitious, it jumps back and fourth just a little too
much. I'm not sure what the problem is exactly, but I think
there's a hint in the way they insist pedantically that
"SQL" is not to be pronounced "sequel".

There's a bunch of material available on-line, of course:

This claims to be the only comprehensive on-line
introduction to SQL:

http://w3.one.net/~jhoffman/sqltut.htm

An SQL on-line course, that evidentally allows you to play
with a database interactively to test out examples:

http://sqlcourse.com/

And Philip Greenspun has one of the more entertaining
introductions:

http://www.arsdigita.com/books/panda/databases-choosing