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Head First SQL: Your Brain on SQL -- A Learner's Guide | 
 enlarge | Author: Lynn Beighley
Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Category: Book
List Price: $44.99
Buy New: $24.20
You Save: $20.79 (46%)
New (43) Used (13) from $24.20
Avg. Customer Rating:  33 reviews
Sales Rank: 24719
Format: Illustrated
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 607
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.9
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 8 x 1.6
ISBN: 0596526849
Dewey Decimal Number: 005.133
EAN: 9780596526849
ASIN: 0596526849
Publication Date: September 1, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Is your data dragging you down? Are your tables all tangled up? Well we've got the tools to teach you just how to wrangle your databases into submission. Using the latest research in neurobiology, cognitive science, and learning theory to craft a multi-sensory SQL learning experience, Head First SQL has a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works, not a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep.
Maybe you've written some simple SQL queries to interact with databases. But now you want more, you want to really dig into those databases and work with your data. Head First SQL will show you the fundamentals of SQL and how to really take advantage of it. We'll take you on a journey through the language, from basic INSERT statements and SELECT queries to hardcore database manipulation with indices, joins, and transactions. We all know "Data is Power" - but we'll show you how to have "Power over your Data". Expect to have fun, expect to learn, and expect to be querying, normalizing, and joining your data like a pro by the time you're finished reading!
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| Customer Reviews: Read 28 more reviews...
 Excellent SQL primer January 7, 2009
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I had read several other books on SQL and MySQL (the RDMS this book primarily uses), but none presented it as clearly or as FUN as this book does. Like all the other Head First books, this one is engaging, witty and perfect for those of us who have short attention spans, but big brains. Normally a dry subject, this books teaches SQL in a light and catchy manner without skipping any important concepts. Highly recommended.
Caveat: Not all RDMSs are the same (as the book notes) and it uses MySQL as its teaching vehicle (which is great because it's free). If you insist on using another RDMS, you may have to read its manuals to see how its formats differ from MySQL. But MySQL is a great RDMS and you shouldn't have any qualms or misgivings about using it (and the price can't be beat).
Head First SQL - good stuff January 6, 2009
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
So far I like the format, the humor and the overall flow of the book. Interesting style of presenting the material to keep you reading and learning. The claims are well founded, this certainly isn't a stodgy old text book. Can't comment on content yet, I'm not done with it!
 Disappointing for Head First January 6, 2009
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I love Head First books, and I've read many of them. I've gotten to the point where I choose subjects to study based on what's available via Head First books.
I was excited to see Head First SQL come out, but disappointed when I read it. It felt like it had been rushed and needed a lot more editing. It was riddled with errors and the storylines didn't flow like I'm used to with Head First books.
It seemed like it had been just sort of awkwardly jammed into the Head First format. 'BE the compiler' morphed into 'BE the 2NF table with no partial functional dependencies'. The first makes sense - a compiler finds errors in the code. The second doesn't - tables don't resolve errors within themselves. It's a small thing, but the book is full of them. Look at page 388 of the example chapter available above. Why are there two copies of the same diagram? What does the second one add? Maybe there's something I'm missing, but it caused me to waste time looking back and forth between the two trying to figure out the answer. I did that sort of thing a lot in this book. Those activities don't aid learning and finally made me abandon reading around page 400.
I've moved on to Head First JavaScript. I'm about halfway through and find it's a worthwhile addition to the Head First series. Much better than this one.
Avoid November 14, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
This could have been a great book. This book is what happens when marketing people are included in design and production. This book contains a lot of useful information, but to sit through all the to-do-task and poorly crafted examples is take away from the book's quality while adding little.
I hope they do another edition, using useful as opposed to cute as a guidline.
Wonderful Books for Mild "ADHD" Folks July 12, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Packed with needed knowledge in humorous manner! It is way easier to read than any SQL I have ever encountered... wonderful job done. I will definitely look at the books in the series first before I buy computer books of other technologies from now on.
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