Useful Books and Software

Now available in an updated second edition, our very popular "SQL Pocket Guide" is a major help to programmers, database administrators, and everyone who uses SQL in their day-to-day work. The "SQL Pocket Guide" is a concise reference to frequently used SQL statements and commonly used SQL functions. Not just an endless collection of syntax diagrams, this portable guide addresses the language's complexity head on and leads by example. The information in this edition has been updated to reflect the latest versions of the most commonly used SQL variants including:

Oracle Database 10g, Release 2 (including

the free Oracle Database 10g Express Edition (XE))

Microsoft SQL Server 2005

MySQL 5

IBM DB2 8.2

PostreSQL 8.1 database

Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Author: Jonathan Gennick
Release Date: 2006-04-17
ISBN/EAN: 0596526881 / 9780596526887

New Price: $8.73 / Used Price: $7.00

This book is a complete tutorial on PostgreSQL features and functions beginning with the basics and building up to the design and construction of databases and integrating them with programming languages for the Web. Here we'll show you how to make the most of this fully programmable databases' powerful features like aggregate, join, transaction, inheritance, embedding your own C routines and more.

This book covers:

• Wrangle data in the most efficient way possible
• Aggregate and organize your data for meaningful and accurate reporting
• Make the most of subqueries, joins, and unions
• Stay on top of the performance of your queries and the server that runs them
• Avoid common SQL security pitfalls, including the dreaded SQL injection attack

Let SQL Hacks serve as your toolbox for digging up and manipulating data. If you love to tinker and optimize, SQL is the perfect technology and SQL Hacks is the must-have book for you.

New Price: $16.80 / Used Price: $4.66

The majority of this slender book comprises eminently useful syntax documentation (which is in the style of Unix man pages, with bracketed options and monospace arguments) and the other information that's specific to individual statements and functions. Additionally, it includes a relatively small amount of conceptual information, such as a section on the proper use of NULL values. The material that's not statement-specific also contrasts data-type implementations of the four covered platforms--for example, readers learn that a PostgreSQL int2 value is known as a smallint in ANSI standard SQL. This is a particularly handy reference book, if you use one of the emphasized SQL implementations. --David Wall

Topics covered: Structured Query Language (SQL), as implemented in Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, and PostgreSQL, as well as in ANSI standard SQL (SQL92 and SQL99). After an introduction to data types and relational database fundamentals (the latter is not emphasized), the authors document SQL statements and functions, one by one and alphabetically. They take care to point out differences among the four implementations.

SQL in a Nutshell applies the eminently useful "Nutshell" format to Structured Query Language (SQL), the elegant--but complex--descriptive language that is used to create and manipulate large stores of data. For SQL programmers, analysts, and database administrators, the new second edition of SQL in a Nutshell is the essential date language reference for the world's top SQL database products. SQL in a Nutshell is focused, and thoroughly comprehensive reference for those who live in a deadline-driven world. This invaluable desktop quick reference drills down and documents every SQL command and how to use it in both commercial (Oracle, DB2, and Microsoft SQL Server) and MySQL). It describes every command and reference and includes the command syntax (by vendor, if the syntax differs across implementations), a clear description, and practical examples that illustrate important concepts and uses. And it also explains how the leading commercial and open sources database product implement SQL. This wealth of information is packed into a succinct, comprehensive, and extraordinarily easy-to-use format that covers the SQL syntax of no less than 4 different databases. When you need fast, accurate, detailed, and up-to-date SQL information, SQL in a Nutshell, Third Edition will be the quick reference you'll reach for every time. SQL in a Nutshell is small enough to keep by your keyboard, and concise (as well as clearly organized) enough that you can look up the syntax you need quickly without having to wade through a lot of useless fluff. You won't want to work on a project involving SQL without it.

Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Authors: Kevin Kline, Daniel Kline, Brand Hunt
Release Date: 2008-11-15
ISBN/EAN: 0596518846 / 9780596518844

New Price: $29.69 / Used Price: n.a.

The second edition of the best-selling PostgreSQL has been updated to completely cover new features and capabilities of the 8.0 version of PostgreSQL. You will be lead through the internals of the powerful PostgreSQL open source database chapter, offering an easy-to-read, code-based approach that makes it easy to understand how each feature is implemented, how to best use each feature, and how to get more performance from database applications. This definitive guide to building, programming and administering the powerful PostgreSQL open-source database system will help you harness one of the most widely used open source, enterprise-level database systems.

New Price: $30.09 / Used Price: $18.99

Sams' PHP and MySQL Web Development, by Luke Welling and Laura Thomson, showed that there is a strong demand for books that describe how to use PHP together with a specific open-source database to develop Web applications.

While MySQL is very popular, PostgreSQL is widely considered to be the more powerful of the two open-source databases. And PostgreSQL is rapidly gaining market share large organizations are beginning to use PostgreSQL instead of Oracle; the demand for PostgreSQL training and support has increased by some accounts 50% in the last six months; and Web hosting services increasingly offer PostgreSQL along with MySQL.

PHP and PostgreSQL Advanced Web Programming focuses on the specific needs of a PostgreSQL developer and will detail how to make use of PostgreSQL's unique, advanced features to develop high-availability, fail-safe Web applications with PHP and PostgreSQL.

New Price: $24.49 / Used Price: $11.97

PostgreSQL is arguably the most powerful open-source relational database system. It has grown from academic research beginnings into a functionally-rich, standards-compliant, and enterprise-ready database used by organizations all over the world. And it's completely free to use.

Beginning Databases with PostgreSQL offers readers a thorough overview of database basics, starting with an explanation of why you might need to use a database, and following with a summary of what different database types have to offer when compared to alternatives like spreadsheets. You'll also learn all about relational database design topics such as the SQL query language, and introduce core principles including normalization and referential integrity.

The book continues with a complete tutorial on PostgreSQL features and functions and include information on database construction and administration. Key features such as transactions, stored procedures and triggers are covered, along with many of the capabilities new to version 8. To help you get started quickly, step-by-step instructions on installing PostgreSQL on Windows and Linux/UNIX systems are included.

In the remainder of the book we show you how to make the most of PostgreSQL features in your own applications using a wide range of programming languages, including C, Perl, PHP, Java and C#. Many example programs are presented in the book, and all are available for download from the Apress web site.

By the end of the book you will be able to install, use, and effectively manage a PostgreSQL server, design and implement a database, and create and deploy your own database applications.

New Price: $26.89 / Used Price: $21.98

Beginning PHP and PostgreSQL 8 delves into some of the most popular open source web development technologies, the PostgreSQL 8 database server and PHP 5 scripting language. Youll learn to reap the benefits of these core technologies by using them in unison to create dynamic, data-driven web applications. This is an ideal read if you are a web designer, programmer, hobbyist, or novice who wants to create applications with PHP 5 and PostgreSQL 8.

New Price: $20.04 / Used Price: $20.85

New Price: $28.34 / Used Price: n.a.

PostgreSQL Essential Reference is a reference book for developers and system administrators who are already familiar with SQL database concepts but that need clear and concise documentation that is specific to PostgreSQL. The book is divided into 3 parts; Basic SQL Reference, PostgreSQL specifics, and PostgreSQL administration. On a whole, it provides a command, the syntax, available options, description, and example code. Readers will be able to easily utilize the code and concepts into their use f the product.An added advantage to this book is that provides all reference material in two ways; alphabetically and by task. This is important because readers of the book will be looking for this information by both methods.

Publisher: Sams
Author: Barry Stinson
Release Date: 2001-10-25
ISBN/EAN: 0735711216 / 9780735711211

New Price: $19.74 / Used Price: $5.52