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Rating: 
Summary: I had a ball!
Review: Great problems and amazing solutions. I'll probably never have to use a cursor again. I'm not lending my copy to anyone. They'll have to get their own.
Rating:
Summary: I had a ball!
Review: Great problems and amazing solutions. I'll probably never have to use a cursor again. I'm not lending my copy to anyone. They'll have to get their own.
Rating: 
Summary: Good material but where is the source code?
Review: I have been working with SQL professionally for about 5 years and I was looking for a collection of elegant SQL code tips and techniques from the pros to add to my arsenal. So I eagerly bought SQL Puzzles and Answers a few weeks ago and read it from cover to cover.The book essentially introduces the reader to the "thinking out of the box" approach to solving difficult SQL problems. The author walks us through the logic behind solutions of a collection of SQL puzzles that were submitted by readers of his magazine columns over the years. He demonstrates that there are numerous ways to solve SQL problems and that sometimes the solution lies right in the design of the base tables. But more importantly he helps the reader see that you can often solve seemingly unsolvable sql problems if you approach the problem with the right technique. My one complaint is that the book does not come with turnkey source code files and they are not available for download. So the reader will have to type everything to test the solutions solutions that are presented. Short of this there is plenty to learn here for the SQL programmer that wishes to pick up a few tricks of the trade from a pro.
Rating: 
Summary: I love the puzzle approach to this topic.
Review: One of the few puzzle books for IRM types. Joe's book is based on his columns in the now defunct Database Programming and Design magazine. Overall this is an excellent book if you work with SQL on a daily basis. I'd give it a 5 rating, but it's overdue for an update due to the fact that many, including Joe himself, have developed even better answers for the puzzles. This is not an introductory text -- you should have not only a knowlege of SQL but some real world experience developing and deploying SQL based applications. To get the most out of this book, make sure you make an attempt to solve the puzzles before reading the 'answers'.
Rating:
Summary: I love the puzzle approach to this topic.
Review: One of the few puzzle books for IRM types. Joe's book is based on his columns in the now defunct Database Programming and Design magazine. Overall this is an excellent book if you work with SQL on a daily basis. I'd give it a 5 rating, but it's overdue for an update due to the fact that many, including Joe himself, have developed even better answers for the puzzles. This is not an introductory text -- you should have not only a knowlege of SQL but some real world experience developing and deploying SQL based applications. To get the most out of this book, make sure you make an attempt to solve the puzzles before reading the 'answers'.
Rating:
Summary: The practical application of the SQL for Smarties concepts
Review: The hidden jewel of the Celko trilogy, this is one of my favorite SQL books. It takes the concepts in Celko's seminal work, SQL for Smarties, and illustrates how to apply them to solve real-world problems. As always, the book is rife with tales from Celko's long and varied career in the SQL trenches, as well as the subtle witticism for which he is famous. Like all great technical books - it's timeless - the techniques you learn today will work tomorrow because Celko follows the ANSI/ISO standard to the letter. As a fellow author, I can appreciate the work that went into writing this book - real examples require real work, especially by the author. This book belongs in the library of every would-be SQL practitioner.
Rating:
Summary: The practical application of the SQL for Smarties concepts
Review: The hidden jewel of the Celko trilogy, this is one of my favorite SQL books. It takes the concepts in Celko's seminal work, SQL for Smarties, and illustrates how to apply them to solve real-world problems. As always, the book is rife with tales from Celko's long and varied career in the SQL trenches, as well as the subtle witticism for which he is famous. Like all great technical books - it's timeless - the techniques you learn today will work tomorrow because Celko follows the ANSI/ISO standard to the letter. As a fellow author, I can appreciate the work that went into writing this book - real examples require real work, especially by the author. This book belongs in the library of every would-be SQL practitioner.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent mind bending collection of SQL problems
Review: This book contains a set of problems to be solved using SQL, and the problems are such that they make the reader think of SQL and use it in a set based manner as opposed to mixing in procedural techniques. A stellar book for instruction is SQL, as not only do the problems teach about how to solve SQL problems correctly, but many of the problems are quite difficult, providing for major mind expanding opportunities. Definitely worth the money if you have an SQL package to attempt to solve the problems with.
Rating:
Summary: A very good tutorial to gain more SQL experience
Review: This book gives you the opportunity to improve you SQL skills by solving the tricky puzzles. Celko's insightful solutions will provide you with a SQL gurus approaches. You should have some SQL experience before trying this book.
Rating:
Summary: Good puzzles, answers could be better
Review: This is a very nice book! I used it to increase the SQL level of my employees. We did two puzzles a week, and compared our answers. And it sure helped. But there are some buts in this story. First, the puzzles are not always defined well, so you do not know what to do before you see the discussion in the answer part. Second, a lot of the solutions are not very good. Whenever I found a better one, I mailed Joe Celko. Every time he replied to me (very nice!) that somebody else also pointed it out and that there were even better solutions that mine. This means that the solutions are not always that good in the book. But still, it has alo of good brainteasers. But try them first yourself before looking to the answers as your answer could be better.
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