Rating: 
Summary: You can't live without this book
Review: Well maybe you could live without this book if you had food and water, but you wouldn't be happy about it. SQL isn't especially difficult, but it's hard to remember all of the syntax. Then couple this with the differences between Oracle's SQL and other database's versions and you have a serious headache that will not go away.As in almost all O'Reilly books, this one is very well-organized and easy to follow. There are just enough examples to get you by, though if you are coupling Oracle, SQL and a scripting language like ColdFusion you might get confused with the "command line only" examples. Oracle's Technet reference online is also good for this information, but they have a tendency to move URLs when you least expect it. This book is relatively inexpensive, and when kept within arm's reach you can whip out SQL queries in nothing flat. Earmark the reserved words section and remember where the Aggregate Functions section starts and you should be good. The first half of the text is really enough to recommend the purchase, but this book also goes over SQL*Plus and PL/SQL, as well as some brief tips on SQL statement tuning. It isn't enough to be complete, but it's more than enough to get you started. This is an indispensible book!
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