Mastering Oracle SQL and SQL *Plus

Rating:
Summary: Helpful and Comprehensive
Review: The main reason I love this book is because I can use it to teach someone, at any level, Oracle SQL or SQL*Plus by just pointing to sections and pages as examples. There are comprehensive query examples with Oracle and ANSI/ISO (SQL:2003) syntax, including specific Oracle limitations.

The details on SQL*Plus are excellent and even experts can learn quite a few essential tips. At many points reading the book I was provoked into testing further details on my own, because the approach is clear and helpful and it motivated me to think. A complete and accurate book including theory, syntax, examples, references and gotchas (caution and notes). It also includes 10g Oracle query features.

Great book. My copy gets used at work a lot. :-)

Rating:
Summary: For those who really need SQL
Review: This book gets you started as a beginner and takes you all the way to becoming an intermediate SQL expert. Even those who think they know SQL can learn a lot from the book. Lex de Haan is a rare bird: he is both a very good teacher AND a consummate SQL savvy seasoned by industry practice. Lex knows what errors people make and he sets all the traps, to pick you out after you've fallen into them.
And it's up to date with the latest Oracle stuff, without drowning in hype.
The smart exercises and answers make this book ideal for teachers. I've had loads of university students work with the Dutch version, and I've been sorry for the lack of an English equivalent. But here it is at last!

Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive and well written
Review: This is an ideal introduction to Oracle SQL. I wish I had it when I was starting out. It's a combination reference and walkthrough that covers the fundamentals and some advanced techniques. The language is shown with graphs to show the syntax variations and the use of the operations is described in great detail. The text is a bit dry, but you can't fault it too much for that. An excellent book for those looking for an introduction to Oracle SQL, and probably useful for people with a mid level of experience as well.