SQL Pocket Guide (Pocket References) Reviews

• Not Bad, not Great

  
  By A2V0387TN0IQW1 on 2004-11-20
  Its a pocket guide on just the data manipulation components of the SQL language for the 4 major versions (Oracle, MySQL, MS SQL and DB2) - you can't judge this as a complete reference or learning guide. As SQL data manipulation has only a finite set of keywords and a fairly strict syntax, its hard to go wrong. Like most pocket guides, only people that already know the topic should purchase. As this title only covers data manipulation and not definition language control language (for example, page 112 does list the CREATE TABLE keywords, but as a secondary example and not a true reference), if you are looking for a complete reference guide to all things SQL, this is not your title.
  
  The biggest problem I had with this book is it's organization and layout. Unlike other keyword guides that organize keyword references alphabetically, any time you need to refresh your memory on a specific keyword you have to find it first in the back index as this guide organizes by topic (Inserting Tables, Deleting Data, Predicates, etc.). The topic-oriented structure would be better served in a learning text, or as a secondary table of content for a larger reference guide. Once you do find your keyword's page, the actual layout of the text can make it difficult to quickly identify the topic, keyword, and target vendor. If you're going to run everything together in very similar font sizes and weights without a page break, a few horizontal lines and inverse text won't kill you.
  
  Definitely a useful reference book if you're on the go and need to carry a reminder with you, but as a day to day desktop reference, there are other guides which provide more complete reference as well as better formatting.
  
  

• DML short reference for ORACLE, DB2, SQL Server and MySQL

  
  By A6BHXGMUW86BR on 2004-05-21
  "SQL Pocket Guide" is a short reference book for SQL DML (Data Manipulation Language = insert, update, delete, select verbs) and derived statements (merge in ORACLE, replace in MySQL is missing) for the following databases:
  - ORACLE (9i und 10g)
  - DB2
  - SQL Server
  - MySQL
  Jonathan Gennick explains the ANSI SQL commands and the special implementations of the different databases. For every statement you will find at least one example that can be tested on Jonathan's example data (available from the O'Reilly website). This book does NOT describe the DDL (e.g. create table) or DCL (e.g. grant) statements of the respective databases. Maybe this book should have been named "SQL (DML) pocket guide" to avoid different expectations.

  Being an ORACLE person, I can not comment much on the correctness of the information about the other databases, however I found it quite interesting to see the comparison (ORACLE seems to implement most options).

  I found the organization of the book a bit strange when I read it from cover to back (I would have placed type conversions and literals together). If you are using this book as a reference this should not concern you because I found the index to be very good. A chapter numbering (or bigger differences in the font size for the chapter levels) would have made it easier for me to keep track of the subchapter level while reading.

  The coverage of the DML statement's possibilities is quite high and lots of exceptions are covered. I (re)learned a lot of things like WITH in ORACLE, NVL2, CASE statement, RETURNING with UPDATE, INSERT und DELETE when I read this book.

  I will continue to use this book as a starting point when I don't remember how to use a certain SQL/DML feature (reference lookup). "SQL Pocket Reference" already saved a colleague of mine valuable hours (because I just reread about the MERGE statement). You will not be able to learn SQL with this book but you will probably save some time with it, if you write DML a lot.
  
  

• Excellent LITTLE Book

  
  By A1EMDSTJDUE6B0 on 2005-07-01
  This is an excellent LITTLE book. With books from O'Reilly or Wiley, you can usually rest assured that it is worth your money. This one certainly is. I bought two -- one for work and one for home. I also bought "SQL in a Nutshell" which is more extensive but much larger (but not a tome). For those quick now-how-do-I-write-that-stupid-little-sql-statement moments, this is the ticket.
  
  

• Great, but not what I was looking for.

  
  By A3CM5ARGTEZ6O5 on 2004-04-22
  First: The signal to noise ratio in this book is wonderful. There's a vast amount of information packed into this little volume.

  Second: A significant portion of it has to do with interoperability between database vendors, the differences in syntactic sugar between Oracle/DB2/SQL Server & MySql really don't interest me all that much.

  Third: There is nary a word in here about DDL. Nothing on creating/dropping tables, indices & keys, views, databases.

  Fourth: Nor is there any treatment on user access (granting permissions, etc.)

  Fifth: Selects/Joins/updates/deletes, etc. Are all very thoroughly covered.

  These are all things I expect a "SQL Pocket Guide" to have. Instead this is more of a "SQL Interoperability Guide".

  Conclusion? This is a great little book if you are not a DBA and never take on the role of one.
  
  

• This one deserves a spot in your bag

  
  By A3MXYPCPIFX3IV on 2006-05-07
  The SQL Pocket Guide: 2nd Edition "is an attempt to cram the most useful information about SQL into a pocket-size guide." That's the first sentence of the introduction and is the best description I can imagine for this helpful little book. The following platforms are included in this 2nd edition: Oracle Database 10g Release 2 (including Oracle Express Edition,) IBM DB2 Universal Database Release 8.2, Microsoft SQL Server 2005, MySQL 5.0, and PostgreSQL 8.1.
  
  I'm not a full-time DBA. I'm an application developer and I frequently interact with various flavors of relational databases. I confess, I don't have all the syntax memorized. That's why this little book is so helpful. The book has good coverage of DML, common SQL functions and other related topics (e.g. NULLs, CASE expressions, datatype conversions, etc.) And, each topic is covered for each of the platforms mentioned above. It makes for an interesting comparison. The table of contents is organized nicely to allow the reader to quickly locate content by subject and there is also a detailed index in the back.
  
  The 2nd edition of this book was published in April 2006. When you read reviews of the SQL Pocket Guide, make sure you are reading a review of the current edition. The 2nd edition has been updated for more current database releases. And, CREATE TABLE coverage and window functions have been added. Many of the changes were in direct response to feedback from the first edition.
  
  As mentioned in other reviews, this book is not going to teach you SQL. It wasn't intended to. However, if you find that you're frequently (or even occasionally) looking up SQL syntax and if you need to create SQL statements that work with one or more of the platforms covered in this book, I highly recommend that you give this little helper a place in your bag.
  
  
• The little book you keep on your desk.
  By A33EWRNQQWA379 on 2004-06-11
  Most people that work in SQL daily, don't need reminders of how to write join, correlate or update queries. But the other 10% of the work you do is where you run into trouble. You know you can do something, you just need to know the syntax. This little gem fills that bill nicely. Concise, clear and with a good index, SQL Pocket Guide gives you what you need. Complex functions are explained and it covers DB2, Oracle, SQL Server and MySQL with good depth. Indispensible.
  
  
• Great as a quick reference
  By A34ZJL93Z757GO on 2005-06-02
  This book has been a lifesaver on many occasions. It gives you a syntax comparison between the major database vendors, and really, it would save you what can possibly be many hours of searching for an equivalent function when using a database you are not familiar with.
  
  The content page is nicely grouped by SQL functionality; e.g. Literals, Joining Tables, Datatype Conversion etc. It was quite easy for me to look for the information I wanted.
  
  It's also good for users who are learning databases in general; it gives quite a good overview of SQL functionalities.
  
  Even if you're not working with multiple databases from multiple vendors, it makes a great SQL reference book.
  
  
• Great for: How does that work again?
  By AP1U1A8TF26WF on 2005-08-24
  I keep this book with me going from home to work and use it on a regular basis. It's is perfect for answering those "How does that work again?" questions. The clarity with which differences between SQL Server, MySQL, and Oracle do things is a huge help in answering platform specific questions. It has enabled me to hand write SQL queries I never would have attempted before.
  
  
• One flaw though
  By A2NHBGHYGE82P on 2005-10-12
  I must warn those who plan to get this little book. It doesn't tell you how to create tables but only how to use them. And a list of datatypes would have been nice. But it's ok.
  
  
• Excellent Pocket Reference
  By A26OEP7WF4666Z on 2006-08-01
  Out of my several books on SQL, this is the one that I use most often. I find it most useful as it is very easy to use and has a good coverage on the subject. The keywords index is invaluable for finding the right information in the book.
  
  The pocket guide covers syntax differences between SQL, MySQL and Oracle and provide comprehensive explanations to various properties.
  
  Highly recommended for anyone working with SQL and/or MySQL.
  
  
  
• Great reference
  By APRUQG56ASZMG on 2007-11-12
  I'm writing a review because of how impressed I've become with this over time. I have several SQL references and this gets used by far the most. I'm a big O'Reilly fan and I think I bought this title in addition to the Nutshell book because it was cheap and I also wanted multiple SQL reference books so I could have some at home as well as the office.
  
  I at first assumed that the Pocket guide would be inferior to the Nutshell book but I've found the reverse to be true for me. The strengths of this book are passages are always straight to the point, with tons of examples, and ALWAYS is very clear on relevant differences between different flavors of SQL (DB2, Oracle, SQL Server, & MySQL) without any blah blah blah.
  
  For knuckleheads who have worked in so many languages that they can't remember any syntax anymore, and who prefer a good terse example to a big syntax tree, this reference is highly recommended.
  
  
• Great desk reference book
  By A2RVVMQZWZSQ6T on 2005-02-17
  DB2 was completely new to me about 6 months ago and this book has helped me to learn the ins and outs of SQL in DB2. It is broken down as a reference guide and I find the majority of the commands very quickly. To be honest I have not read the book cover to cover because it is just so quick to find exactly what I need. The examples are great and with the explanations I have been able to successfully write and execute every command I have found in the book. Great desk reference book I use it every week.
  
  
  
• SQL Pocket Guide (Paperback)
  By A33OZ5HCNQ0UP5 on 2006-01-26
  I have used this book often since I purchased it. It was worth the money that I paid for it. Very useful book because we can not keep every bit of SQL syntax on our heads. Especially for those of us that deal with different databases. I would recommend this book to my fellow Programmers/Developers. Thank you.
  
  
• Very nice for remember details
  By A19PIFVSPA3IV0 on 2007-05-15
  This book is the best form of remember SQLScript by engine details and lexical diference; I'm using Oracle v7, v8, v10 and SQLServer in my job; and mySQL and Oracle v10 in my own SOHO applications.
  
  
• Great for quick answers to common questions
  By A2NACVVWVNFRG2 on 2007-10-20
  I love this little book since I work with many RDBMs and need use different syntaxes to accomplish the same thing. That's what this reference is good for - to remind you of material that you've forgotten.
  
  

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