This book describes MYSQL's SQL dialect. It teaches how and why to use certain features of the language. Not only the classic features of SQL are described, but also the more advanced features. Every aspect of the language is discussed thoroughly and critically. The following aspects of SQL, among other things, are covered: Querying and updating data (joins, functions, and subqueries), creating tables, specifying primary and foreign keys and other constraints, using indexes, data security, developing stored procedures and triggers. Application development with PHP and Python, transactions, optimization of statements, is also discussed. Many users of MySQL have only very limited knowledge of SQL and would be significantly more productive if they had a better understanding of SQL. Others know SQL, but are unfamiliar with the idiosyncracies of MySQL's SQL implementation. In either case, this is the book for them. The exercises are a key benefit for readers familiar with other SQL variants. The structure, style and approach of this book is based on van der Lans best-selling Introduction to SQL (published by Addison-Wesley since 1987). This book is still being used at many universities, and is now in a fourth edition. And that structure and approach have therefore been tested over and over again.

Table of Contents:
About the Author     xix Preface     xx PART I Introduction     1 CHAPTER 1 Introduction to MySQL     3 CHAPTER 2 The Tennis Club Sample Database     29 CHAPTER 3 Installing the Software     37 CHAPTER 4 SQL in a Nutshell     41 PART II Querying and Updating Data     71 CHAPTER 5 SELECT Statement: Common Elements     73 CHAPTER 6 SELECT Statements, Table Expressions, and Subqueries     145 CHAPTER 7 SELECT Statement:The FROM Clause     171 CHAPTER 8 SELECT Statement: The WHERE Clause     213 CHAPTER 9 SELECT Statement: SELECT Clause and Aggregation Functions     315 CHAPTER 10 SELECT Statement: The GROUP BY Clause     349 CHAPTER 11 SELECT Statement: The HAVING Clause     375 CHAPTER 12 SELECT Statement: The ORDER BY Clause     383 CHAPTER 13 SELECT Statement: The LIMIT Clause     395 CHAPTER 14 Combining Table Expressions     409 CHAPTER 15 The User Variable and the SET Statement     421 CHAPTER 16 The HANDLER Statement     429 CHAPTER 17 Updating Tables     437 CHAPTER 18 Loading and Unloading Data     461 CHAPTER 19 Working with XML Documents     471 PART III Creating Database Objects     491 CHAPTER 20 Creating Tables     493 CHAPTER 21 Specifying Integrity Constraints     539 CHAPTER 22 Character Sets and Collations     561 CHAPTER 23 The ENUM and SET Types     577 CHAPTER 24 Changing and Dropping Tables     591 CHAPTER 25 Using Indexes     603 CHAPTER 26 Views     631 CHAPTER 27 Creating Databases     653 CHAPTER 28 Users and Data Security     659 CHAPTER 29 Statements for Table Maintenance     683 CHAPTER 30 The SHOW, DESCRIBE, and HELP Statements     693 PART IV Procedural Database Objects     701 CHAPTER 31 Stored Procedures     703 CHAPTER 32 Stored Functions     745 CHAPTER 33 Triggers     755 CHAPTER 34 Events     767 PART V Programming with SQL     783 CHAPTER 35 MySQL and PHP     785 CHAPTER 36 Dynamic SQL with Prepared Statement     807 CHAPTER 37 Transactions and Multiuser Usage     815 APPENDIX A Syntax of SQL     839 APPENDIX B Scalar Functions     903 APPENDIX C System Variables     953 APPENDIX D Bibliography     963 Index     967