SQL in 24 Hours, Sams Teach Yourself

You'll find more hands-on examples than ever, culminating in an all-new Bonus Exercises Workshop with even more real-world practice. This guide's straightforward, step-by-step approach shows you how to work with database structures, objects, queries, tables, and more. In just hours, you will be applying advanced techniques, from transactions and joins to complex data retrieval using views and subqueries. Step-by-step instructions carefully walk you through the most common SQL tasks. Practical, hands-on examples show you how to apply what you learn. Quizzes and exercises help you test your knowledge and stretch your skills. Notes and tips point out shortcuts and solutions. Learn how to... * Master core relational database concepts, SQL concepts, and language components * Clearly understand your data * Set up databases and plan efficient database designs * Define entities and relationships, establish data structures, and create database objects * "Normalize" raw databases into logically organized tables * Edit relational data and tables and manage transactions * Write effective, well-performing queries * Categorize, summarize, sort, group, and restructure data * Work with dates and times * Join tables in queries, use subqueries, and combine multiple queries * Optimize performance with indexes and other techniques * Administer databases and manage users * Secure databases and data