I'm really enjoying this book. I have zero SQL experience, and have read up to chapter 9 in the book. If I browse StackOverflow for SQL related tags, I can understand a good number of the questions and have even been able to answer a couple (a lot of the questions are people trying to figure out how to write a query to get a specific result).

I think the book is very well written, and there are plenty of examples in each chapter. The book uses MySQL and I elected to use Postgres (you can find a sakila port on github) to intentionally run into errors and struggle. Outside of some MySQL and Oracle specific stuff, you either directly use the code in Postgres or look at the Postgres documentation and figure out the syntax differences.

That being said, my biggest issue with the book is that there are not a lot of exercises. Each chapter only has 3. Also, because I have SW development experience I know how to use the cli. Someone without SW experience will install MySQL, try to follow the cli commands in MySQL shell and get frustrated by it not working. If that is you, you'll have to find the installation location of MySQL (or Postgres), go to the bin folder, which should have multiple exes, and add that location to your PATH environment variable. Then you should be able to run commands like mysql or psql from your command line terminal. I only mention this because I remember seeing a review where someone rated this book as 1 star and said the information was out of date.

Oreilly has always been great quality when it comes to technical topics but this book goes above and beyond. It is loaded to the gills with SQL info - everything from design, queries, DB admin, and more. This is the book you want on your bookshelf when dealing with MySQL/MariaDB databases. I find myself referencing this book daily in my job. It is THAT good.

Here is the Table of Contents:

Creating and Populating a Database

Query Primer

Filtering

Querying Multiple Tables

Working with Sets

Data Generation, Manipulation, and Conversion

Grouping and Aggregates

Subqueries

Joins Revisited

Conditional Logic

Transactions

Indexes and Constraints

Views

Metadata

Analytic Functions

Working with Large Databases

SQL and Big Data

For a book that is only 376 pages, it covers a TON of stuff. I highly recommend for anybody who touches MySQL or MariaDB databases.

Comprehensive and readable. Best audience is anyone who has been in tech for a couple of years but wants to learn SQL in depth or switch careers to DB admin.

It is a really nice book for anyone who wants to begin in the SQL world and its nuances. Totally recommend!

Like most O'Reilly products, clear concise and accurate.

As a Data Analyst and coming from a non-CS background, this is just the best SQL book, to begin with. Although, I have amassed some experience programming in a couple of Languages. Overall, loving this book and keep loving it...

Very useful for beginners.

Excellent. Although this seems to be a book for someone who is slightly experienced with SQL coming into reading rather than a beginner. It is strange that the author does not use alias in his notation.

Book starts at page 53

Good quality product received. The packaging needs to be upgraded, but the overall delivery experience and quality of book is good.

Muy mal. Para empezar al libro que me entregaron le faltaban 15 páginas, esto no es serio cuando se está vendiendo por más de 40 euros un libro de tapa blanda de unas 350 páginas.

En cuanto al contenido en sí, no está mal PERO para un libro que ya va en su tercera edición y, de nuevo, tiene un precio de más de 40 euros, se espera un mayor cuidado y menos erratas. Por ejemplo en la página 11 (literalmente el primer ejemplo de consulta SQL), el nombre que se utiliza para referirse a una tabla no coincide con el nombre que se le había dado a esa tabla un par de páginas atrás... más erratas de este y otros estilos a lo largo del libro.

Excellent read

Gives a complete overview of the language, to know the texture of the setup ambience.