Michel Cadot Messages: 68732 Registered: March 2007 Location: Saint-Maur, France, https...
Senior Member Account Moderator
I'd like to talk about two books I recently read about SQL and database applications I think there are the most useful ones for people that have to design or work with this kind of applications.
To quote what the author says with humour in his latest Youtube presentation about indexes:
Quote:
I wrote two books, one about how I think one should write SQL and more recently a second one, more relevant to what takes most of my professional time namely improving SQL applications written by people who have obviously not read my first book.
The first book, The Art of SQL, takes the same plan than Sun Tzu's treatise, The Art of War, and explain how to prepare a SQL application design like a military campaign. His humour and style are great and you will find the substance is even greater. To quote Antoni Molinaro (author of SQL Cookbook):
Quote:
A truly 'smart' SQL book that tackles problems you will encounter as a database professional, focusing on what's real, not what's in a classroom.
I think this book should be provided with each SQL course.
The second book, Refactoring SQL Applications, explains what you can do when your database applications don't reach the expected performances. It explains step by step how to modify the application to increase performances starting with checking whether and where you can obtain some gains then going from quick fixes to deeper and deeper modifications, pointing that you can stop at any step if you reach reasonably performances.
If the first book explains how to design a SQL application, the second one greatly helps the professional in her every day application improvement task.
You can see a small application of this book in his Rewriting SQL queries for Performance in 9 minutes video
Now I can't think of any professional living without these two books. You think I am obliging toward Stephane Faroult and his books, I'm not. I'm always read critically the books I buy (and I bought some on SQL that I should say they are the way to not tackle SQL optimisation).
The only advice I could give is: buy them, read them and read them again, each time you will find new things and you will say to yourself as I do "Hey! this is my current problem".
The Art of SQL
Laying Plans - Designing Databases for Performances
Waging War - Accessing Databases Efficiently
Tactical Dispositions - Indexing
Maneuvering - Thinking SQL Statements
Terrain - Understanding Physical Implementation
The Nine Situations - Recognizing Classic SQL Patterns
Variations in Tactics - Dealing with Hierarchical Data
Weaknesses and Strengths - Recognizing and Handling Difficult Cases
Multiple Fronts - Tackling Concurrency
Assembly of Forces - Coping with Large Volume of Data
Stratagems - Trying to Salvage Response Times
Employment of Spies - Monitoring Performances
Refactoring SQL Applications
Assessment
Sanity Checks
User Functions and Views
Testing Framework
Statement Refactoring
Task Refactoring
Refactoring Flows and Databases
How it works refactoring in practice
He wrote a new book: SQL Success - Database Programming Proficiency, see below.
And he wrote once more: Getting the Message Across, see below.
Michel Cadot Messages: 68732 Registered: March 2007 Location: Saint-Maur, France, https...
Senior Member Account Moderator
This is with a great pleasure I announce you that Stephane has released his site.
Not a blog, not a forum but a site to understand, learn and practice SQL and databases.
Michel Cadot Messages: 68732 Registered: March 2007 Location: Saint-Maur, France, https...
Senior Member Account Moderator
Stephane has started a new set of presentations on YouTube named Oracle DBA Lite.
They're worth to be seen by all those that are not professional DBA but want to manage their Oracle XE and learn the basics of Oracle DBA job.
Currently there are 7 presentations, the latest but one (Part 6) shows how to restore a rman backup to another server and how to manage a standby database with Oracle XE and without DataGuard.
Michel Cadot Messages: 68732 Registered: March 2007 Location: Saint-Maur, France, https...
Senior Member Account Moderator
Stéphane has released a new series of video named SQL Mystery Stories (subtitled "Uncanny, Spooky Creepy Tales for database developers").
Currently there are 3 episodes:
- The mysteriously vanishing rows
- The evil duplicates
- Oracle's Mutating Tables
Michel Cadot Messages: 68732 Registered: March 2007 Location: Saint-Maur, France, https...
Senior Member Account Moderator
Here's the fourth cover page of this new book:
SQL Success is about problem solving in SQL.
It bridges the gap between dry and dull database theory books, and developer books thta focus on giving recipes without explaining sufficiently the reasons behind the recipes or discussing alternative solutions.
Many developers struggle with SQL due to the contrast between the top-down logic of most programming languages and SQL's set-based approach. SQL Success aims to be different. This book is more than syntax examples. SQL Success explains how to use SQL to solve problems, and covers syntax in the process - not as the focus, but as a tool toward accomplishing the objective.
SQL Success also shows something that most other books do not: the pitfalls and traps of SQL, a deceptive simple language, and how easy it is to get a query wrong. Written in a conversational way, SQL Success talks about logic more than theory, avoids jargon, and refers to common-sense more than rules. It ignores featurss that are rarely used and tries to avoid information overload.
The intention of SQL Success is not to cover every aspect of all variants of SQL. The goal is to cover everything that is of practical use. That goal is informed by the author's many years of practical experience leading and understanding of what professional developers need to know, the common mistakes that are made, and how those mistakes can be avoided.
Focuses on the practical implications of theory.
Emphasizes accuracy and efficiency.
Teaches how to "think SQL", not merely the syntax.
Applies to Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, PostgeSQL, DB2 and SQLite.
Suitable for college-level database courses, SQL certification preparation, and professionals who want to take their database skills to the next level.
Bolstered by downloadable files and online database with practice exercises at http://edu.konagora.com.
Michel Cadot Messages: 68732 Registered: March 2007 Location: Saint-Maur, France, https...
Senior Member Account Moderator
Stéphane has put new videos on YouTube.
They are Sandra Peele's ones Stéphane has worked on, you will recognize his style and the "movies" database he usually uses in his own presentations and books.
They are about differences in rdbms and the danger to think that if you can run a SQL application on one rdbms you can then run it on another one with no changes.
They are called "You're Not in Kansas Anymore" which is funny when you know Stéphane flew to Kansas last Sunday for one or two years.
Michel Cadot Messages: 68732 Registered: March 2007 Location: Saint-Maur, France, https...
Senior Member Account Moderator
Stéphane has released a new book, even if it is not about Oracle I'd like to talk about it because it is valuable for DBA or application designer to explain (or rather show) what they do or want to do, I mean create presentations.
His book is titled Getting the Message Across (Using Slideware Effectively in Technical Presentations).
It contains 7 chapters and for each of them Stéphane created a presentation applying the principles he teaches:
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