SQL QuickStart Guide: The Simplified Beginner's Guide to Managing, Analyzing, and Manipulating Data With SQL

Written by Walter Shields

Narrated by Russell Newton

THE BEST SQL BOOK FOR BEGINNERS - HANDS DOWN!
**Includes FREE Digital Bonuses! Sample Database, SQL Browser App, and More!**
Learn Why QuickStart Guides are Loved by Over 1 Million Readers Around the World

The same book currently in used in college-level courses while remaining approachable for beginners!

The Easiest Way to Learn SQL in a Comprehensive, Step-by-Step Guide

Not sure how to prepare for the data-driven future?

This book shows you EXACTLY what you need to know to successfully use the SQL programming language to enhance your career!

Are you a developer who wants to expand your mastery to database management?

Then you NEED this book. Buy now and start reading today!

The ubiquity of big data means that now more than ever there is a burning need to warehouse, access, and understand the contents of massive databases quickly and efficiently.

That’s where SQL comes in.

SQL is the workhorse programming language that forms the backbone of modern data management and interpretation.

Any database management professional will tell you that despite trendy data management languages that come and go, SQL remains the most widely used and most reliable to date, with no signs of stopping.

It doesn’t matter if you are learning SQL to upgrade your career, taking on a new data management role at your current job, or just someone who wants to learn a lucrative and in-demand tech skill - this book will teach you everything you need to master SQL fundamentals.

Written by an SQL Expert with Over 25 Years of Experience

Author, data analytics expert, and SQL instructor with over 25 years of experience in the field, Walter Shields delivers a practical and actionable approach to learning SQL. With insights gathered from his time managing data for world class organizations such as Target and the NYC Transit Authority, SQL QuickStart Guide is a comprehensive look at what it takes to master SQL fundamentals.

SQL QuickStart Guide is Perfect for:

• Professionals looking to augment their job skills in preparation for a data-driven future
• Job seekers who want to pad their skills and resume for a durable employability edge
• Beginners with zero prior experience
• Managers, decision makers, and business owners looking to manage data-driven business insights
• Developers looking to expand their mastery beyond the full stack
• Anyone who wants to be better prepared for our data-driven future!

With SQL QuickStart Guide, You'll Easily Understand These Crucial Concepts:

• The basic structure of databases—what they are, how they work, and how to successfully navigate them
• How to use SQL to retrieve and understand data no matter the scale of a database (aided by numerous images and examples)
• The most important SQL queries, along with how and when to use them for best effect
• Professional applications of SQL and how to “sell” your new SQL skills to your employer, along with other career-enhancing considerations

Makes a Great Gift for a Programmer in Your Life!

**LIFETIME ACCESS TO FREE BONUS SQL RESOURCES**

SQL QuickStart Guide comes with lifetime access to FREE digital resources you can access from inside the book! Each of these bonuses is crafted with our expert author to help you become a better programmer including:

• Sample Database & Hands-on Exercises
• SQL Commands Cheat Sheet and more!

Join thousands of other readers who have used this QuickStart Guide to learn how to manage databases - Grab your copy of SQL QuickStart Guide today!

• Language: English
• Publisher: ClydeBank Media LLC
• Release date: Nov 25, 2015
• ISBN: 9781945051920

Walter Shields

Walter Shields has worked with SQL and databases for over eighteen years, helping organizations such as Target Corporation, NYC Transit Authority, and NYC Administration for Children’s Services successfully leverage and understand their data using SQL. While Walter’s self-described path through the emerging industry of data science in the late 1990s was anything but straightforward, he firmly believed that SQL did not have to be so daunting for everyone else. Walter’s desire to simplify the learning process eventually led him to start teaching students in a coffee shop in Tribeca, New York, equipped with nothing but a laptop full of SQL learning materials. Since then, his mentorship has turned into its own business: SQL Training Wheels (https://sqltrainingwheels.com). When not teaching students, Walter can be found working on his latest business, Datadecided (https://datadecided.com), a Tableau-based data visualization company that helps medium and large businesses leverage their data with actionable data visualizations.

Reviews for SQL QuickStart Guide

[henrycalphinjr-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a great and practical book for beginners. The book is easy to follow, conversational, and there are plenty of examples for practice. This is a no-nonsense approach to learning beginner SQL.

[deldevries · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Technology applications are typically dull and dry. But the author has done a great job of making SQL easily accessible. The practical applications are interesting and easy to follow. In a short amount of time, this book will help a novice see the big picture of SQL and help a beginner learner to effectively use SQL.

[reenum_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm slightly above beginner level when it comes to SQL. I can build queries from scratch for most problems I'm trying to solve. But, for someone at my level, this book is an invaluable resource. I use it as a starting point to figure out why my query isn't working. That knowledge then allows me to go to another SQL reference or to Stack Overflow. I highly recommend this book.

[geekstress-695933 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book. I actually know SQL and have a great deal of experience with it (18 years). So, I'm very qualified to review this book. I haven't worked with SQL, though, in two years. Which is why I wanted this book. A refresher. Plus, I think even the experienced can learn something from someone who has written about a topic exceedingly well. I did learn a great deal. The author writes in a way that is lacking from nearly every technical book on the market. His explanations, style of writing, everything, are fantastic. I only wished he wrote all the technical books I needed to read or want to own! Fantastic guide to have on hand. I have it on my computer and on my phone so that I'm never without out.

[the_darling_copilots · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I came to this book with no SQL experience, and very little database experience at all--but I have moderate experience with HTML, Excel, and a little tiny bit of programming. The guide is very well organized and easy to get into, from the beginning (how to get started with a free version of a SQL program) and forward through clear exercises of increasing complexity. Highly recommended to anyone interested in getting their feet wet in SQL!

[kristincedar · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I have been assigned this book to review, and it never showed up. I tried reaching out, and have heard nothing. So at this point, I will have to give this book a one star, which is weird because so many others received the book and wrote a review. I hope this bad review will rectify this situation that I could not get resolved on my own.

[spacechick365 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book has a lot of really good information as well as additional material to be able to learn SQL. The guide sets up what the learner needs to know and activities to learn through hands on exercises. It walks through how to use the sTunes database and how to code using SQL. Great guide!

[asbooks-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Perfectly fine teaching guide and pretty good place to start. I have some SQL knowledge so unsure if it ramps up too quick or not. Worth checking out if you looking to learn SQL.

[scmerritt · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book does a good job of presenting the topic of learning SQL in easy to understand lessons. The structure is very well thought out and provides nice reviews of what you should have learned from each chapter. A very good reference book to have.

[paine38 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I thought this book was interesting and had good information on SQL. I personally have found out through this book that I don't want to go into SQL, however, if you're interested in that field, this book would be a good one to read. If you do read this book be sure to read it when you're fully awake and can interact with the sample database (otherwise you'll make simple mistakes and get really frustrated)!I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

[wenestvedt_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was pleased to find that this book manages the difficult balancing act of being approachable without over-simplifying the topic. Having bounced off of SQL a few times in the past, this book actually helped me add some of the principles and vocabulary to my toolset, and will also act as a good refresher before the next time I have to tackle a project with database administrators.Highly recommended for non-technical people and technical folks who aren't DBAs.

[k_goetz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the database for everyone. Mr Shields takes one from the fringes of database knowledge to the heart of its practical side by problem solving. In the process he sparked an idea for me. I regularly create "Tables of Authorities": an assemblage of case citations related to a motion or brief I have drafted. I suddenly thought of this table as not unlike the table with fields idea in the book. Voila! With a query of just a few lines I am able to generate tables of authority for case pending before the federal district court for the northern district of Illinois. Thanks, Mr. Shields!

[derek.stuhan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Copy received free as part of Early ReviewersThis book took me a while to get through, but it's not something I would read for enjoyment, so that's nothing against the book. It is a very well structured textbook (though, not as difficult to read as one) that will give anyone with an interest in SQL a great primer.The basics and especially the supplemental downloads/options will be beneficial for anyone using this as a study aid for classes or just as general interest. It's not going to get someone a job in SQL, by any means. I did not finish this book with anything but a better idea what SQL was (nowhere near a working knowledge).It's difficult for me to review a book like SQL QuickStart that I cannot apply to my own life, but I would easily say it's a five-star book for anyone who plans to study databases professionally. If you do purchase a copy, you will absolutely need the supplemental downloads, though. Do not judge the book without them.

[nilouf-426864 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent primer for a beginner!The author's passion for teaching comes through in the organization of the guide! The Quick Start Guide allows the beginners to jump in and start learning (the best way to learn, in my estimation); users with some experience will enjoy the guide as a good tool to review the key elements of working with data.The concepts, terminology, and the tools are configured well to help the beginner to tackle the learning while keeping the information accessible (the book doesn't throw a lot of jargon at you which can be intimidating for a beginner); as a result, the user can practice, make mistakes, and learn in a safe way, leading to absorbing the material and gaining confidence.The use of SQL is broken down into the logical components so the user can understand how to use it to get to the desired output. The end goal, after all, is to use the tool/data to be able to build expertise in analyzing to get insights into what the data has in store. This is the key expertise for all data-related skills needed in the marketplace.

[anobium625-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Prior to reading the "SQL QuickStart Guide", I knew nothing whatever about SQL, except that it was used with databases. This review reflects the experience of a beginner wishing to learn a new language.In return for a review, I Was offered the ebook for download. I was able to download the book without difficulty to both my Macintosh computer and to my Kindle Fire. A direct download to my Paperwhite Kindle was apparently successful, but the device could not open the downloaded file. I was able, however, to transfer the book from my computer to either Kindle without difficulty.Although the text was attractive in the Paperwhite Kindle, the tables were so tiny that a magnifying glass was necessary to read them. The Kindle Fire allowed me to magnify the tables, as did my computer. The ebook is substantially cheaper than either the paperback or the hardback, but the book needs to be read on a device that allows zooming in on the tables.I had no difficulty downloading the sTunes Database and the DB Browser for SQLite from the publisher's website. Both are necessary to use the book effectively.The author's English is informal, fluent, and articulate. The book does not read like a technical manual. He was careful to define technical terms as they occurred and provided a glossary at the back of the book. There is a detailed Table of Contents. The ebook did not include an index, since the digital text could be searched directly. I do not know if there is an index in the paperback and hardback editions. The results of SQL queries were shown in the earlier chapters, but less often in the later ones, after the reader had become accustomed to the SQLite browser. It is difficult to rid a technical book entirely of misprints, and there are a few in the "SQL QuickStart Guide." The only one that impeded my progress was an error in figure 65, where the primary key for invoice_items, "InvoiceLineId", was printed as "InvoiceItemId". The publisher is in the process of setting up, on their website, an "Errata" page for this and other technical manuals.There are two appendices. The first provides solutions to the Data Analysis questions asked at the ends of the technical chapters. The questions were not difficult, but the answers were welcome. The second appendix summarizes the keywords introduced in chapters 4 through 10. An expansion of this appendix would be helpful.In addition to the technical information in Chapters 3 through 10, the author provides information about himself, SQL, and careers in data access and analysis. To summarize, I was able to work my way through the book in two weeks, so it did an excellent job of providing a beginner with a working knowledge of SQL. I look forward to trying out my new skills on another database.

[cakecop_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well Organized Emphasis on the Basics of SQLGreat for people new to SQL. Simply stated and good examples that introduce SQL basics.Book includes a sample database to run SQL statements so readers can experience the utility of SQL.

[lam32767 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am a senior sql developer with decades of experience, and was happy to review this book for accuracy. It is a great way for a beginner to learn the basics of sql databases. Also the reader is directed to use sqlite, which is absolutely free. So there is no barrier to have to buy any products or licensing. The exercises in the book are also available on the author's web page, which is a big help.

[scottdf-526200 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I received a copy of the book on request. I have a working knowledge of SQL, but have occasions to recommend good training and teaching material. The author states he is the son of an educator in literature and it shows. He is articulate and concise, giving the information needed without excess verbiage and fluff. He shows good teaching ability himself anticipating problems that could be encountered and shortcuts students (readers) might take and gives appropriate solutions. Exercises at the end of chapters are stretching, regularly posing questions the answers for which have not yet been given, but soon will be. The book would make a good reference for beginning to intermediate SQL users. Anyone with an interest in, or need for understanding SQL would benefit from reading the book and using it as a training guide.