SQL is the most widely used database language. Whether you are an application developer, database administrator, Web application designer, or Microsoft Office user, a good working knowledge of SQL is an important part of interacting with databases.
This book was born out of necessity. I had been teaching Web application development for several years, and students were constantly asking for SQL book recommendations. There are lots of SQL books out there. Some are actually very good. But they all have one thing in common: for most users they teach just too much information. Instead of teaching SQL itself most books teach everything from database design and normalization to relational database theory and administrative concerns. And while those are all important topics, they are not of interest to most of us who just need to learn SQL.
And so, not finding a single book that I felt comfortable recommending, I turned that classroom experience into the book you are holding. Sams Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes will teach you SQL you need to know, starting with simple data retrieval and working on to more complex topics including the use of joins, subqueries, stored procedures, cursors, triggers, and table constraints. You'll learn methodically, systematically, and simply—in lessons that will each take 10 minutes or less to complete.
Now in its third edition, this book has taught SQL to hundreds of thousands of users, and now it is your turn. So turn to Lesson 1, and get to work. You'll be writing world class SQL in no time at all.
