Language of SQL, The

LARRY ROCKOFF has been involved with SQL and business intelligence development for many years. His primary area of interest is using reporting tools to explore and analyze data in complex databases. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago, with a specialization in Management Science. He currently works with data warehouse and reporting applications for a major retail pharmacy. He also maintains a website that features book reviews on technology topics, focusing on analytics and business intelligence as well as broader societal issues at  larryrockoff.com

• The Language of SQL, 2nd Edition Introduction    Topics and Features    What’s New in the Second Edition    Plan of the Book    Companion Website 1. Relational Databases and SQL    What Is SQL?    Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, and Oracle    Relational Databases    Primary and Foreign Keys     Datatypes    NULL Values    The Significance of SQL 2. Basic Data Retrieval    A Simple SELECT    Syntax Notes    Comments    Specifying Columns     Column Names with Embedded Spaces    Preview of the Full SELECT 3. Calculated Fields and Aliases    Literal Values    Arithmetic Calculations    Concatenating Fields    Column Aliases    Table Aliases 4. Using Functions    What Is a Function?    Character Functions    Composite Functions    Date/Time Functions    Numeric Functions    Conversion Functions 5. Sorting Data    Sorting in Ascending Order    Sorting in Descending Order    Sorting by Multiple Columns    Sorting by a Calculated Field    Sort Sequences 6. Selection Criteria    Applying Selection Criteria    WHERE Clause Operators    Limiting Rows    Limiting Rows with a Sort    Pattern Matching    Wildcards 7. Boolean Logic    Complex Logical Conditions    The AND Operator    The OR Operator    Using Parentheses    Multiple Sets of Parentheses    The NOT Operator    The BETWEEN Operator    The IN Operator    Boolean Logic and NULL Values 8. Conditional Logic    The CASE Expression    The Simple CASE Format    The Searched CASE Format    Conditional Logic in ORDER BY Clauses    Conditional Logic in WHERE Clauses 9. Summarizing Data    Eliminating Duplicates    Aggregate Functions    The COUNT Function    Grouping Data    Multiple Columns and Sorting    Selection Criteria on Aggregates    Conditional Logic in GROUP BY Clauses    Conditional Logic in HAVING Clauses    Ranking Functions    Partitions 10. Subtotals and Crosstabs     Adding Subtotals with ROLLUP     Adding Subtotals with CUBE     Creating Crosstab Layouts 11. Inner Joins     Joining Two Tables     The Inner Join     Table Order in Inner Joins     An Alternate Specification of Inner Joins     Table Aliases Revisited 12. Outer Joins     The Outer Join     Left Joins     Testing for NULL Values     Right Joins     Table Order in Outer Joins     Full Joins     Cross Joins 13. Self Joins and Views     Self Joins     Creating Views     Referencing Views     Benefits of Views     Modifying and Deleting Views 14. Subqueries     Types of Subqueries     Using a Subquery as a Data Source     Using a Subquery in Selection Criteria     Correlated Subqueries     The EXISTS Operator     Using a Subquery as a Calculated Column     Common Table Expressions 15. Set Logic     Using the UNION Operator     Distinct and Non-Distinct Unions     Intersecting Queries 16. Stored Procedures and Parameters     Creating Stored Procedures     Parameters in Stored Procedures     Executing Stored Procedures     Modifying and Deleting Stored Procedures     Functions Revisited 17. Modifying Data     Modification Strategies     Inserting Data     Deleting Data     Updating Data     Correlated Subquery Updates 18. Maintaining Tables     Data Definition Language     Table Attributes     Table Columns     Primary Keys and Indexes     Foreign Keys     Creating Tables     Creating Indexes 19. Principles of Database Design     Goals of Normalization     How to Normalize Data     The Art of Database Design     Alternatives to Normalization 20. Strategies for Displaying Data     Crosstab Layouts Revisited     Excel and External Data     Excel Pivot Tables A. Getting Started with Microsoft SQL Server    Installing SQL Server 2016 Express    Installing SQL Server 2016 Management Studio Express    Using SQL Server 2016 Management Studio Express B. Getting Started with MySQL    Installing MySQL on Windows    Installing MySQL on Mac    Using MySQL Workbench C. Getting Started with Oracle    Installing Oracle Database Express Edition    Using Oracle Database Express Edition