Rating:  - Great compendium for all developers that are not Database Administrators.
If you are developer and need to refresh your SQL knowledge or if you want to learn SQL very fast and with some fun - it is book for you. This is not a book for Database Administrators. Second disclaimer - they use examples for MySQL, so if you are using different DB, you need to translate some of them.
I believe I do not need to convince you how good are "Head First" series, so let's focus on the content.
It starts from explanation what DB is and some easy SELECT queries, so you can read this book without any knowledge in DB world.
Next chapters cover UPDATE, INSERT, DELETE, primary/foreign keys, ALTER, ORDER BY with most common aggregation functions (like MAX, AVG), inner/outer joins and more. There is also place for some theory and DB patterns.
As always, couple of the last chapters contains a bit more complex information like roles and privileges, constraints, unions, intersections and subqueries.
In summary, it is very good book that gives you short introduction to DB world (with some advanced knowledge). I do not know anything that is required in my day to day job that is not in this book.
Rating:  - good condition
The book was in the condition as was described: completely new. and fast shipment. thanks
Rating: - Fan-friggin-tastic
Straight up best tech manual I've ever purchased. Feels like a 101 language workbook, reads like a breeze, and at the end of the sitting you know something. It's not dry, it's not tedious, and its playful approach doesn't in any way water down its comprehension.
Truly an excellent effort, really happy I purchased it, please keep writing these.
Rating:  - This is a kind of sad joke
From the very beginning I enjoy reading HF series books. HF SQL is up to the first half of the content very boring and I would even say it can be dangerous for an SQL beginners. It tries to teach them with the style of examples where first is bad design and after a correct solution follows. There is too much space in the book describing intentionally first "let's try" examples. The consequence is that the correct solutions that follow later are not very clearly visible. I think this is quite opposite grasping of the method how HF series book should be written. The "original" HF books from K.Bates etc. directly evolves simple examples and evoke the need of a reader to find out how it all works.
And again when you see the same pictures in the 10th HF series book it ends to be a positively provocating or joking.
The second half of the book can be a litle bit useful even for experienced SQLers. I mean to fill-in the gaps of their SQL knowledge. It is still HF series books so it is easy to read very quickly thus very good for always busy people.
Rating: - Great for learning SQL
Of all the books I've read for SQL, this is the one that I wished I had when I was getting started. Like other titles in the Head First series, this book is written for people who aren't into reading textbooks. The book is not only very imformative and complete, it is also quite fun to read. For anyone looking to get their feet wet with SQL, this is the place to start.
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