SQL The Complete Reference -Third Edition

SQL: The Complete Reference, Third Edition provides a comprehensive, in-depth

treatment of the SQL language for both technical and nontechnical users,

programmers, data processing professionals, and managers who want to understand

the impact of SQL in today’s computer industry. This book offers a conceptual framework

for understanding and using SQL, describes the history of SQL and SQL standards, and

explains the role of SQL in various computer industry segments, from enterprise data

processing to data warehousing to web site architectures. This new edition contains new

chapters specially focused on the role of SQL in application server architectures, and the

integration of SQL with XML and other object-based technologies.

This book will show you, step-by-step, how to use SQL features, with many illustrations

and realistic examples to clarify SQL concepts. The book also compares SQL products from

leading DBMS vendors—describing their advantages, benefits, and trade-offs—to help

you select the right product for your application. Most of the examples in this book are

based on the sample database described in Appendix A. The sample database contains

data that supports a simple order-processing application for a small distribution company.

Appendix A also contains instructions for downloading the SQL statements required to

create and populate the sample database tables in a DBMS of you choice, such as Oracle,

SQL Server, MySQL, and DB2. This allows you to try the examples in the book yourself

and gain actual experience writing and running SQL statements.

In some of the chapters, the subject matter is explored at two different levels—a

fundamental description of the topic, and an advanced discussion intended for computer

professionals who need to understand some of the internals behind SQL. The more

advanced information is covered in sections marked with an asterisk (*). You do not need

to read these sections to obtain an understanding of what SQL is and what it does.