Managing and Using MySQL: Second Edition 261
Managing and Using MySQL: Second Edition | |
author | George Reese, Randy Jay Yarger and Tim King, with Hugh E. Williams |
pages | 425 |
publisher | O'Reilly & Associates |
rating | 9/10 |
reviewer | Peter Hessler |
ISBN | 0596002114 |
summary | Step by step tutorial to using MySQL, with included tools, and your favorites. |
Managing and Using MySQL: 2nd Edition assumes that the reader has a little knowledge of databases, although some of the commands are difficult to get your head around until you have a database to test them on. Sample commands, and output for them are shown in the book, but a sample database isn't shown until chapter 9. MySQL took me through 'MySQL land' with the greatest of ease. Aside from the lack of a test database in the beginning, everything was very well laid out. It started with the basics, and worked up to full implementation and administration.
Part I introduces the reader to MySQL. It begins with a nice history, design elements, features and what you would want to use MySQL with. Nicely detailed instructions for downloading, and installing the current version. Information is provided for Unix, and Windows systems, with examples for FreeBSD 4 and Windows 2000. Basic SQL commands are presented, with sample queries and relevant results.
Part II introduces the reader to tuning, securing and designing the database. Several pitfalls are described, along with instructions for avoiding them. The realm of tuning is divided into application tuning, database tuning, and operating system/hardware tuning. Security is discussed from all aspects, but a database that has security concerns will need extensive testing and evaluation. Database design starts with the design on paper, with both the theoretical, and practical aspects. Once the paper design is drawn out, MySQL assists the reader through the actual making of the database.
Part III describes integrating the database into your favorite programming/scripting language. In the opening paragraph of chapter 12, The C API, the author states: "In this book, we examine several different programming languages: Python, Java, Perl, PHP and C. Among these languages, C is by far the most challenging." The information was presented in a way that readers who are new to C would have small difficulties with, and that intermediate and advanced users would find quite useful. The authors presented enough information, that I was able to write programs that interfaced with MySQL in less than 10 minutes. Perl scripts are presented in the same way. Knowledge of the language you will be integrating MySQL into is necessary, but the book presents and explains the rest of the information.
Part IV is the reference portion of the book. All great books that teach contain a reference section, and this book is no exception. The basic SQL syntax and command set are described, as well as the data types, numeric, string, date, and complex. Operations and functions are explained, as well as their order preference. The PHP API, the C API, and the Python DB-API are also fleshed out in nice detail.
Overall, the authors have an excellent introduction to SQL databases, and MySQL. Full examples are included for each topic, with full explanations. The only things I would change, would be to have a sample database in the beginning of the book, and to have a copy of that database online.
Table of Contents
Part I (Chapters 1 - 4) Introduction
1 MySQL
2 Installation
3 SQL According to MySQL
4 Database Administration
Part II (Chapters 5 - 7) MySQL Administration
5 Performance Turning
6 Security
7 Database Design
Part III (Chapters 8 - 14) MySQL Programming
8 Database Applications
9 Perl
10 Python
11 PHP
12 C API
13 Java
14 Extending MySQL
Part IV (Chapters 15 - 20) MySQL Reference
15 SQL Syntax for MySQL
16 MySQL Data Types
17 Operations and Functions
18 MySQL PHP API Reference
19 C Reference
20 The Python DB-API
Index
You can purchase Managing and Using MySQL: Second Edition from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to submit yours, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
O'Reilly (Score:4, Insightful)
Every time I read an O'Reilly book it reminds me of why they're the only thing in my book case (of the computer nerdish-tech know how sort).
Awesome stuff.
Re:MySQL (Score:2, Insightful)
Stored procedures are terribly simple to implement in whatever's driving your database, so there's really no point in bloating MySQL with them.
If you're going to point out the lack of transaction support, have a look at this [mysql.com].
If you're just going for early post E-Z Karma, well done.
Great, now we're going to have a war... (Score:5, Insightful)
You can't even mention MySQL without the know-it-alls coming out of the woodwork. You'd think the mere mention of MySQL offends their sense of personal or national pride or something. If MySQL isn't your taste, doesn't meet your needs, isn't robust enough, whatever, then don't use it. Use PostreSQL or another RDBMS. Why people continue to begrudge other's use of MySQL is beyond me...
-B
[OT] Can anything get a rating besides 9? (Score:4, Insightful)
I would like to see someone review a book that isn't very good, and tell us why. It almost seems that these great book reviews are being pushed so someone can make some bucks through an affiliate program.
Re:if only.... (Score:2, Insightful)
To everyone concered about stored procedures: GO USE POSTGRES!!!!
To everyone that needs a FAST database:Use MySQL!!
To everyone that has too much money: Go buy Oracle
I hope this ends this silly string of people whining about stored procedures.
Re:Great, now we're going to have a war... (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm not sure which niche MySQL is supposed to fill (Score:3, Insightful)
I have never been able to tell which niche MySQL is supposed to occupy. Is there really a niche where it doesn't matter if the database is corrupted? Is there really any niche where it doesn't matter if transactional integrity isn't maintained? MySQL does not provide any recovery functionality!
I can understand the point in lightweight software. But ACID features and transactions are at the very core of what constitutes a database; they are not "bloatware features" like the microsoft paperclip. Having a database without data integrity is like having a word processor which can't save files. It doesn't matter how lightweight it is.
Re:MySQL (Score:1, Insightful)
When you leave the little league and you're dealing with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of business each month -- not everything can be JOIN'ed. Accounting is a very tricky subject, and you can't always make a single clean query to your database to get the data out right -- no matter how beautiful the design is. Accounting laws change, business practices change, your company enters into completely new lines of business with very different regulations; a whole host of things make providing the data to the accountants a very "fun" job.
Sure, the situation in the post you replied to may not be "common" for your line of work, but that just means you have the luxury of not doing my job (or the guy's who posted it -- I can feel his/her pain).