Completely New to SQL

Hi everyone. I just started a job as Quality Assurance, and am wanting to learn about SQL to help me out. Are there any books out there you recommend? I was looking at this book Amazon.com: Beginning SQL Joes 2 Pros: The SQL Hands-On Guide for Beginners (SQL Exam Prep Series 70-433 Volume 1 of 5) (Sql Design Series) (9781439253175): Rick A Morelan, Doug Fritz, Jessica Brown, Peter D. Kendall: Books

I am completely new to SQL and was wondering what you guys recommmend.

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Comments

Alif_Sadida_Ekin

When I first started out, I used this website to get the basics down: SQL Tutorial

I then instilled it with this: Amazon.com: Sams Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes (3rd Edition) (9780672325670): Ben Forta: Books

I got really proficient by actually writing queries myself and looking at scripts that the DBAs and developers created at my jobs. Also, taking an introductory database class as part of my degree program helped as well.

Alif_Sadida_Ekin

Also, one question. Are you trying to learn the SQL language or Microsoft SQL Server? If it's the language, then my advise in the previous post still stands. If it's the actual RDBMS then you'll want a book that specifically deals with MS SQL Server.

lockdnloaded

I have used these two:
Learning SQL ,O'Reilly(12.00 dollars at books a million-it was on clearance)
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 T-SQL Fundamentals. , Itzik Ben ***(great book)

Good luck!

RobertKaucher

lockdnloaded wrote: »

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 T-SQL Fundamentals. , Itzik Ben-Gan (great book)

Good luck!

Every serious SQL Server professional should read that book and follow it with Inside SQL Server 2008 T-SQL Querying. Regarding the Fundamentals book, it might cover the basics but it covers them in an amazing amount of detail. But I don't think it should be your first SQL book. Most people would probably be frightened off by it.

LCA

I've been studying SQL Server daily now for nearly 5 months and feel that I'm only just starting to get my head around it. This stuff really rows my boat but I'd have to say if I wasn't so into it I'd find it damn hard to learn properly.

I too warmly recommend the T-SQL books by Itzik Ben-Gan mentioned above. They're much more readable than the T-SQL sections of BOL which can get mind boggling very quickly.

Xcluziv

Alif_Sadida_Ekin wrote: »

When I first started out, I used this website to get the basics down: SQL Tutorial

I then instilled it with this: Amazon.com: Sams Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes (3rd Edition) (9780672325670): Ben Forta: Books

I got really proficient by actually writing queries myself and looking at scripts that the DBAs and developers created at my jobs. Also, taking an introductory database class as part of my degree program helped as well.

SAM's tutorial books are great! I used one while learning LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP) for my senior project. Helped out tremendously and gave me a better understandning of what I was doing.

Also, I have been reading this when I can get it from our DBA who let me borrow it: Amazon.com The Guru's Guide to Transact-SQL . This has helped me out tremendously learning a few things in regards to creating queries in SQL Server