As more and more data floods into your company, you need to put it to work right away—and SQL is a vital tool for getting the job done. With the latest edition of this introductory guide, author Alan Beaulieu helps developers quickly get up to speed with SQL fundamentals for writing database applications, performing administrative tasks, and generating reports. You’ll find new chapters on SQL and big data, working with very large databases, and analytic functions.

Each chapter presents a self-contained lesson on a key SQL concept or technique using numerous illustrations and annotated examples. Exercises at the end of each chapter let you practice the skills you learn. Knowledge of SQL is a must for interacting with data. With Learning SQL, you’ll quickly learn how to put the power and flexibility of this language to work.

With this book, you’ll:

• Move quickly through SQL basics and learn several advanced features
• Use SQL data statements to generate, manipulate, and retrieve data
• Create database objects, such as tables, indexes, and constraints, using SQL schema statements
• Learn how datasets interact with queries and understand the importance of subqueries
• Convert and manipulate data with SQL's built-in functions and use conditional logic in data statements