In just 24 sessions of one hour or less, you'll learn how to use SQL to build effective databases, efficiently retrieve your data, and manage everything from performance to security! Using this book's straightforward, step-by-step approach, you'll learn hands-on through practical examples. Each lesson builds on what you've already learned, giving you a strong real-world foundation for success. The authors guide you from the absolute basics to advanced techniques--including views, transactions, Web data publishing, and even powerful SQL extensions for Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server!

Step-by-step instructions carefully walk you through the most common SQL tasks.

Quizzes and Exercises at the end of each chapter help you test your knowledge.

By the Way notes present interesting information related to the discussion.

Did You Know? tips offer advice or show you easier ways to perform tasks.

Watch Out! cautions alert you to possible problems and give you advice on how to avoid them.

Learn how to...

• Understand what SQL is, how it works, and what it does
• Define efficient database structures and objects
• "Normalize" raw databases into logically organized tables
• Edit relational data and tables with DML
• Manage database transactions
• Write effective, well-performing queries
• Categorize, summarize, sort, group, and restructure data
• Work with dates and times
• Join tables in queries, use subqueries, and combine multiple queries
• Master powerful query optimization techniques
• Administer databases and manage users
• Implement effective database security
• Use views, synonyms, and the system catalog
• Extend SQL to the enterprise and Internet
• Master important Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server extensions to ANSI SQL