SQL for Dummies

SQL is the internationally recognized standard language for dealing with data in relational databases. Originally developed by IBM, SQL became an international standard in 1986. The standard was updated in 1989, 1992, 1999, and 2003. It continues to evolve and gain capability. Database vendors continually update their products to incorporate the new features of the ANSI/ISO standard. (ANSI is the American National Standards Institute, and ISO is the International Organization for Standardization.) SQL is not a general-purpose language, such as C++ or Java. Instead, it is strictly designed to deal with data in relational databases. With SQL, you can

✦Create a database, including all tables and relationships
✦Fill database tables with data
✦Change the data in database tables
✦Delete data from database tables
✦Retrieve specific information from database tables
✦Grant and revoke access to database tables
✦Protect database tables from corruption due to access conflicts or user mistakes

About This Book
This book is not just about SQL, but also about how SQL fits into the process of creating and maintaining databases and database applications. In this book, I cover how SQL fits into the larger world of application development and how it handles data coming in from other computers, which may be on the other side of the world, or even in interplanetary space. Here are some of the things you can do with this book:

✦Create a model of a proposed system and then translate that model into a database
✦Find out about the capabilities and limitations of SQL
✦Discover how to develop reliable and maintainable database systems
✦Create databases
✦Speed up database queries
✦Protect databases from hardware failures, software bugs, and Internet attacks
✦Control access to sensitive information
✦Write effective database applications
✦Deal with data from a variety of non-traditional data sources using XML

Introduction
Book I : SQL Concepts
Book II : Relational Database Development
Book III : SQL QUeries
Book IV : Data Security
Book V : SQL and Programming
Book VI : SQL and XML
Book VII : Database Tuning Overview
Book VIII : Appendixes
Index