Joe Celko's SQL Puzzles and Answers (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Data Management Systems)

Great Book

There's nothing else like this book on the market (that I've seen). Great (and interesting) SQL challenges.

Buen libro. Presenta retos difíciles de vencer. Ideas ingeniosas, útiles en el campo laboral. Requiere alto nivel técnico para su comprensión, pero al igual que los otros libros de Celko, es excelente.

I expected the SQL Puzzels to be database queries.

Short Review: This book is for all of them who enjoy little puzzles or just something which gives them challenge. Some puzzles took hours to solve and some were straight forward. This book teaches you some basic principles and patterns as well satisfy your need for brain teasers. Detail Review: This book for all the SQL programmers regardless of database language you prefer. Book contains examples in different languages (SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase, Informix etc). If reader is absolute beginner this book is not what reader needs to start. This book is perfect for someone who has industry experience or has deep understanding of different SQL concepts. This book contains 75 different puzzles. Each puzzle starts with puzzle definition or question and follows by multiple answers. Answers vary by either techniques or programming languages, in many cases both. Puzzles contained in this book are like typical day to day work problems, many time any developer can find the solution if they spend some time on it. However, some problems are quite unique in their own way and reading them gives broader idea of database programming. One thing I will note about book is the quality of the puzzle, as other reviewer has noted some puzzles are just not puzzle but simple problems which can be solved easily by experienced developer. Not all developers are on same level and I am sure every reader has their own opinion and choice. The idea on which the book is written is very simple - "Think out of the box". The problems are real, the solutions are real and multiple answers from wide verity of participants - this makes this book worth the time. Every solution has its own flair and taste. If any problem is attempted with right technique and sound theory it is always easy to reach resolution. There is no source code available to download for this book so reader will have to write everything by their own. It is good in one way as ideally all readers should try to solve each puzzles by their own, however, source code will sure help many ways. Rating: 4 Stars Summary: I think this book should be there available for every database developer who has reached advanced level. If developer can solve most of the puzzles from this book he sure is advanced level developer, if not while trying to solve them he will reach advanced level. Pinal Dave Principal Database Administrator (blog.sqlauthority.com)

This book is for a typical sql programmer. Some puzzles took me hours of fun trying to solve them on my own. Trying to solve the puzzle that will run on all databases(Oracle,MS-SQLSERVER OR SYBASE, Informix). Once in a while, I found that there's a specific database function that can be replaced a bunch of line of code. If you are new to SQL this is not a book for you. But this book have good mental exercises for the typical SQL programmer. My only negative comment is that the solutions is right after (within or the next page)of the puzzle. Somehow you can glanced at solution sql itself.

I agree with "online shopper"; these puzzles do not present anything out of the ordinary for a day-to-day SQL programmer. If you are looking to learn some basic principles and patterns, this book will definitely satisfy you. If you are looking to be stymied and actual beat your head against the wall, you bought the wrong book. I ended up selling my book within a week.

A collection of problems (75), to relevant real world situations which have been curated from submissions online and in database magazines. Various solutions are given for each with brief explanations. Unfortunately many of the solutions are very old and mostly written is SQL-89 or SQL-92 and referencing flavours of SQL where at the time joins such as full outer or analytical functions hadn’t been implemented. A useful starter for people wanting to learn about approaches to solving problems but much of the code could be rewritten using modern constructs.

Joe Celko gibt mit diesem Buch einen auf seine Weise übliche legere Art Anregungen bei der Lösung von Problemen sich mehr als einmal die Frage zu stellen: Was will ich wirklich? Die Puzzels sind klar fomuliert und werden jeweils auf sehr unterschiedliche Weise gelöst, oder vielleicht doch nicht, was wollte Joe nochmal ? Jedenfalls ist dies ein großartiges Buch, um auf eine entspannte Art SQL kennen und denken zu lernen.