Slashdot Mirror
The Definitive Guide to MySQL 5
jsuda writes "The Definitive Guide to MYSQL 3rd Edition certainly deserves its
title. It is a large, dense, complete guide to MySQL and updates its predecessor
edition by covering new MySQL5 and new auxiliary software including database administration
tools and interfaces. MySQL is the open-source database software which has become
very popular for web-based database applications now being used by Yahoo, NASA,
Slashdot, and other entities. Read on for the rest of Jsudas' review
The Definitive Guide to MySQL 5 3rd Edition
author
Michael Kofler
pages
748
publisher
Apress
rating
7
reviewer
John Suda
ISBN
1-59059-535-1
summary
The Definitive Guide to Mysql 5
The author of this book, Michael Kofler, has a Ph.D. degree in computer science and is an accomplished writer of technical books. The audience is intermediate to high-level database designers and programmers. Although the presentation assumes little prior knowledge of MySQL and databases, it does assume a good amount of contact with and knowledge of programming languages. The topic of this book does not lend itself to an easy, flowing writing style. Reading through this complex material is like chewing on heavy New England pound cake. That is not a criticism of the author as he thoroughly presents the topics in a comprehensive, workmanlike, textbook-like manner. The discussions of databases and MySQL features are lightened by numerous table, charts, graphics, and examples of relevant matters.
The updating from the 2nd Edition of The Definitive Guide involves the upgrade of MySQL from version 4.1 to 5.0 which now provides support for Unicode, the sub-SELECT and GIS functions, improved authorization features, addition of stored procedures, and other new commands and server options. It also includes discussion of new or updated auxiliary software used with MySQL, like PHPAdmin and new interfaces for Open Office, Star Office, and Apo.NET.
There are six parts with twenty-three chapters and 3 appendices, amounting to 748 pages with index. The parts entail an introduction to MySQL and databases, administrative tools and user interfaces, fundamentals of database design, programming using MySQL, and detailed content references. The appendices include short segments of a glossary, bibliography, and notes about the sample code files available for downloading from the publisher's website at http://www.apress.com./
The beginning chapters introduce the basic concepts of MySQL including its client-server architecture, tables, fields, queries, keys, and the distinction between relational and object-oriented databases. The author focuses the bulk of the book on relational databases. The many features of MySQL are itemized and other matters like licensing and setting up test environments are discussed. A large segment of this early material offers instruction on installing under Windows and Unix/Linux platforms and configuring the installations for function, usability, and security. An introductory example of building an opinion poll application with PHP is provided.
Chapters 4 - 6 cover a number of administrative tools to use with MySQL, including mysqladmin, mysqldump, and PHPAdmin. The author spells out how to install and configure, set up user management and security, create and edit databases, import and export data, and use auxiliary functions, among other things.
The best chapter, in my view, is Chapter 8 on database design. The technical aspects of databases are well-covered, like the various table types and data types, but the more theoretical aspects are noted in some length. There is some art in creating databases and tables which is above the technological. Correct design with related tables is crucial to efficiency, ease of use, accuracy, ability to revise, and consistency. A segment on "tips and tricks" in database design is especially interesting.
The bulk of Part 3 contains a comprehensive presentation of SQL features, syntax, configuration, and security issues, The new functions of version 5 are explored, like GIS and stored procedures and triggers. A section on transactions for advanced users and setups is nicely done. For novice users, mention is made of the "--I-am-a-dummy" option which warns and provides a second chance to avoid inadvertent updating or deleting of a table. Chapter 14 is all about maintenance issues - backing up, importing, logging, and replication.
Part 4 deals with how to combine MySQL with programming languages like PHP, perl, Java, C, Visual Basic, and Visual Basic.NET. Each is treated similarly - detailing features, concepts, syntax, and programming techniques. Most of the attention is given to PHP, which is described as a natural companion to MySQL for use in developing dynamic web applications.
Chapter 21 is a comprehensive SQL reference of operations, functions, data types, variables and constants, and commands. There are a large number of charts and tables to bring order to the dense material. Chapter 23 contains material on the various API's which can interact with MySQL. These include PHP.API, perl.API, JDBC, ADO-net, and C.API.
For those with a need to know, and those with a desire to learn MySQL, this volume contains nearly everything you would want and expect, not only about MySQL itself but about the software that interacts with it or web servers. The author deserves credit for presenting the dense material in a thorough and orderly manner."
You can purchase The Definitive Guide to MySQL 5 3rd Edition from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
The author of this book, Michael Kofler, has a Ph.D. degree in computer science and is an accomplished writer of technical books. The audience is intermediate to high-level database designers and programmers. Although the presentation assumes little prior knowledge of MySQL and databases, it does assume a good amount of contact with and knowledge of programming languages. The topic of this book does not lend itself to an easy, flowing writing style. Reading through this complex material is like chewing on heavy New England pound cake. That is not a criticism of the author as he thoroughly presents the topics in a comprehensive, workmanlike, textbook-like manner. The discussions of databases and MySQL features are lightened by numerous table, charts, graphics, and examples of relevant matters.
The updating from the 2nd Edition of The Definitive Guide involves the upgrade of MySQL from version 4.1 to 5.0 which now provides support for Unicode, the sub-SELECT and GIS functions, improved authorization features, addition of stored procedures, and other new commands and server options. It also includes discussion of new or updated auxiliary software used with MySQL, like PHPAdmin and new interfaces for Open Office, Star Office, and Apo.NET.
There are six parts with twenty-three chapters and 3 appendices, amounting to 748 pages with index. The parts entail an introduction to MySQL and databases, administrative tools and user interfaces, fundamentals of database design, programming using MySQL, and detailed content references. The appendices include short segments of a glossary, bibliography, and notes about the sample code files available for downloading from the publisher's website at http://www.apress.com./
The beginning chapters introduce the basic concepts of MySQL including its client-server architecture, tables, fields, queries, keys, and the distinction between relational and object-oriented databases. The author focuses the bulk of the book on relational databases. The many features of MySQL are itemized and other matters like licensing and setting up test environments are discussed. A large segment of this early material offers instruction on installing under Windows and Unix/Linux platforms and configuring the installations for function, usability, and security. An introductory example of building an opinion poll application with PHP is provided.
Chapters 4 - 6 cover a number of administrative tools to use with MySQL, including mysqladmin, mysqldump, and PHPAdmin. The author spells out how to install and configure, set up user management and security, create and edit databases, import and export data, and use auxiliary functions, among other things.
The best chapter, in my view, is Chapter 8 on database design. The technical aspects of databases are well-covered, like the various table types and data types, but the more theoretical aspects are noted in some length. There is some art in creating databases and tables which is above the technological. Correct design with related tables is crucial to efficiency, ease of use, accuracy, ability to revise, and consistency. A segment on "tips and tricks" in database design is especially interesting.
The bulk of Part 3 contains a comprehensive presentation of SQL features, syntax, configuration, and security issues, The new functions of version 5 are explored, like GIS and stored procedures and triggers. A section on transactions for advanced users and setups is nicely done. For novice users, mention is made of the "--I-am-a-dummy" option which warns and provides a second chance to avoid inadvertent updating or deleting of a table. Chapter 14 is all about maintenance issues - backing up, importing, logging, and replication.
Part 4 deals with how to combine MySQL with programming languages like PHP, perl, Java, C, Visual Basic, and Visual Basic.NET. Each is treated similarly - detailing features, concepts, syntax, and programming techniques. Most of the attention is given to PHP, which is described as a natural companion to MySQL for use in developing dynamic web applications.
Chapter 21 is a comprehensive SQL reference of operations, functions, data types, variables and constants, and commands. There are a large number of charts and tables to bring order to the dense material. Chapter 23 contains material on the various API's which can interact with MySQL. These include PHP.API, perl.API, JDBC, ADO-net, and C.API.
For those with a need to know, and those with a desire to learn MySQL, this volume contains nearly everything you would want and expect, not only about MySQL itself but about the software that interacts with it or web servers. The author deserves credit for presenting the dense material in a thorough and orderly manner."
You can purchase The Definitive Guide to MySQL 5 3rd Edition from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
...that the first and second editions weren't all that definative?
The problem with buying "new and improved" is the revelation that all along you'd been using "old and inverior".
Socialism: A feeling of discontent and resentment caused by a desire for the possessions or qualities of another.
Please put all of your stupid, self-important comments about how MySQL sucks, isn't a real database, etc., in this thread so the rest of us can easily ignore them. Thanks.
totally... i was wandering in my favorite geek bookstore yesterday... it's weird to look at the shelves, at the rows and rows of thick, expensive books, and think... "i've had no trouble with the online help for that one, and that one, and that one..."
people will spend money on just about anything... but, in fairness, it can be nice to have a guide that you can flip through some times... i don't like online doucmentation for everything but it has its place... a lot of these books though seem a bit much
It bothers me a bit that the reviewer considered the content intermediate to advanced, yet found the database design chapter most informative. Design in my opinion should be mostly irrelavent to the database its implemented on. Sure, you can optimize certain aspects of a design based on the features of the database server, but this should not define the design. Design should be a study in itself and not something thrown in for the sake of completeness.
However, considering the average DB design skillz of a commonplace/low-rent PHP developer (or at least the ones I have had to clean up after). I am hopeful that more developers using PHP/MySQL will actually take the time to look at the content in this or other definitive books on MySQL.
Five years ago, when I first learned PHP, I needed a tutorial-style book to help me along. Granted, the PHP documentation is AWESOME as a reference, especially considering there are functions for practically anything you can think of. However, I can definitely say that having a book that went through the basics first in a style where one could easily learn the language from scratch helped me out a lot.
(If anyone's trying to learn PHP, by the way, I highly recommend Sams' Teach Yourself PHP In 24 Hours. If you don't feel like buying a book, you could also check out the PHP Wikibook [Disclaimer: I have added parts.])
It's better to vote for what you want and not get it than to vote for what you don't want and get it.
- E. Debs
Perhaps something less insulting to the user should have been chosen? e.g. "--novice" or "--safety=on"? I understand that they're trying to be funny, but they've never seen a highly frustrated newbie before. The poor sap may be so flustered that having the documentation call him a "dummy" might just be the last straw.
Alternatively, your boss might not find it so funny when you tell him you'll just flip on the "I'm a dummy" flag. I know that my boss wasn't too impressed when I told him that I was going to use Bouncy Castle for encryption. The API is really great, but the name doesn't exactly scream "Professionsl!"
In the same vein, I always got a kick out of the naming for the ElectricFire JVM. From "How did the project get it's name?":
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
Unfortunately, the book expects the installation of several non-essential packages beyond the MySQL client and server. These include Apache, PHP, phpMyAdmin, and Perl (Chapter 2). Then, the introductory example (Chapter 3) is mostly about programming and testing an application in PHP with a MySQL database as a backend. At this point, I realized that the organization of the book did not meet my needs and purchased "MySQL (Third Edition)" by Paul DuBois, the organization of which demonstrates that it really concentrates on MySQL and which is actually the definitive guide I was originally looking for.
Best,
url80, The Bounty Network
"That is not a criticism of the author..." You can say that again.
Aside from a few sentences of vague praise, the bulk of this "book review" is a summary of the table of contents.
Like this book states in its title, it focuses on MySQL.
It also claims to be the definitive guide. If something is definitive, it's got to be complete. You can't properly use a SQL DBMS without understanding the principles of the SQL language.
This is especially true since MySQL takes liberties with the SQL standard which already diverges widely from the relational model.
With The Definitive Guide to MySQL 5, Michael Kofler masterfully concocts an intelligent and lucid thriller that marries the gusto of an international murder mystery with a collection of fascinating esoteria culled from 2,000 years of Western history.
A murder in the silent after-hour halls of the Louvre museum reveals a sinister plot to uncover a secret that has been protected by a clandestine society since the days of Christ. The victim is a high-ranking agent of this ancient society who, in the moments before his death, manages to leave gruesome clues at the scene that only his granddaughter, noted cryptographer Sophie Neveu, and Robert Langdon, a famed symbologist, can untangle. The duo become both suspects and detectives searching for not only Neveu's grandfather's murderer but also the stunning secret of the ages he was charged to protect. Mere steps ahead of the authorities and the deadly competition, the mystery leads Neveu and Langdon on a breathless flight through France, England, and history itself. Kofler has created a page-turning thriller that also provides an amazing interpretation of Western history. Kofler's hero and heroine embark on a lofty and intriguing exploration of some of Western culture's greatest mysteries--from the nature of the Mona Lisa's smile to the secret of the Holy Grail. Though some will quibble with the veracity of Kofler's conjectures, therein lies the fun. The Definitive Guide to MySQL 5 is an enthralling read that provides rich food for thought.
If a baby duck is a "duckling," why would anyone want to eat "dumplings?"
Well, given that MySQL's online documentation in the past claimed that you didn't need transactions and triggers and that you were better off without them, I don't blame people for looking elsewhere for docs.
"Sufferin' succotash."
I'm really not that keen on the MySQL online docs - they are nowhere near as good as the PHP docs (especially the user notes), and there's a lot that's undocumented (seems to be much I search for). For example, where can you find out about logging warnings? I'd hope that a definitive guide was quite a bit better than the online docs.