ISBN:0596002653Book Description
MySQL is the most popular SQL database in the open source community and is used almost universally by web sites running on open source systems. As powerful and flexible as it is lightweight and efficient, MySQL packs a large feature set into a very small and fast engine that now runs on more than 500,000 servers. This renowned online manual that has supported MySQL administrators and database developers for years is now available in paperback format. This book is an exact reproduction of the MySQL Reference Manual from the MySQL development team's Web site, minus some non-technical appendices. This version covers MySQL 4.0. Many sophisticated topics appear in this comprehensive manual, ranging from the hitches you may run into when first installing MySQL to internals that will help you tune your queries. MySQL Reference Manual contains all the comprehensive reference material one would expect for building the product, running administrative utilities, and using various API as well as MySQL's rich version of SQL. In addition, you can turn a page and find such unexpected riches as:
- A thorough comparison of MySQL with SQL standards and other databases
- A discussion of privileges and suggested uses of privileges to enhance security
- Directions for replicating a database and for running several MySQL servers on a single system
- Directions for initializing a database from a flat file
- Guidelines for estimating the performance of different queries
- A far-reaching discussion of optimization, with reference to the implementation of MySQL
- Investigations of the differences between data types and the pros and cons of each type of number, string, or timestamp
- An extended inquiry into the effects of using delayed inserts
- A candid explanation of why various errors occur and how to recover from them
- Tips for weighted, full-text searches
- Detailed descriptions of the features, strengths, and weaknesses of available table formats
- A guide to adding new functions to MySQL
Reviews From AMAZON.COM
MySQL Reference
This is simply the printed version of the online documentation. This is very handy to have when you are not in front of your keyboard. I use the printed and online versions equally. The layout of the printed version is not the best by any means. Used in conjunction with the online documentation, you will find what you need though. This book should be on any PHP/MySQL programmer's shelf.
As stated earlier, complete but poorly organised...
This book is the printed version of the online documentation available through the MySQL site. It is the definitive version of documentation for MySQL, but it is also left wanting. The authors, two of the principle programmers of MySQL, provide comprehensive coverage of all aspects of MySQL.
That being said, one of the biggest problem with this book is not its subject coverage, but its organization. Most technical books begin with installation instructions, or a brief overview of the software's purpose and the need it addresses and then moves into technical subjects. This one spends the first 10% telling you why you should use MySQL, and only then does it start delving into technical matters.
Skipping past that, the book's other big shortcoming is that it's biased towards a Unix mindset. Granted, the software was developed on Unix and the largest portion of deployments are on *nix. However, as a long-time Windows user with little *nix familiarity, a lot of the material is over my head. If they want Windows users to use MySQL correctly, they're going to have to make it much easier for Windows users/admins to understand.
The one thing I found the book does really well is to teach you exactly how to use MySQL using SQL, and documenting well where MySQL diverges from ANSI SQL compliance. The portion of the book strictly dedicated to teaching the user how to use it is well-written and thorough, I wish the rest of the manual was written this well.