SQL Hacks: Tips & Tools for Digging Into Your Data 1st Edition

Good book. It does assume you already know about SQL and is not for beginners.

Took a while to get here, but.... It is as good as new. Just as promised!

Good book but it is not talking about black hat hacking , by hack it means tips and tricks. However it is good!

This is a very useful collection of tips fordoing SQL queries. The compact design makesthis a valuable addition to any SQL library.

Two problems:1. Huge quantity of typos and writing and technical errors.2. It's definitely not "hacking" anything. At best (if it were corrected and proofread) it would be a typical cookbook: a number of loosely connected fragments of code for all kinds of potential scenarios. That's not bad, btw! But hacking it isn't. The word 'hacking' brings to mind an image of a Mad Genius as it were, but this book has absolutely nothing at this level. It's pretty much hum-drum SQL programming -- and I can see how it could be quite useful btw -- provided it didn't have so many egregious errors and typos. Snafus start right from the beginnning, and are at times mind boggling.The book does have a lot of stuff, most of which is useful -- or rather it would be if you weren't afraid it's got errors in it. You can try of course, you can proofread this book yourself: and, paradoxically, this will be good learning. But personally, when it comes to technical books, I prefer to be able to trust that they're competent and well done, rather than play an amateur editor and try to fix it as I read it.My recommendation: there's tons of similar stuff, so begin by looking for something else; if still interested, get the book into your hands and read a bit. See if you like it, see if you see errors, see if they bother you. In other words, do not buy this book sight inseen -- chances are high you will be disappointed. I regret that I didn't send this book back; YMMV of course.Good luck.----------Examples:1. Hack 11, p. 37. The goal is, I quote, "to show the date on which each customer purchased the most _totalitems_" [a tableful of data shown with columns "customer", "whn" [when, that is], and "totalitems"]. Here's the solution:SELECT customer, whn, totalitemsFROM orders o1WHERE o1.whn = (SELECT MAX(whn)FROM order o2WHERE o1.customer = o2.customer);Why are we MAX'in on date? The result shows -- no surprises -- the latest date in the table, even though more items were sold on another date.2. Hack 12, p 38. Here we adjust employee salaries based on their disciplinary record. None of this is important; what we do is produce a new salary which is the old one multiplied by something.The solution is as follows: first, let's create a view with a calculated field with the new salary so we can look at it:CREATE VIEW newSalary ASSELECT id, CASE WHEN COUNT(emp) = 0 THEN salary + 100WHEN COUNT(emp) > 1 THEN salary - 100ELSE salaryEND AS vFROM employee LEFT JOIN disciplinary ON (id = emp)GROUP BY id, salary;So far so good, however: then we update the table itself, as follows:UPDATE employeeSET slary = (SELECT v FROM newSalaryWHERE newSalary.id = employee.id)WHERE id IN (SELECT id FROM newSalary);Look at the second statement: what is the significance of the last WHERE check?The newSalary is a *view* on the employee table, and it is a view that does not exclude any records -- so what exactly are we checking now? If you've got a record to update, it is already in ! The view is on the table, it IS the table, it doesn't matter if you look at a record directly in the table or through a view, it's one and the same set element. You can't find a record in the table that's not in the view!3. Hack 13, "Choose the Right Join Style for Your Relationships", p.42 (typos): in the third paragraph, the reference to 'budget' table should have been to 'staff'; 'TRO2' should have been 'TR01'.Also, at the very beginning, "When a relationship between tables is optional, you need an OUTER JOIN. When querying over many changes, if you require an OUTER JOIN you sometimes have to change all the other INNER JOINs into OUTER JOINs."What does this mean? "When a relationship between tables is optional, you need an OUTER JOIN"? This doesn't mean a damn thing. Maybe it should be something like "an existing match" instead of "relationship"? I think so, but who knows...

I haven't found the book to be extremely useful, but it was a good read, with a few "that's another good way to do that" moments. It did get me interested in researching other topics I wasn't familiar with, bonus. If you work with SQL regularly you'll know a lot of this stuff. It is a fun easy read.

This book is a collection of 100 different hacks, ranging from the simple to the complex. Each hack involves a specific problem that you may have already seen before, but perhaps tackled in a way you wouldn't have considered. Where it is impossible to phrase a statement that is acceptable to all of MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle, and PostgreSQL, a form is used that is acceptable to at least two of the four. As MySQL is a relative newcomer, its designers have been able to build in compatibility with many of its competitors. For that reason, MySQL is usually one of the two systems that will accept the statement unchanged. That explains why most of the examples use the MySQL command-line utility. The MySQL examples are based around the version 5.0 release. However, many examples will work with the 4.2 release. Note that some hacks involve features such as referential integrity and transaction isolation, and these are implemented only for InnoDB tables and not for MyISAM tables.The examples also work for Microsoft SQL Server 2005. The SQL Server 2000 version is good enough for all but those examples that use the RANK( ) function. PostgreSQL and Oracle users should have no problem using this book, and most of the hacks will run unchanged on both systems. Oracle has many so additional features that optimizations are not mentioned. There is also plenty here for Access users, but none of the required variations are mentioned for that database. The following is the table of contents:Chapter 1, SQL Fundamentals - This is a gentle introduction to running SQL from the command line and programs. It also touches on simple SQL constructs. Even if you are already comfortable with SQL, you may find the flexibility of the SQL shown to be surprising and instructive.Hack 1. Run SQL from the Command LineHack 2. Connect to SQL from a ProgramHack 3. Perform Conditional INSERTsHack 4. UPDATE the DatabaseHack 5. Solve a Crossword Puzzle Using SQLHack 6. Don't Perform the Same Calculation Over and OverChapter 2, Joins, Unions, and Views - The hacks in this chapter concentrate on ways to use more than one table in your SQL. Different strategies are examined and discussed. If you find yourself using subqueries more than JOIN, you may also find the methods for converting subqueries to JOINs helpful.Hack 7. Modify a Schema Without Breaking Existing QueriesHack 8. Filter Rows and ColumnsHack 9. Filter on Indexed ColumnsHack 10. Convert Subqueries to JOINsHack 11. Convert Aggregate Subqueries to JOINsHack 12. Simplify Complicated UpdatesHack 13. Choose the Right Join Style for Your RelationshipsHack 14. Generate CombinationsChapter 3, Text Handling - This chapter contains a number of hacks focused on efficient and effective text querying.Hack 15. Search for Keywords Without LIKEHack 16. Search for a String Across ColumnsHack 17. Solve AnagramsHack 18. Sort Your EmailChapter 4, Date Handling - Suppose you want to calculate the second Tuesday of each month, or look for trends based on the day of the week. Both calculations are discussed, as well as other hacks involving date processing and report generation techniques.Hack 19. Convert Strings to DatesHack 20. Uncover Trends in Your DataHack 21. Report on Any Date CriteriaHack 22. Generate Quarterly ReportsHack 23. Second Tuesday of the MonthChapter 5, Number Crunching - This chapter contains a host of hacks for handling numbers, from report generation to complex spatial calculations. This was my favorite chapter.Hack 24. Multiply Across a Result SetHack 25. Keep a Running TotalHack 26. Include the Rows Your JOIN ForgotHack 27. Identify Overlapping RangesHack 28. Avoid Dividing by ZeroHack 29. Other Ways to COUNTHack 30. Calculate the Maximum of Two FieldsHack 31. Disaggregate a COUNTHack 32. Cope with Rounding ErrorsHack 33. Get Values and Subtotals in One ShotHack 34. Calculate the MedianHack 35. Tally Results into a ChartHack 36. Calculate the Distance Between GPS LocationsHack 37. Reconcile Invoices and RemittancesHack 38. Find Transposition ErrorsHack 39. Apply a Progressive TaxHack 40. Calculate RankChapter 6, Online Applications - Databases can help drive web sites, be directly controlled from a browser, and help close the gap between client and data. This chapter looks at a variety of hacks for using database systems in web-based activities.Hack 41. Copy Web Pages into a TableHack 42. Present Data Graphically Using SVGHack 43. Add Navigation Features to Web ApplicationsHack 44. Tunnel into MySQL from Microsoft AccessHack 45. Process Web Server LogsHack 46. Store Images in a DatabaseHack 47. Exploit an SQL Injection VulnerabilityHack 48. Prevent an SQL Injection AttackChapter 7, Organizing Data - Hacks in this chapter are concerned with how data can be represented in a database, how data can be managed as it is stored and retrieved, and how errors in information can be detected, managed, and repaired.Hack 49. Keep Track of Infrequently Changing ValuesHack 50. Combine Tables Containing Different DataHack 51. Display Rows As ColumnsHack 52. Display Columns As RowsHack 53. Clean Inconsistent RecordsHack 54. Denormalize Your TablesHack 55. Import Someone Else's DataHack 56. Play MatchmakerHack 57. Generate Unique Sequential NumbersChapter 8, Storing Small Amounts of Data - It is useful to parameterize queries using variables, treating the queries as functions and plugging in variables as needed. You can use standard SQL to provide parameterization, including variable scoping on a per-user or per-application basis. This chapter also looks at queries without tables, and support for inline tables.Hack 58. Store Parameters in the DatabaseHack 59. Define Personalized ParametersHack 60. Create a List of Personalized ParametersHack 61. Set Security Based on RowsHack 62. Issue Queries Without Using a TableHack 63. Generate Rows Without TablesChapter 9, Locking and Performance - This chapter examines some common issues, and presents a number of hacks on isolation levels, locking, query partitioning, and result set management, all aimed at improving query performance and minimizing delays.Hack 64. Determine Your Isolation LevelHack 65. Use Pessimistic LockingHack 66. Use Optimistic LockingHack 67. Lock Implicitly Within TransactionsHack 68. Cope with Unexpected RedoHack 69. Execute Functions in the DatabaseHack 70. Combine Your QueriesHack 71. Extract Lots of RowsHack 72. Extract a Subset of the ResultsHack 73. Mix File and Database StorageHack 74. Compare and Synchronize TablesHack 75. Minimize Bandwidth in One-to-Many JoinsHack 76. Compress to Avoid LOBsChapter 10, Reporting - SQL queries for report generation require a different approach than those used for real-time querying. This can allow you to trade query performance for readability and maintainability. This chapter includes a number of hacks for summarizing, processing, and analyzing report data.Hack 77. Fill in Missing Values in a Pivot TableHack 78. Break It Down by RangeHack 79. Identify Updates UniquelyHack 80. Play Six Degrees of Kevin BaconHack 81. Build Decision TablesHack 82. Generate Sequential or Missing DataHack 83. Find the Top n in Each GroupHack 84. Store Comma-Delimited Lists in a ColumnHack 85. Traverse a Simple TreeHack 86. Set Up Queuing in the DatabaseHack 87. Generate a CalendarHack 88. Test Two Values from a SubqueryHack 89. Choose Any Three of FiveChapter 11, Users and Administration - This chapter presents a few useful hacks on user management, both in your applications and in your database systems. It also looks at the common pitfalls in packaging a database-enabled application for easy installation.Hack 90. Implement Application-Level AccountsHack 91. Export and Import Table DefinitionsHack 92. Deploy ApplicationsHack 93. Auto-Create Database UsersHack 94. Create Users and AdministratorsHack 95. Issue Automatic UpdatesHack 96. Create an Audit TrailChapter 12, Wider Access - This chapter look at how to manage a diverse range of users who have SQL-level access to your databases.Hack 97. Allow an Anonymous AccountHack 98. Find and Stop Long-Running QueriesHack 99. Don't Run Out of Disk SpaceHack 100. Run SQL from a Web PageIt is assumed that the reader is already familiar with database theory and their own particular flavor of SQL and just needs some "recipes" to get their job done. If you fall into this category, this book will make a fine addition to your reference books.

These hacks aren't for the beginning user, but for more advanced users. The authors explain the hacks, which can be written for any of a number of different databases, but then they explain necessary changes to allow a user of a differing db product to use the hacks as well.MySQL, SQL Server, Postgres, Oracle among the ones covered.If you are looking to make a step up from a decent database user to a very good one, this is a book for you.

Found a few useful tips in this but it struck me as rather academic in it's approach rather than "real world".Also I think it tries to cover too many versions of SQL - probably best suited to mySQL over MSSQL, Oracle etc....

I love it.

I really enjoyed the book, although used, was in perfect condition. Arrived fast. Bom vendedor, recomendo. Thank you very much.