Does the world really need another book on structured query language (SQL)? A quick search on Amazon returned 17,355 results for books with “SQL” in the title. The answer, in my opinion, is an unqualified yes, if it has the scope and pedagogy of this one.

This book offers a fresh and friendly approach for nontechnical people to learn SQL. It consists of 11 chapters. Chapter 4 introduces the SELECT statement, and most of the remaining chapters describe the various clauses that go with it. The book utilizes the popular SQLite database management system (DBMS) and its sidekick SQLite Studio, rather than the typical use of Microsoft Access in introductory database books. They are introduced in chapter 3. Chapter 9 covers database design with the CREATE TABLE statement, and chapter 10 summarizes the SQL statements for managing data: INSERT, DELETE, TRUNCATE TABLE, UPDATE, and DROP TABLE. Appendix A details SQL operators and functions.

This book pairs well with the data carpentry approach for universal data literacy, which also uses SQLite. Data carpentry develops and teaches workshops for “learners who have little to no prior computational experience.” Learners who have gotten a start with Getting started learning SQL on their own can expand their understanding during the tutor-assisted data carpentry workshops as they work more with SQL and SQLite on domain-specific assignments in the life, physical, and social sciences [1].

Data analysts interested in going deeper into SQL should review the animated database courseware (ADbC) site. ADbC is “a set of interactive modules designed to support the teaching of database concepts” [2]. In addition to having a handy guide, learners can learn about the various statements in Getting started and then execute them in the ADbC interactive SQL module to get instant feedback from a computer tutor about their misunderstandings or misconceptions.

ADbC also provides modules on database design: entity-relationship (ER) notations and ER database transformations, functional dependencies, normalization, and denormalization; transactions: concurrency and recovery; and security: access control, security matrix, row-level security, SQL injection, database inference, and database auditing. In other words, ADbC explores the structured part of SQL that learners need to learn and experience in addition to the syntax of the language.

Database engineers interested in learning the ins and outs of SQL with different database management systems should dive into Kroenke & Auer’s latest textbook [6], which takes a deep dive into all things relational database, and compares and contrasts Microsoft Access, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, and Oracle Database, and provides examples, exercises, and projects for each DBMS. Getting started is a lightweight at 116 pages. Database processing [3] is a heavyweight, with 605 pages. After marching through all of the material, and multiple DBMSs covered in this textbook, learners will certainly move beyond beginner to higher levels of competency.

Myers and Douglas assert that learners of SQL “have problems with language features, program concepts and the legacy of their prior learning” [4]. Getting started with SQL provides beginners with a clear and concise introduction to SQL and relational databases. The approach taken in this book addresses both cognitive and experiential learning styles, providing learners the opportunity to learn the language while hiding most of the details of the database system behind the curtain.

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