The hidden jewel of the Celko trilogy, this is one of my favorite SQL books. It takes the concepts in Celko's seminal work, SQL for Smarties, and illustrates how to apply them to solve real-world problems. As always, the book is rife with tales from Celko's long and varied career in the SQL trenches, as well as the subtle witticism for which he is famous. Like all great technical books - it's timeless - the techniques you learn today will work tomorrow because Celko follows the ANSI/ISO standard to the letter. As a fellow author, I can appreciate the work that went into writing this book - real examples require real work, especially by the author. This book belongs in the library of every would-be SQL practitioner.