Amazon.co.uk Review
Managing and Using MySQL describes the installation, administration and programming of this hugely popular open source database manager. The main focus is on using MySQL in Web applications hosted on Linux or Unix. The book is based on
MySQL 3.23. It’s aimed at programmers, but database design and the SQL language are explained from scratch, so it’s also suitable for Web developers who are beginners when it comes to databases.
The scene is set with a brief history of MySQL, explaining its position as a fast and generally free alternative to the fuller-featured commercial heavyweights like Oracle or DB2. Next comes an introduction to SQL, followed by three chapters on administration, covering configuration, data recovery, tuning, security and user management. There's a brief look at database design too. That accounts for around one third of the book. The rest is about programming with chapters on using MySQL from Perl, Python, PHP and Java, and a look at how to extend MySQL with user-defined functions written in C. The last part of the book is a reference section, covering SQL syntax and functions, along with the MySQL API in PHP, C, and Python.
This is an excellent book for getting started with MySQL as well as a convenient reference. It has a broad scope, which means it does not go deeply into the various topics. For example, those using PHP might be better off with a more specialist title like Web Database Applications with PHP and MySQL. On the other hand, Managing and Using MySQL is ideal for a general and highly accessible overview of what MySQL can do.--Tim Anderson
Geekboy, slashdot.org, July 2, 2002
"....Overall, the authors have an excellent introduction to SQL databases and MySQL...Rating 9/10."
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