The Art of SQL - Book Review

The Art of SQL teaches the general skills and describes the subtlties necessary to use a relational database management system (RDBMS) properly. Stephane Faroult focuses on why and when the strategies he details are appropriate. This is not a tips 'n' tricks for [PostgreSQL / Oracle / MySQL] book.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone responsible for designing an application's data model or improving an existing one.

The Art of SQL is written in a very personal, humorous way and I could tell I was learning from Faroult's hard-earned lessons. I read most of this book while attending an "Art of Teradata" class / seminar taught by a top-shelf Teradata consultant. Both the Art of SQL and Teradata are strong proponents of properly normalized data models and I have to say I've drunk that Kool-Aid. That I've also fixed several de-normalization problems probably helps with that, too.

Remember...schemas are forever. This book can help you to avoid creating a mistake or help you get out of one.

New Job - Avnet

Oops, I've done it again.

I've accepted a position at Avnet and I'm really looking forward to it. I'll be the technical lead for a team building applications to support Avnet's supply chain. Since Avnet's business is distribution of electronics (like what Freescale, my soon-to-be-former employer, manufactures), my work will have a direct impact on the revenue-producing portion of Avnet's business.

This is my favorite place to be.