* With more than three million users, MySQL is the most popular open-source database server in the world, providing an extremely fast, reliable, and inexpensive alternative to commercial database management systems
* Gives corporate users a complete guide to building enterprise-level database applications with MySQL
* Covers the pros and cons of adopting MySQL and installing, testing, and configuring the MySQL server
* Written by one of the lead programmers of the MySQL product and reviewed by Monty Widenius, the creator of MySQL
* Companion Web site includes all code examples as well as links to useful online resources

While MySQL has turned up among high profile users such as Yahoo!, NASA and the U.S. Census Bureau, the rising popularity of this open source database is especially keen among users with little database experience. These days, even a small organization or web site has uses for a database, and MySQL is an obvious choice. Affordable and easy to use, MySQL packs the power, speed and efficiency that enable it to rival expensive, proprietary database solutions. Yet, even if you know the basics, anyone without practical MySQL experience--novices and skilled DBAs alike--might stumble over common database-related tasks. Fortunately, there's a sensible shortcut.

MySQL Cookbook provides a unique problem-and-solution format that offers practical examples for everyday programming dilemmas. For every problem addressed in the book, there's a worked-out solution or "recipe"--short, focused pieces of code that you can insert directly into your applications. But MySQL Cookbook is more than a collection of cut-and-paste code. You also get explanations of how and why the code works, so you can learn to adapt the techniques to similar situations.

In a previous book, (SQL for Smarties, 2nd ed, MK, 1999) the author wrote two chapters on programming techniques for representing trees and hierarchies in SQL. Ever since then, he has answered constant personal emails and/or postings on various database-related Internet newsgroups on this topic. This isn't surprising. Trees and hierarchies are a natural way to organize information and they appear everywhere in computer science, from indexing structures (i.e. B-Tree indexing) to encoding schemes (i.e. Dewey Decimal Classification system for libraries) to hierarchical databases like IMS. Even XML and related markup languages�which interact with databases--are based on tree structures. Every SQL programmer is faced with the challenge of creating these structures, which are not easy to master and have far-reaching programmatic effects.

� Joe Celko is a best-selling author and SQL cult hero, whose first book (SQL for Smarties) sold over 40,000 copies over two editions.
� This is the first developer's guide that addresses a topic that is universally difficult for programmer's to master.
� This book is web-enhanced with downloadable SQL code, ready to use.

The unexpected pleasure of reading books about databases is that they are often written by authors with highly organized minds. Paul DuBois and his editors at New Riders have assembled MySQL with a clarity and lucidity that inspires confidence in the subject matter: a (nearly) freely redistributable SQL-interpreting database client/server primarily geared for Unix systems but maintained for Windows platforms as well. What isn't "free" about MySQL (the application) is its server's commercial use; all clients and noncommercial server use are free. DuBois's tome isn't free either, but its list price is modest in light of its value and the value of its namesake. The volume is superbly organized into 12 chapters and 10 appendices and contains a concise table of contents and a comprehensive 50-page index. It is peppered with references to the online HTML documentation that comes with the source and binary distributions (which are available and easy to install in stable rpm and tar releases.) The first third of MySQL is an excellent instruction tool for database newbies; the second third is a detailed reference for MySQL developers; and the last third consists of clearly annotated appendices, including C, Perl (but not Python), and PHP interfaces.
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