As representatives from the IT community, all of us have had our own experiences of attending interviews - clearing or close to clearing and sometimes with tons of questions and doubts failing miserably. These stories are in the most pleasant or not so pleasant memories of our mind and we will assure you this book will kindle those memories for sure. We have taken tons of interviews and most of the interviews are not revolving around how deep technical and internals you know about the subject - but it revolves around how good you are with the basics.To clear an interview, one doesn't need to know inside-out of a subject, and subjects like "SQL Server" so vast that every single day we learn something new with this product, and even a complete lifetime will fly off if we keep doing this. Again, the various roles one can get into for products like SQL Server are from Database Developer, Database Modelers, Database Architect, Database Administrator and many more. Hence, this book is geared towards demystifying and a refresher for memories on the fundamentals which sometimes are the most important things to clear any type of interview for any role. Some of the concepts discussed are generic and are not tied to any specific version of SQL Server, but most of it the new features introduced with SQL Server have been included in this book.This book is not a shortcut or a sure to crack interview guide but this book gets you prepared in an organized manner. Let us also assure you this is neither a completely comprehensive guide but surely is a great starter nevertheless. Use this to guide you and be mentally prepared for the big day. When faced with this big day, we get overwhelmed and confused about where to start our preparation. And this book is just that secret recipe in your arsenal to get geared up. Sometimes these basics will help you narrow to a solution quickly when given a scenario.Now this book's flow is "Question & Answer" mode from start till the end to help you grasp the concepts faster and to the point. Once you get an understanding of concepts, then if we are twisted with the concept in a scenario it becomes easy to solve them. Most companies have a typical way to do interviews which are based on the scenario as per their environment and these are just combinations of the concepts to fit their need and SLA.Though each of these chapters is bucketed for convenience we highly recommend reading each of the sections nevertheless irrespective of the roles you might be doing as each of the sections have some interesting trivia's working with SQL Server. In the industry, the role of accidental DBA's especially with SQL Server is so common. Hence if you have performed the role of DBA for a short stink and want to brush-up your fundamentals then the respective sections will be a great skim.

Analyze data like a pro, even if you’re a beginner. Practical SQL is an approachable and fast-paced guide to SQL (Structured Query Language), the standard programming language for defining, organizing, and exploring data in relational databases. Anthony DeBarros, a journalist and data analyst, focuses on using SQL to find the story within your data. The examples and code use the open-source database PostgreSQL and its companion pgAdmin interface, and the concepts you learn will apply to most database management systems, including MySQL, Oracle, SQLite, and others.* You’ll first cover the fundamentals of databases and the SQL language, then build skills by analyzing data from real-world datasets such as US Census demographics, New York City taxi rides, and earthquakes from US Geological Survey. Each chapter includes exercises and examples that teach even those who have never programmed before all the tools necessary to build powerful databases and access information quickly and efficiently. You’ll learn how to: Create databases and related tables using your own data Aggregate, sort, and filter data to find patterns Use functions for basic math and advanced statistical operations Identify errors in data and clean them up Analyze spatial data with a geographic information system (PostGIS) Create advanced queries and automate tasks This updated second edition has been thoroughly revised to reflect the latest in SQL features, including additional advanced query techniques for wrangling data. This edition also has two new chapters: an expanded set of instructions on for setting up your system plus a chapter on using PostgreSQL with the popular JSON data interchange format. Learning SQL doesn’t have to be dry and complicated. Practical SQL delivers clear examples with an easy-to-follow approach to teach you the tools you need to build and manage your own databases. * Microsoft SQL Server employs a variant of the language called T-SQL, which is not covered by Practical SQL.

In just 24 lessons of one hour or less, you will learn professional techniques to design and build efficient databases and query them to extract useful information. Using a straightforward, step-by-step approach, each lesson builds on the previous one, allowing you to learn the essentials of ANSI SQL from the ground up. Example code demonstrates the authors’ professional techniques, while exercises written for MySQL offer the reader hands-on learning with an open-source database. Included are advanced techniques for using views, managing transactions, database administration, and extending SQL. Step-by-step instructions carefully walk you through the most common SQL tasks. Q&As, Quizzes, and Exercises at the end of each chapter help you test your knowledge. Notes and Tips point out shortcuts and solutions. New terms are clearly defined and explained. Learn how to... Use SQL-2003, the latest standard for the Structured Query Language Design and deploy efficient, secure databases Build advanced queries for information retrieval Sort, group, and summarize information for best presentation Tune databases and queries for maximum performance Understand database administration and security techniques For more than ten years the authors have studied, applied, and documented the SQL standard and its application to critical database systems. Ryan Stephens and Ron Plew are entrepreneurs, speakers, and cofounders of Perpetual Technologies, Inc. (PTI), a fast-growing IT management and consulting firm which specializes in database technologies. They taught database courses for Indiana University–Purdue University in Indianapolis for five years and have authored more than a dozen books on Oracle, SQL, database design, and the high availability of critical systems. Arie D. Jones is Senior SQL Server database administrator and analyst for PTI. He is a regular speaker at technical events and has authored several books and articles. Category: Database Covers: ANSI SQL User Level: Beginning–Intermediate Register your book at informit.com/title/9780672330186 for convenient access to updates and corrections as they become available.

SQL is full of difficulties and traps for the unwary. You can avoid them if you understand relational theory, but only if you know how to put the theory into practice. In this insightful book, author C.J. Date explains relational theory in depth, and demonstrates through numerous examples and exercises how you can apply it directly to your use of SQL. This second edition includes new material on recursive queries, “missing information” without nulls, new update operators, and topics such as aggregate operators, grouping and ungrouping, and view updating. If you have a modest-to-advanced background in SQL, you’ll learn how to deal with a host of common SQL dilemmas. Why is proper column naming so important? Nulls in your database are causing you to get wrong answers. Why? What can you do about it? Is it possible to write an SQL query to find employees who have never been in the same department for more than six months at a time? SQL supports “quantified comparisons,” but they’re better avoided. Why? How do you avoid them? Constraints are crucially important, but most SQL products don’t support them properly. What can you do to resolve this situation? Database theory and practice have evolved since the relational model was developed more than 40 years ago. SQL and Relational Theory draws on decades of research to present the most up-to-date treatment of SQL available. C.J. Date has a stature that is unique within the database industry. A prolific writer well known for the bestselling textbook An Introduction to Database Systems (Addison-Wesley), he has an exceptionally clear style when writing about complex principles and theory.

The #1 Easy, Common-Sense Guide to SQL Queries--Updated for Today's Databases, Standards, and Challenges SQL Queries for Mere Mortals ® has earned worldwide praise as the clearest, simplest tutorial on writing effective SQL queries. The authors have updated this hands-on classic to reflect new SQL standards and database applications and teach valuable new techniques. Step by step, John L. Viescas and Michael J. Hernandez guide you through creating reliable queries for virtually any modern SQL-based database. They demystify all aspects of SQL query writing, from simple data selection and filtering to joining multiple tables and modifying sets of data. Three brand-new chapters teach you how to solve a wide range of challenging SQL problems. You'll learn how to write queries that apply multiple complex conditions on one table, perform sophisticated logical evaluations, and think "outside the box" using unlinked tables. Coverage includes -- Getting started: understanding what relational databases are, and ensuring that your database structures are sound -- SQL basics: using SELECT statements, creating expressions, sorting information with ORDER BY, and filtering data using WHERE -- Summarizing and grouping data with GROUP BY and HAVING clauses -- Drawing data from multiple tables: using INNER JOIN, OUTER JOIN, and UNION operators, and working with subqueries -- Modifying data sets with UPDATE, INSERT, and DELETE statements Advanced queries: complex NOT and AND, conditions, if-then-else using CASE, unlinked tables, driver tables, and more Practice all you want with downloadable sample databases for today's versions of Microsoft Office Access, Microsoft SQL Server, and the open source MySQL database. Whether you're a DBA, developer, user, or student, there's no better way to master SQL. informit.com/aw forMereMortals.com