Puja Bhardwaj 
Introduction
"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." – Benjamin Franklin
Take Your SQL to the Next Level with these Must-Have SQL Books
Structured Query Language or SQL has been around for years and it’s still the most popular and widely used query language designed and used to communicate with databases. That’s also because SQL is simple and uses few words which makes the language minimal, and that credits to its longevity. Developed by IBM in the early 1970s, its ability to implement queries such as delete, retrieve, insert, and update has been groundbreaking and also highly influential to future technologies like APIs and CRUD (create, read, update, and delete).
Many of our students and readers keep asking what SQL books they should read to develop their skills. This is also a great way to extend the knowledge you gained in online courses here at JanBask Training. So, here are our top picks for the SQL-related books you should read in 2023.
SQL Server Training & Certification
- Detailed Coverage
- Best-in-class Content
- Prepared by Industry leaders
- Latest Technology Covered
Why Read SQL Books?
Is it possible to be a professional SQL developer or a data engineer without reading books? Yes, certainly but the more important question is that why wouldn’t you use the additional source of knowledge that could enhance your understanding of the language and teach you many more things about it?
SQL, undoubtedly, is a practical skill and you need practice to master it, which means writing SQL queries. But to have something to practice, it’s essential you learn theory first.Your primary source of SQL knowledge should definitely be a good online interactive SQl course.
If you’re interested in learning SQL or would like to learn and upskill yourself, sign up for SQL Server Training and Certification Course. This course helps you understand the real-time working of the SQL language and how it is applied in different industries and roles. It also teaches you the advanced concepts of Microsoft SQL including SQL Server Programming, Power BI and SQL’s use with custom applications.
Why Learn SQL?
SQL is one of the most essential skills for programmers and almost an indispensable skill set for IT professionals, software engineers, data scientists, business analysts, etc. Since most enterprise applications use the relational database at their backend, like Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, it's crucial to learn SQL to work with those applications and use the data stored on those particular databases. Here are a few reasons you may be interested in learning SQL:
- To become a data analyst – Data analysts use SQL to find trends, draw inferences, and report insights about the information they contain.
- To better your job opportunities- The job market for data analysts and developers is fast growing. The world continues to use and store more data and we continue to need more people to manage and organize it.
- Become indispensable - Unlike other skills that may be a trend now and may not be relevant, SQL would never go out of vogue. Once you learn SQL, you can apply the principles you learn for the rest of your professional career.
SQL Server Training & Certification
- No cost for a Demo Class
- Industry Expert as your Trainer
- Available as per your schedule
- Customer Support Available
What Makes the Best SQL Books Best?
When looking for the best SQL books, you should have a criteria to evaluate them because the internet is replete with information and you may get swayed by numerous options out there.
We recommend that the books for SQL should be:
- Well-structured, clear, and should have a logical progression of topics from start to finish.
- Friendly for self-taught programmers and should have a clear and defined layout
- Easy to comprehend, lucid and concise
- Having pertinent examples, contain exercises and practice problems to solve for hands-on experience
- Able to hold attention of the readers and should be engaging
- Fun and should be conversational for a better learning experience
For the top SQL books, we have done the research for you, following which we have curated a list of top books that can be recognized by industry experts, practitioners and subject matter experts spanning the depth of database programming and are sure to add value to your existing knowledge of SQL.
How Can I Choose the Best Books for SQL Developers?
SQl developers can choose the best SQL books depending on budget, experience level, and finally earning goals. However, it is equally important to take into consideration the author’s expertise, mastery and the overall topics covered in the book. Let’s find out what you should consider while selecting the best SQL books that’ll suit your requirements and level of understanding.
- Create a budget and stick to it. See what you can afford and zero in on a budget before you shop.
- Be clear on your learning goal. You should know if you want to master basic commands or cultivate an advanced understanding of topics? Or if you are looking out for a handy reference to rely on while you’re working. You should be sure what you want to gain from your book resource.
- To start with, research SQL books for your level. You should know if you need a book for beginners, then look up for SQL books for beginners. On the other hand, if you are an experienced developer looking for something that’ll address the advanced challenges you experience at work? Your place in your learning journey is definitely a key factor.
- Know your author. Search for authors in the SQL field and thoroughly research their work. Reputed names are great for ensuring valuable information. Reading reviews can also help you find an author with a good easy-to-comprehend writing style.
- Weigh all your options. From your extensive research, find books that share the fundamental concepts you want to learn and then compare them. Lots of books cover pretty much the same topics, but by keeping this checklist in mind you can find the best learning resource for your personal learning level and needs.
Top SQL Books
Each of these hand-picked books for SQL developers. They are different from each other and yet an invaluable resource to enhance your knowledge and skill set. If you’re looking to get a good grip on the fundamentals of Structured Query Language and its functionality in real-world context, these are the resources you must have.
1. “Sams Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes” By Ben Forta
This book is like a holy-grail and is also a best-seller SQL book for beginners, including Ben Forta’s best-selling SQL guide book, “Sams Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes.” It is a must read for beginners. Ben Forta is an expert trainer and a famous author, and his book is perhaps the best way to learn SQL from scratch. This book also caters to the database analyst (DBAs), which many other books don’t have. “Sams Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes.” teaches you the beginning with simple data retrieval, going all the way to SQL joins, subqueries, stored procedures, cursors, triggers and table constraints.
The best part is you learn SQL in a very methodical, systematic, and simple way – in 22 short, quick lessons. Each lesson takes only 10 minutes or even less to finish. Make sure to check out this book and include it in your library.
It guides and teaches you to:
- Use SQL statements
- Change and create database tables
- Retrieve, sort, and format data
- Insert, update, and delete data
- Use multiple clauses and operators
- Use filter techniques
- Summarize data with aggregate functions
- Use join operators
- Use views
*This book is 256 pages long.
2. Learning SQL
Learning SQL: Generate, Manipulate, and Retrieve Data by Alan Beaulieu is a March 2020 release.
It guides and teaches how to:
- Learn SQL basics and advanced topics
- Key concepts and the book illustrates them with well-explained diagrams and pertinent examples
- Learn to move through basics, create database objects and use data statements
- Understand how exactly database works with queries and
- Manipulate data with functions and logics
*The book is nearly 400 pages long.
3. Practical SQL
Practical SQL: A Beginner’s Guide to Storytelling with Data by Anthony DeBarros
Best Book for Hands-On Learning, Practical SQL is for people who deal with data in their everyday lives and want to understand and learn how to analyze and transform it. The USP of this book is that it is written in an easy, conversational and friendly style. This book is best for people who want to learn data analysis and want to make a career in it. This book is replete with real-world examples and applications. A complete hands-on book, it guides you every step of the way to:
- Create tables and databases
- Define data types and spot errors in data
- Import and export data
- Filter, sort and aggregate data
- Use arithmetic functionalities
- Create advanced queries
- Automate tasks
*The book is 392 pages long.
4. SQL for Data Analytics
SQL for Data Analytics: Perform Fast and Efficient Data Analysis with the Power of SQL by Upon Malic, Matt Goldwasser, and more authors.
The best books for anyone wanting to be a Data Analyst, it covers everything you need to from simply knowing basic SQL to identifying data trends. The USP of this book is how simply it’s written. Its lucid and clean style teaches you to think like a data analyst and write SQL queries using diagrams and relevant examples. This book guides and teaches you to:
- Write SQL queries and subqueries
- Analyze simple and complex data with statistics
- Import and export data
- Use special SQL functions
- Use SQL pipelines with other technologies for analytics
- Use advanced analytic technique like geospatial (used to add timing and location to traditional types of data and to build data visualizations, that include maps, graphs, statistics and text analysis)
*The book is 386 pages.
5. SQL Queries For Mere Mortals
SQL Queries For Mere Mortals: A Hands-On Guide to Data Manipulation in SQL by John Viescas
An enormous but one of the most highly referred to, respected and best SQL books in programming. It’s a must-have for people who want to ace SQL. “Mere Mortals” -the title of the book refers to its target audience, who wants to learn database systems (one that supports SQL) in the best, most simplest and effective way. SQL professionals, who want to solve any problem using SQL, this is undoubtedly your go-to book. This book guides and teaches you to:
- Use the very basics like SQL SELECT statements, sorting, and expressions
- Master relational databases and sound database structure
- Group data with clauses
- Group data with join operators
- Modify data sets with statements
- Use advanced queries and grouping keywords
- Use window functions
*This book is 960 pages
6. SQL QuickStart Guide
SQL QuickStart Guide: The Simplified Beginner’s Guide to Managing, Analyzing, Manipulating Data with SQL by Walter Shields.
This is one book that has a simple, practical and hands-on approach to SQL. It teaches you the nuts and bolts of SQL without scrimping on the content. The USP of this book is that it is designed for our already busy lives and is an invaluable resource for people who have a basic know-how or even advanced understanding of SQL. Packed with diagrams and examples, it is a basic tool kit you can refer to when you need it the most, which makes it a great SQL reference book. It is a self-published book, because of which the writing can come across as verbose sometimes. Oh!Did we mention, it's also one of the most affordable books. The book teaches you to:
- ABCs of database structure
- Turn data into information
- Work with multiple tables
- Use functions
- Use subqueries and views
7. Learn SQL Database Programming:
Learn SQL Database Programming: Query and manipulate databases from popular database servers using SQL by Josephine Bush.
One of the best SQL books for academics, it is designed for students, SQL developers, business analysts, database administrators. It is an ideal book if you want to learn how to manipulate and query SQL data for database administration tasks. You may also find this book highly useful if you want to learn to simply extract and organize relevant data for analysis. The USP of this book is how well it is structured. Every term is aptly and clearly defined. It's not overtly verbose, it is often used in college classrooms. The book guides and teaches you to:
- Understand data types
- Import and export data
- Modify data and table structures
- Group and summarize data
- Work with expressions
- Explore and process data
- Query single and multiple tables
- Incorporate best practices for designing and querying
*The book is 564 pages long.
Now start reading!
Wrapping Up with More ways to learn SQL
You can learn basic and advanced SQL from more than just books. Alongside books, learning through interactive courses, videos and getting industry understanding from experts can help you a great deal. If you want to become a full-fledged SQL pro, SQL courses, with power BI, SQL server programming, and hands-on learning is the way to go. SQL courses at JanBask Training are designed both for beginners and for people who want to learn advanced SQL. The SQL courses at JanBask Training prepare you for different roles in different industries, such as, aerospace, defende, education, financial services, healthcare, etc. If you’re looking to shape your career in a dynamic and ever-expanding field of SQL, take a look as to why SQL is and will always be in demand and trending.
SQL Server Training & Certification
- Personalized Free Consultation
- Access to Our Learning Management System
- Access to Our Course Curriculum
- Be a Part of Our Free Demo Class
Upcoming Class : October 27