Top SQL books recommended by experts

At MentorCruise, we are all about making the most out of the experience of others. As part of that, we've connected and asked dozens of experts and professionals about their favourite SQL books – and here are the answers.

Table of Contents

Fundamentals of SQL

Understanding the concepts of SQL starts with understanding the fundamentals. On your way to mastery, it's crucial for you to understand how certain concepts were derived, and why things work like they do. Starting with these resources is the best way to do so.

Learn SQL Quickly: A Beginner's Guide to Learning SQL, Even If You're New to Databases

This book covers all the basics, building a database, what all the data types are, connecting to your database, how to do selects & joins, setting primary & foreign keys, creating subqueries and views. It's a really useful guidebook for anyone just getting started with SQL for the first time.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

SQL Programming QuickStudy Laminated Reference Guide

Essential Structured Query Language (ANSI SQL-99) six page laminated guide with core commands, statements, syntax and terms for support of beginners who are learning, and experts as a handy quick reference. Author Robin Nixon worked with computers in the 80s and started developing websites in the 90s becoming an expert and writing over 40 programming books and over 500 articles for top compute…

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SQL Performance Explained: Everything Developers Need to Know about SQL Performance

SQL Performance Explained helps developers to improve database performance. The focus is on SQL—it covers all major SQL databases without getting lost in the details of any one specific product.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

SQL Performance Tuning

Performance tuning, is checking and resolving issues potentially affecting the efficiency of a SQL database. The key to good performance is ensuring queries execute quickly with minimal resources. Using external tools is one way to get started with SQL performance tuning.

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Practical SQL, 2nd Edition: A Beginner's Guide to Storytelling with Data

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. The book focuses on using SQL to find the story your data tells, with the popular open-source database PostgreSQL and the pgAdmin interface as its primary tools. You’ll first cover the fundamentals of d…

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SQL QuickStart Guide: The Simplified Beginner's Guide to Managing, Analyzing, and Manipulating Data With SQL (Coding & Programming - QuickStart Guides)

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Additional SQL Reading

These books are not required for you to learn SQL, but they are highly recommended for you to deepen your knowledge.

SQL pocket guide

SQL Pocket Guide describes how these database systems implement SQL syntax for querying, managing transactions, and making changes to data. It also shows how the systems use SQL functions, regular expression syntax, and type conversion functions and formats.

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PostGIS in Action

PostGIS in Action, Third Edition teaches readers of all levels to write spatial queries for PostgreSQL. You'll start by exploring vector-, raster-, and topology-based GIS before quickly progressing to analyzing, viewing, and mapping data.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

SQL for Data Analytics: Perform Fast and Efficient Data Analysis with the Power of SQL

SQL for Data Analytics covers everything you need progress from simply knowing basic SQL to telling stories and identifying trends in data. You'll be able to start exploring your data by identifying patterns and unlocking deeper insights.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

SQL Cookbook

In the SQL Cookbook, experienced SQL developer Anthony Molinaro shares his favorite SQL techniques and features. You'll learn about: Window functions, arguably the most significant enhancement to SQL in the past decade. If you're not using these, you're missing out.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Head First SQL: Your Brain on SQL -- A Learner's Guide

Head First SQL will show you the fundamentals of SQL and how to really take advantage of it. We'll take you on a journey through the language, from basic INSERT statements and SELECT queries to hardcore database manipulation with indices, joins, and transactions.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

SQL Pocket Guide

SQL Pocket Guide describes how these database systems implement SQL syntax for querying, managing transactions, and making changes to data. It also shows how the systems use SQL functions, regular expression syntax, and type conversion functions and formats.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Specializations and Deeper SQL Knowledge

You've got your basics in order – time to move on to some advanced and specialized concepts. SQL is evolving every day, these books can help you master it.

Joe Celko's SQL for Smarties: Advanced SQL Programming

Joe Celkos SQL for Smarties: Advanced SQL Programming offers tips and techniques in advanced programming. This book is the fourth edition and it consists of 39 chapters, starting with a comparison between databases and file systems.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

SQL Practice Problems: 57 Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Challenges for You to Solve Using a "learn-by-doing" Approach

The ability to write SQL is one of the most in-demand job skills. Are you prepared? It's easy to find basic SQL syntax information online. What's hard to find is challenging, well-designed, real-world problems—the type of problems that come up when you're dealing with data. Learning how to solve these problems will give you the skill and confidence to step up in your career.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Python Programming and SQL: 5 books in 1 - The #1 Coding Course from Beginner to Advanced. Learn it Well & Fast (2024) (Computer Programming)

Python Programming and SQL: 5 Books in 1, isn't just a book. It's a career booster ✅ Whether you're aiming for a new job, freelancing, or developing your own software, this guide has everything you need. Suitable for all levels, you will find practical advice and skills to propel your career, set you apart from your peers, and make you an invaluable asset to any organization. Boost your perfor…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

This list is curated by MentorCruise and can include Amazon affiliate links. Have any other suggestions? Add here.

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