The Open Source Zone

This book would be better labeled "Beginning Databases with Postgresql - From Novice to Amateur with a few Provisos."

This book is good for getting you to the stage where you have some basic confidence in using PostgreSQL (an excellent database). Do NOT expect to be able to learn what it is you are learning Postgres for without a great deal of googling, hanging out on the #postgresql irc channel (hint: type ?? and topic, VERY useful), searching the mailing list archives, reading the online documentation (which is very useful), and of course, liberal use of \? and \h in psql.

After you have some basic familiarity with Postgres you will still use Matthew and Stones from time to time, looking up syntax etc. For that it is useful.

One of the most annoying things is that it promotes bad database design through the "bpsimple" and "bpfinal" sample databases. Anyone using such a database would be constantly having to clean out garbage data in their database. Take for example their customer table. Their only unique constraint is the primary key, customer_id. If they don't have either a multiple column primary key or some other unique constraint, they will constantly be getting duplicate customers.

At least when I was learning MS Access the books I used taught me good principles such that I am not having to deal with duplicate values years later.

Unfortunately due to the dearth of Postgresql books this is still one of the better offerings. I would give it 3 stars if there was more competition.

I really wanted to like this book, but, unfortunately, after the first 100 pages, can't endorse it at all. I'm a "poweruser" of MSAccess and a general fan of databases in general. I have read enough books on SQL and know enough about database theory and implementations to know disorganized and poorly introduced subject matter when I read it. This book suffers from what a lot of database books suffer from, a smattering of this concept and that concept, mixing in a little SQL syntax with database schema design with a little snippet on good table design then off to the multi-user access features of PostgreSQL.... whoa Nelly! Sadly, the authors try to be too many things to too many audiences and the result is a mess. Understandably, the subject of databases (from theory, to implementation, to end user) is huge, writing a book to cover it all is a daunting task, and this one fails like the many that have gone before it. My apologies for not providing a list of other books I feel succeed, but time doesn't permit.

I ordered this book because amazon.com bundled it with « Beginning PHP and PostgreSQL 8 ». I must admit I was happily surprised. It's definitely more than a copy of the PostgreSQL manual. Explanations are simple to understand.

There's a chapter on database design, something really important to me.

Something that surprises me too is the big part on languages. The PostgreSQL manual focused on C with libpq and there's not much on other languages. This book brings a lot of informations with PHP, Perl, Java, C#.

This book also brings informations on new PostgreSQL 8 functionnalities (tablespace, $$ quoting). Unfortunately, there's nothing on release 8.1 (CREATE ROLE for example).

Finally, a great book to begin with, a reference for the rest of us.

This book teaches a huge amount of information on building PostgreSQL databases. It teaches some theory/history behind many features and can be read straight-through unlike other books I have tried for learning SQL. I am learning about the capabilities/concepts much of Databases more then I have with other beginner books I have read, with none of the try our 5 examples BS to figure out what we are trying to explain...

It also introduces many more advanced ideas and does not hesitate to recommend resources (including free ones) for learning more while it goes on to the next concept.

Definitely recommend if you have no-beginner knowledge of Databases and want a thorough introduction that will give you a sound basis for making a database application.

This book will get you started quickly and painlessly, regardless of your previous experience with other SQL engines.

For complete beginners there is a short but sound chapter on general database design. If you are migrating from "some other open source relational database system", this book will teach you the basic peculiarities of PostgreSQL and get your server up and running in the shortest possible time.

This book is not a "complete refence", nor does it pretend to be. And that's fine. After you've got a basic overview, you can get the rest referring to the online documentation.

P.S. There is a syntax reference in the end of the book, of course :).