Review of PHP and MySQL for Dummies with CDROM (Paperback)

I found PHP & MySQL for DUMMIES by Janet Valade to be an extremely useful starting place for practicing those tools, and if your circumstances and needs are similar to mine, then you may find it helpful as well. I have a database that I want to serve on the web. I have some experience with relatively simple programming, including C, but I am not a programmer per se. At my work, I have access to a web-server running both MySQL and PHP and an administrator to make sure that they are working. I am also someone who likes to do things themselves so that the result matches precisely what is in my head. All that this dummy needed was an introductory lesson on the syntax and structure of these two "languages" and Valade provided it.

MySQL & PHP for DUMMIES uses the example of setting up an online catalog for a pet store, demonstrating how to build a multi-table database in MySQL that employs the various necessary components, e.g. user login, querying and formatting the output. The computer operations covered are simple enough to just read on the train (i.e., I didn't need to be seated at my computer running the exercises to understand them) and provide a good primer for the kinds of that I could do... that YOU could do too.

Having praised the book for what it is, I want to make clear what it is not. The index is almost useless and the functions of both MySQL and PHP are covered in only the most superficial way, so this For DUMMIES book is a poor reference for projects beyond the advanced beginner; it does not necessarily replace more comprehensive texts. For my own rudimentary dabblings in web databases, I now rely more upon the PHP and MySQL code I have already written based on what this book taught me than the book itself. But, MySQL and PHP for DUMMIES provided the framework for me to take the first baby steps towards a really flexible web-based database.

Product Description
This is an introductory level book that provides the essential information needed to enable users to build common Web database applications.
The book is directed toward users who know HTML and have created static Web pages, but no prior experience with programming or database design or use is required.
PHP and MySQL For Dummies contains all the information necessary to create a simple Web database or fully functional E-commerce Web site.
ABOUT THE CD-ROM
Includes a CD-ROM with PHP, MySQL, and Apache software, sample Web applications from the book, code samples, and other useful utilities.

From the Back Cover
The fun and easy way™ to create a Web database application!

Get the scoop on building online catalogs and members-only sites

Take your site to the next level - no programming or database experience required

With a MySQL database and a little PHP programming, you can add a whole new level of interactivity to your site - for free. But how do you get a fix on the world of Web database applications? Don't worry! With this friendly reference (and the free software on the CD-ROM), you'll be building a MySQL database and writing PHP programs in no time.

All this on the bonus CD-Rom

• PHP server-side scripting language
• MySQL relational database management system
• Apache Web server
• Sample applications and code from the book

System Requirements: A Pentium PC or faster; Windows 9x/2000/Me/XP, Windows NT 4 or later; Linux. At least 32 MB of total RAM; a CD-ROM drive.

See CD appendix for details and complete system requirements.

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Review of Active Directory for Dummies (Paperback)

Doing Active Directory right was important to my small technology company, so I bought more than ten books on Active Directory, Windows 2000 Server, and DNS. This Dummies book I took home and planned to skim through itfirst, thinking it would be a nice quick introduction.

The book gotmislaid, and I did not pick it up again until I was nicely up to speed withActive Directory and had done several installations. I read it anyway on aSaturday night as a quick review and was surprised at the clear style, niceorganization, and adequacy of its coverage of the subject matter.

If youhave just a day or two to get up to speed with this important new Microsofttechnology, this book will certainly do. System administrators andarchitects will want a more technical treatment.

Product Description
Active Directory, a fundamental component of Windows 2000, is revolutionizing the way people design and manage networks. Whether you are a savvy system administrator or are new to networking and information technology, Active Directory For Dummies helps you understand this wonderful new operating system technology.

This unpretentious resource presents the fundamentals of Active Directory and then moves right into planning, implementing, and managing it. Active Directory For Dummies offers a clear explanation of the program and a cataloging of its benefits and buzzwords. Explore the following topics in easy-to-understand language:

• Prepare your environment for a shift to Active Directory.
• Consider logical structure issues like planning the DNS namespace, designing the tree, and defining an organizational unit (OU) model.
• Build a model of an Active Directory domain and create your first objects.
• Migrate from an existing environment to an Active Directory environment.
• Manage security, users, resources, and replication traffic within the Active Directory tree.
• Understand how the Active Directory Services Interface works with other Microsoft technology.

Active Directory For Dummies also includes cool Web links for information on the program as well as a special section on troubleshooting common problems that may arise during installation and operation of Active Directory. The enclosed CD-ROM offers you 60-day test-drive versions of Visio Professional and Visio Enterprise as well as trial versions of Entevo DirectMigrate2000, EtherPeek 4.0, EtherHelp, TokenPeek, and TokenHelp.

From the Back Cover
Visio Professional Test Drive plus migration tools on CD-ROM

Plain-English explanations of trees, forests, and other Active Directory concepts

Harness the power of Active Directory for everything from migration to network management If you're an IT professional, Active Directory is probably the one feature of Windows 2000 you're most excited about. But because it's so different from NT, it's also a little scary. Relax! With this friendly guide at your side, you'll quickly get a handle on this powerful network management tool - and jumpstart your deployment of Windows 2000. all this on the bonus CD-ROM 60-day Test Drive version of Visio Professional and Visio Enterprise Trial versions of Entevo DirectMigrate2000, EtherPeek, 4.0, EtherHelp, TokenPeek, and TokenHelp Plus all original Visio files for figures in the book so that you don't have to create your Active Directory diagrams from scratch! PC with Pentium 90 or faster running Windows 95 or later; or NT 4 or later.

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Review of PostgreSQL (Linux) (Paperback)

My expectations might have been set better if the title was something like "Special Edition Teach Yourself Relational Databases Using PostgreSQL in 24 Hours For Dummies".

I think this book is extremely thin on useful relevant content, although not completely without value; nevertheless, the books "PostgreSQL Essential Reference" and "Begininning Databases with PostgreSQL" are available now, and in my opinion they are vastly more useful than this book.

NB: "Practical PostgreSQL" is not out yet as I write this review.

Product Description
This book is perfect for people who use PostgreSQL at work and on their Web site wherever they expose data on the Web using Linux and Apache.It covers the new features of PostgreSQL as well as the PostgreSQL processor, which defines all necessary objects in a database and can be used to get acquainted with SQL and to test ideas and verify joins and queries.

About the Author
Jeff Perkins is a Senior Software Engineer for the TYBRIN Corporation.He has co-authored several books including "Teach Yourself SQL" and been the technical expert on over three-dozen books.

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Review of Knowledge Representation and the Semantics of Natural Language (Cognitive Technologies) (Hardcover)

This book has a wealth of solid information about knowledge representation (KR).It is focused on Multinets, an advanced type of semantic network.The author brings years of experience to this subject.The book deals thoroughly with many aspects of KR such as relationships, categories, generalization, real vs hypothetical, cardinality, and variability, just to name a few.Although the book is focused on Multinets, the concepts should be relevant to other knowledge representation schemes.

Frequent natural language statements clarify the issues under discussion.For example, here are two of the statements on page 49 that illustrate different types of information that can be communicated by "is".

"'A bachelor is an adult unmarried man.' (Relation EQU),'The cherry is red.' (Relation PROP), . . ."

In other words, the first "is" links equivalent ideas, the second "is" indicates "red" as a property.

The book also contains numerous, well designed, helpful diagrams.

Unfortunately, the jargon is very thick, and difficult to navigate.For example, from page 20: "As already mentioned, the arcs of the semantic network have to be considered as epistemologically and cognitively justified categories which function as fundamental deep semantic relations in the framework of meaning representation."After reading this sentence several times, I think part of what it means is "the arcs of semantic networks should match actual deep semantic relations".But I'm not sure.I frequently find myself reading sentences several times, then moving on, only partly satisfied.

If you can get past the jargon, the book contains a thorough, solidly supported treatment of the knowledge representation of natural language.

Perhaps someone with more prior experience with knowledge representation would find the book more approachable.

Based on the quantity of information, the strong relevance to knowledge representation and the clarifying examples, I give this a generous 4 star rating.However, I'm worried that some readers will find the jargon so impenetrable that the book would lose most of its value to them.

Product Description

The book presents an interdisciplinary approach to knowledge representation and the treatment of semantic phenomena of natural language, which is positioned between artificial intelligence, computational linguistics, and cognitive psychology. The proposed method is based on Multilayered Extended Semantic Networks (MultiNets), which can be used for theoretical investigations into the semantics of natural language, for cognitive modeling, for describing lexical entries in a computational lexicon, and for natural language processing (NLP).

Part I deals with fundamental problems of semantic knowledge representation and semantic interpretation of natural language phenomena. Part II provides a systematic description of the representational means of MultiNet, one of the most comprehensive and thoroughly specified collections of relations and functions used in real NLP applications.

MultiNet is embedded into a system of software tools comprising a workbench for the knowledge engineer, a semantic interpreter translating natural language expressions into formal meaning structures, and a workbench for the computer lexicographer. The book has been used for courses in artificial intelligence at several universities and is one of the cornerstones for teaching computational linguistics in a virtual electronic laboratory.

About the Author

-1961-68 M.S. in Physics from the University Leipzig (Diploma in Quantum Theory)

-1968-69 Research assistant at the University Leipzig

-1970-89 Researcher in the fields of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Computational Linguistics (CL)

with Robotron, Head of the AI Laboratory

-1976 Ph.D. in Computer Science (Promotion, Dr.rer.nat., in the field of AI)

-1986 Habilitation (Dr.rer.nat.habil.) in the field of Knowledge Representation

-1988-92 Lecturer for Artificial Intelligence at the TU Dresden

-1989-92 Researcher at SRS Dresden and Siemens-Nixdorf (Development of Geographic Information Systems)

- since 1992 Full Professorship at FernUniversität in Hagen

Head of the Chair: Intelligent Information and Communication Systems

-1997-02 Sabbatical Stays at ICSI in Berkeley and at the Universities of Buffalo (USA), Edinburgh, Sheffield and London (Great Britain)

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Review of PHP & MySQL For Dummies 3rd edition (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) (Paperback)

I just finished PHP and MySQL for Dummies last night. I took C++ about 7 years ago in highschool and I think that helped with following the PHP part. Here are the pros and cons I found.
Cons
1.Not enough info on PHP and Mysql setup. One of the reasons I picked up this book was for help in getting everything configured. I had tried numerous how-tos on the web that weren't working, this did not offer much help either, although you can email the author for additional support. Solution: save the headache and download WAMP5, everything is configured for u with php, mysql, and apache server.
2. I found it annoying that the author would throw in lots of functions that were not included in the chapter into her example programs. Sure, they're there (some of them) in the last chapter, but they are not referenced so some of the examples are hard to proof unless you change them or read ahead.
3. Read the chapter "PHP Gotchas" at the beginning of the php chapters intead of at the end. If you follow along in order you will already know everything in that chapter, with much frustration, by the time u get there.
Pros:
I now know how to design a fully functional web program and have already figured out in my head how to do 2 others, plus modifications to the sample programs.
This is not the last PHP/MySQL book you will buy but it's good to get your feet wet.

Product Description
Build an online catalog and a members-only site

Everything you need to know to create a dynamic PHP and MySQL Web site!

Been thinking of creating a high-quality interactive Web site? This book is just what you need to get started! Here's the fun and easy way(r) to develop a Web application in PHP 4, 5, or 6 and MySQL 5, test your software, enable your Web pages to display, change, and move database information, and much more.

Discover how to
* Plan and implement a Web database application
* Design and build a MySQL 5 database
* Build dynamic HTML forms
* Create scripts that store, retrieve, and update database information
* Display database information in a Web page

From the Back Cover
Build an online catalog and a members-only site

Everything you need to know to create a dynamic PHP and MySQL Web site!

Been thinking of creating a high-quality interactive Web site? This book is just what you need to get started! Here's the fun and easy way® to develop a Web application in PHP 4, 5, or 6 and MySQL 5, test your software, enable your Web pages to display, change, and move database information, and much more.

Discover how to

• Plan and implement a Web database application
• Design and build a MySQL 5 database
• Build dynamic HTML forms
• Create scripts that store, retrieve, and update database information
• Display database information in a Web page

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Review of Introduction to Relational Databases [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

This is an excellent book.The explanations are clear, to the point, and illustrated by great examples.The only book I've ever seen that explains relational database design clearly AND shows how to implement it in Oracle.Outstanding!Best purchase I've made in a long time.

Product Description
This text provides hands-on instruction to relational database design and management using Oracle examples. The proven format features step-by-step tutorials, end-of-chapter reviews, practice questions, key term lists, and lab projects.

From the Back Cover
Essential IT Skills for On-the-Job Success

Learn to use a database to transform vast amounts of information into orderly, correlated data. Introduction to Relational Databases and SQL Programming introduces fundamental database concepts, then teaches you how to store, retrieve, and manipulate data and how to use SQL and PL/SQL. Using Oracle9i as an example, the book offers hands-on tutorials and exercises, including the Clapham Specialty Store case study, so you can apply your skills to real-world business scenarios.Inside this book, you will learn how to:

• Work with key database components--tables, rows, records, columns, and fields
• Store and retrieve data
• Perform advanced data manipulation
• Control SQL*Plus
• Apply Oracle SQL built-in functions
• Determine when to use an index
• Create PL/SQL programs
• Read data models
• Design a database structure
• Normalize your database and correct data anomalies
• Analyze data quality issues

Each chapter includes:

• Learning Objectives
• Many Figures and Illustrations
• Clapham Specialty Store Case
• Step-by-Step Tutorials
• Real-World Examples
• Cross Check Exercises
• Inside Information Sidebars
• Helpful Notes, Tips, and Warnings
• Chapter Summaries and Key Term Lists
• End-of-Chapter Quizzes and Lab Projects

CD-ROM includes trial version of Oracle 9i Standard Edition

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Review of MCTS: Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Configuration Study Guide: Exam 70-630 (Paperback)

I recently passed exam 70-630 (MCTS: MOSS Configuration) and this book was one of the study methods I used for preparing for the exam.Overall, this is an excellent resource for not only the exam but I found it to be a decent reference manual as well.The book covers all of the concepts you "need to know" without going into the great depths of every detail.It's easy to read and follow and retain the information.It is also they only book available specifically geared towards exam 70-630.

If you understand all of the concepts of this book and can answer the practice questions provided with it, you are more than ready for the real exam.My only critique about it is that I did not find the practice questions to be very helpful as many of them were much more detailed and more complicated than the actual exam.However, it's better to err on the side of complexity than making the practice questions too easy.

I would recommend pairing this book with a practice test vendor such as Self Test Software or Transcender and you should be successful in achieving your MCTS in MOSS Configuration.

Overall it's a very good study guide and reference book.

Product Description
Qualified SharePoint administrators are in demand, and what better way to show your expertise in this growing field than with Microsoft's new MCTS: Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, Configuration certification. Inside, find everything you need to prepare for exam 70-630, including full coverage of exam topics?such as configuring content management, managing business intelligence, and more?as well as challenging review questions, real-world scenarios, practical exercises, and a CD with advanced testing software.

From the Back Cover
Prepare for Microsoft's new certification for SharePoint administrators

Qualified SharePoint administrators are in demand, and what better way to show your expertise in this growing field than with Microsoft's new MCTS: Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, Configuration certification. Inside, find everything you need to prepare for exam 70-630, including full coverage of exam topics such as configuring content management, managing business intelligence, and more.

• Full coverage of all exam objectives in a systematic approach, so you can be confident you're getting the instruction you need for the exam

• Practical hands-on exercises to reinforce critical skills

• Real-world scenarios that put what you've learned in the context of actual job roles

• Challenging review questions in each chapter to prepare you for exam day

• Exam Essentials, a key feature in each chapter that identifies critical areas you must become proficient in before taking the exam

• A handy tear card that maps every official exam objective to the corresponding chapter in the book, so you can track your exam prep objective by objective

FEATURED ON THE CD

SYBEX TEST ERNGINE:
Test your knowledge with advanced testing software. Includes all chapter review questions and bonus exams.

ELECTRONIC FLASHCARDS:
Reinforce your understanding with flashcards that can run on your PC, Pocket PC, or Palm handheld.
Also on CD, you'll find the entire book in searchable and printable PDF.
Study anywhere, any time, and approach the exam with confidence.

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Review of PHP 5 for Dummies (Paperback)

Yes, the author reads the reviews here. That's me. The error in which a few quotes were replaced with underscores occurred during the publishing process, after I was finished with the book. I didn't know about the errors until I saw the earlier review here. However, there is no way to fix it. If the book is reprinted or a second edition is released, I can fix the errors, but not until then. I wish I could. I apologize to any who were confused by this problem.

There are 8 quotes replaced with underscores on 4 lines in Chapter 3, 2 quotes replaced with underscores on 1 line in Chapter 4, and 20 quotes replaced with underscores on 8 lines in Chapter 5. I have a list of the errors and corrections on my web site at janet.valade.com/php5errors.html.

Product Description
Covers the latest major release of PHP, the most popular open source Web scripting language, in the friendly, easy-to-understand For Dummies style

• PHP is installed on nearly nine million servers, and usage has grown at the rate of 6.5 percent per month for the past two years
• PHP is easy to learn, well suited for Web development, and can be embedded with HTML, making it a good choice for creating dynamic Web pages for e-commerce sites and other Web applications; a database-friendly language, it connects easily to Sybase, MySQL, mSQL, Oracle, and other databases
• Explains how to acquire and install PHP, how PHP's features make it a useful scripting language, and how to use PHP for three of the most common applications: interactive Web sites, database storage, and common operating system tasks

From the Back Cover
Start programming PHP and make your Web site interactive

Discover arrays of variables, start writing scripts, and get object oriented

The script calls for an interactive Web site --; where do you start? Right here, with a fast and friendly way to get the hang of PHP 5 programming! You'll also discover all the other cool things you can do with PHP, like managing files, interacting with databases, using system commands, and more.

The Dummies Way

• Explanations in plain English
• "Get in, get out" information
• Icons and other navigational aids
• Tear-out cheat sheet
• Top ten lists
• A dash of humor and fun

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Review of 50 Fast Dreamweaver MX Techniques (Paperback)

One of the joys of this book is that it displays practical techniques that you would use to build sites. It's not a bunch of techno babble and self centered philosophy on design. Truly gets to the point and easy to follow techniques. Great book!

Product Description
* Includes techniques for building rollovers, embedding Flash movies, creating dynamic tables, adding cool animations, and much more.
* Features 50 fast and easy, but powerful, effects that creative professionals and amateurs alike can achieve almost instantly.
* Each technique is fully-illustrated with "before" and "after" shots, and carefully described in step-by-step detail.
* The CD-ROM includes work files and finished effects from the book.

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Review of Macromedia Dreamweaver e-Learning Toolkit: Building Web-Based Training with Coursebuilder (Paperback)

Doyle's book is supposed to be an introduction for Dreamweaver extensions, CourseBuilder and Learning Site. CourseBuilder writes javascript for learning interactions (multiple choice questions, etc.) and Learning Site helps manage information from a course website within a database. The book strikes me as poorly edited or proofread (a whole paragraph is repeated on p. 81, for example). Readers are directed to the author's web-based training website for resources in ways that feel like you are reading an infomercial, but then, when I took the bait, I found that links to the resources were dead anyway. Text and tables repeat the same information, making it seem like the book has been "padded" to reach the editor's page count, or like the author believes he is writing for particularly dim-witted readers.

To those looking for help with Dreamweaver and other Macromedia tools in e-learning applications, I would recommend two other books: Using Dreamweaver to Create e-Learning (Garin Hess and Steven Hancock) is a first-rate introduction to CourseBuilder, with clear and engaging tutorials.  Even better, perhaps, is MX eLearning (Jeffrey Bardzell), which does almost nothing with CourseBuilder, but demonstrates how to build interactions using the javascript that Dreamweaver will write through its behaviors panel, as well as Flash and ColdFusion.  This is an "advanced training from the source" book and non-threatening to people who don't think of themselves as coders but want to begin to make sense of html, javascript, actionscript, etc.

Product Description
* Includes everything developers need to start building online courses quickly and easily
* Enables Dreamweaver users to enter the rapidly-growing Web-based training market
* Begins with a crash course in Macromedia Dreamweaver MX, then guides readers through developing an online learning course, incorporating interactions, quizzes, tests, and animations
* Dreamweaver commands approximately eighty percent of the market for professional Web development tools; its supplementary CourseBuilder and Learning Site extensions have been downloaded more than 90,000 times
* CD-ROM includes sixteen e-learning templates worth $99, quick start forms, additional software, and a complete, customizable, three-hour online course

From the Back Cover
"With a book like this, even mere mortals can use Macromedia tools and extensions to create effective e-learning."
-Bill Horton, author of Designing Web-Based Training and e-Learning Tools and Technologies

The Web-based training field is hot, and this comprehensive toolkit will prepare you to take advantage of the opportunities it offers developers. Everything you need to create your own e-learning curriculum is here-software, plans for building your courses, site templates, a database, a dozen samples, and complete step-by-step instructions for using them all. There's a section devoted to Dreamweaver basics, an overview of e-learning concepts, a quick course in creating effective tests, plus plenty of expert tutorials and hands-on examples. You'll feel confident designing, developing, and implementing WBT courses with the most popular Web publishing tool in the world.

You'll learn how to:

• Design interactive pages, manage reusable content, and apply cascading style sheets
• Install and use Learning Site and CourseBuilder extensions
• Develop valid test questions and reduce the odds of accurate guessing
• Select, control, and process CourseBuilder interactions
• Choose layout styles for effective site navigation
• Create drag-and-drop and image hot area interactions
• Track test results with the Learning Site database

"Mike Doyle has done a fantastic job teaching novice and experienced Dreamweaver MX users how to develop effective courseware. This is destined to become a reference book you will want to keep close at hand."
-Margaret Driscoll, IBM Mindspan Solutions, Author of Web-Based Training: Designing e-Learning Experiences

The CD-ROM features:

• Trial version of Macromedia Dreamweaver MX, plus Learning Site and CourseBuilder extensions
• 12 valuable e-learning templates
• A complete 3-hour online course you can use as a course model for your custom Web-based training
• Author files and tutorials

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Review of DocBook Publishing [Book and CD-ROM] [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

For a complete beginner, this book is OK, otherwise I think people are going to find it light on the details. Of course, it's the details that are hard to discover and get right.

Also, space was devoted to topics that are not really germane, like CVS, Emacs and vi. Of course one has to edit DocBook files, but devoting 3 chapters (out of 12 total) seems like padding.

Product Description
DocBook is an SGML format for writing structured documents and it has been adopted by a large and growing community of authors writing books of all kinds.DocBook Publishing provides clear, concise information on how DocBook can be used for publishing in-house documentation projects, academic purposes, and much more.This comprehensive reference covers all aspects of using DocBook, from writing a book or article to using Jade to convert DocBook files to finished products.Writers looking to publish a book, an article, or Web content will find all they need to know in this hands-on resource.

About the Author
Joe "Zonker" Brockmeier has been using and writing about Linux and Open-Source software since 1996. He is a contributing editor to Linux Magazine, a senior editor with UserFriendlyMedia, and is the author of Install, Configure, and Customize Slackware Linux from Premier Press.

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Review of MySQL: Essential Skills (Paperback)

One of the first questions you have to ask is: why a book on MySQL when the MySQL site provides such a comprehensive training instruction? The authors answer this very succinctly: the training manual is almost incomprehensible to anyone coming to MySQL new. I downloaded it and looked at it--they're right, it is!
So, I came to this new book with no knowledge of MySQL but with experience of teaching myself other software from books. This is the clearest and most interesting training manual I've seen for a long time. It started by explaining some of the fundamentals: the difference between open source and proprietary software and how to download the software you've chosen. Every step is accompanied by crisp screen captures and a clear explanation. What I particularly like is that the author gives the impression that she is carrying out the actions at the same time you are, so when faults and problems occur, she's found the same thing and talks you through. It's so refreshing after the number of times I've tried something from other books and not found the result I'm supposed to.
The layout of the pages is particularly pleasing, with a tips section, projects to work though and self-tests to ensure you've grasped the knowledge in each chapter. As a training specialist, I found this book a lesson in the correct use of the principles of training design.
What really made this book stand out for me as something new and different was the example that is used throughout to explain the principles of the database design: a company making clothes for pet ducks. It's so whimsical and amusing; you can't help but romp though the exercises. Who says learning coding can't be fun?
If you want to take your web site to the next level with interactive databases; if you want to learn how to design these powerful databases, then I highly recommend this crisp, clear and well-written book.

Product Description
An introductory look into the most popular open source database. Get step-by-step instruction from installing MySQL, manipulating it, and basic reporting, to advanced reporting, interfacing programs, and backups. An accessible introduction to a powerful database, featuring progress checks, exercises, and Ask the Experts sections in each chapter.

From the Back Cover

Fundamentals Made Easy. Get Your MySQL Database Up and Running with Ease

Set up a MySQL database on Windows or Linux with help from this step-by-step beginner's guide. Learn to design and create a database with tables, load data into your tables, and generate basic and advanced reports. You'll also get details on how to administer, secure, and back up your database, and import data from other programs. Plus, learn to use PHP for dynamic web pages and MySQL web interfaces. Get started in no time with today's most popular open source database and take advantage of all the features MySQL database server has to offer.

Designed for Easy Learning:

• Modules--Each concept is divided into logically organized modules (chapters), ideal for self-paced learning
• Critical Skills--Each module opens with the specific skills covered in the module
• Mastery Checks--End-of-module reviews test knowledge using short-answer, multiple-choice, and fill-in-the-blank questions
• Ask the Experts--Q&A sections throughout are filled with bonus information and helpful tips
• Progress Checks--Quick self-assessment sections check your progress
• Projects--Practical exercises show how to apply the critical skills learned in each module

Dr. John W. Horn is a recognized MySQL lecturer and trainer with Interstate Software LLC.Michael Grey is an IT professional, trainer, and writer who provides courseware development for Interstate Software, LLC.Interstate Software is the only gold-level partner with MySQL AB, the commercial MySQL company founded by the creators of the MySQL database server. Interstate Software provides authorized MySQL training and consulting.

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