MySQL Certification

By Matthew Knight, de-construct

The MYSQL Certification Study Guide is an ideal book for many types of readers, more than just someone preparing for the Certification exams.

Those who are studying for the MySQL Certification Exams will find this book indispensable, and enable them to be sure that they're clued up on each of the areas which the exam covers. Students will find that the book outlines the weighting of each section, so you don't spend 90% of your time on a chapter which will only make up 10% of the example. It carefully explains the things you need to know, but won't leave you concerned over whether a topic is covered or not, and to what detail.

More often than not, when studying for any sort of test it is the hardest thing to know to what level to study a topic, and then after sitting the exam, finding that half of the work you studied didn't even come up is just frustrating, especially if it left you thin on other areas. This book defines clearly what you need to know for the exam.

Generous use of examples throughout the more SQL heavy portions of the book mean that you won't be scratching your head trying to work out a real world implementation of an INNER JOIN or the ALTERing of a multi column indexed table, as many people find remembering a working example of something is often easier to retrieve from their memory than a black and white method prototype.

Quite commonly with more plain written manuals to an application or language, there are several different ways of using the same function or set of tools, and again, this book makes sure that you're aware of the different ways you can use the tools, functions and language to achieve the results you're aiming for, and often in the most efficient way. For instance, description of the differences between using VARCHAR and CHAR columns and which you should use depending on the types of data you're using overall in that column.

With someone of a purely practical working knowledge of MySQL as a database language, perhaps working with PHP or another scripting language, the additional chapters in the book, and indeed exam sections, could be fairly new to you. Perhaps installing the server software is not a common task you perform, or you have very limited knowledge of precisely who MySQL AB are, the book again covers these topics and more to expand your knowledge on these exam essentials.

Additionally, for those readers who may have picked this book up in the hope that it would provide a useful reference manual, you won't be disappointed; you'll find a handy reference section towards the back of the book. Although, this book is best read from cover to cover. Even if you're not studying for a certification exam, you'll find useful functionality that you weren't aware that MySQL provided.

This book is the perfect companion to anyone who wants to improve their MySQL skills, whether for official recognition, or simply personal and professional gain.

About the Author

Matthew Knight is a founding partner and Technical Director of UK digital agency de-construct. Since he began his career at the tender age of 16 in 1994, Matthew has worked with on brands and sites including Panasonic Europe, BBC Radio One, Smirnoff, Cartoon Network, Ladbrokes, FCUK, and most recently dance act Faithless and London's Mayoral Elections, where he created a bespoke mysql/php based system to deliver the election results in real time to news agencies such as the BBC, CNN and Reuters. Matthew lives in London with his girlfriend, and is saving up for an AIBO, and in between developing web-based applications, he tries to watch rubbish movies and collect t-shirts.

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