Looking for recommendations on a book that teaches MySQL (if PHP is part if it even better).
This is for a novice but would like for it to be comprehensive such that once I am no longer a novice with it I can still find the book useful (although if not possible I definitely would opt for novice training and get a separate book once I become competent with it).
I went to Amazon and looked at what was on offer and almost all the books there had good reviews. Figured I’d ask here and see if I can get more opinions.
I asked this question a while ago and Shagnasty recommended The Practical SQL Handbook by Bowman. (Amazon Link.) It’s not specifically for MySQL but I used it with MySQL and it was fine. I don’t have experience with any other books but this one was excellent.
This book is mostly a PHP book, but it does have a lengthy section on relational databases and MySQL. It’s a very robust introduction that would be accessible to just about anyone familiar with html (although knowing another scripting language like ActionScript or JavaScript is a plus).
While I’ve grown out of it somewhat, the Ullman book is usually adequate for most reference-type questions.
Before even buying a book, though - and if you haven’t already - do check out the superb documentation for both MySQL and PHP. You should be able to learn a great deal without even setting foot in a Barnes and Noble… and it’ll give you a better sense of what might make a book right for you.
Also, www.w3schools.com/ offers some pretty decent crash-course tutorials in a lot of subjects, including MySQL and PHP.