sql

MySQL is the database used by many commercial and open source security products. Although the user is often "shielded" from interacting with the database directly, it's important and sometimes crucial to know basic MySQL administration.

"MySQL Tutorial" is the perfect companion to any security tool which depends on a MySQL database. For example, no one seriously expects to collect large amounts of data with Sguil and Snort unless a MySQL or similar database is working in the background. "MySQL Tutorial" gives the right details on the right subjects for those running integrated MySQL databases.

This book is not for Oracle gurus. It's for people who need basic understanding of MySQL installation, configuration, security, and administration. I found the authors' explanations clear and relevant, hitting the high points I would expect in a 267 page book. The text is example-driven, using a sample "employee" database to demonstrate various administration tasks.

The only real fault I found involves the scripts at the publisher's Web site. They create a sample database whose naming convention differs from the book's description. For example, the scripts create an "employee_skills" table, but the book speaks of "employeeSkills". The best answer to this problem is to manually correct the scripts prior to running them, or to type in the examples by hand.

"MySQL Tutorial" met my expectations, with a page count and price far more reasonable than many tech titles available today. I recommend this book to anyone who uses MySQL in a role supporting intrusion detection systems, Web servers, or similar applications.

This book assumes some familiarity with the basics of databases, and knowledge of some web application language with which you can write your queries.

Its a nice overview of MySQL's capabilites and quirks. After reading the first few chapters I am more convinced than before that MySQL is the best database choice for all but the largest, most critical applications.

If you're an experienced techie and you want the heavy details on MySQL, get one of the $50 encyclopedia-weight books. If you want a nice introduction and instructions on how to work with basic queries, try this book.