The MySQL Workshop Book Review

Good books on MySQL for beginners are rare and excellent ones are even rarer. I often get requests from novices starting with MySQL or intermediates looking to level up on recommendations on books targeted at their level. The MySQL Workshop (Amazon link) by Thomas Pettit and Scott Cosentino is a must buy for those two groups, or those of us who would like a handy reference.

This is a great book and I recommend getting a copy regardless of your MySQL expertise.

The Basics

At seven hundred pages, this book has a wide scope that starts with background concepts like data normalization, proceeds into creating databases, SQL, and administration. And there are sections on programming with Node.js, working with Microsoft applications, loading data, DBA tasks, and logical backups. There are exercises at the end of the chapters with solutions at the end of the book.

Writing such a book is a tremendous task and the authors need to be applauded as they have produced a great book.

The Nitty-Gritty

MySQL is a complex product and introducing concepts with a fresh approach is hard to do but this book does it consistently. Complex topics like creating functions are explained thoroughly without being bogged down in minute details.

Does it cover everything? Nope, and no book under a few thousand pages will ever do that (while keeping pace with product development). There are minor omissions like constraint checks which a still fairly new but I would like to point you to the section on triggers that is the clearest explanation on the subject I have found.

The writing style is concise, the formatting easy on the eyes, and I am sure the book will be very popular. ∎