The 9 Best MySQL Books for 2021 Based on Real User Reviews

Timothy King

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The 9 Best MySQL Books for 2021 Based on Real User Reviews

Posted on August 6, 2021 by Timothy King in Best Practices

Our editors have compiled this directory of the best MySQL books based on Amazon user reviews, rating, and ability to add business value.

There are loads of free resources available online (such as Solutions Review’s Data Management Software Buyer‘s Guide, Vendor Comparison Map, and best practices section) and those are great, but sometimes it’s best to do things the old-fashioned way. There are few resources that can match the in-depth, comprehensive detail of one of the best MySQL books.

The editors at Solutions Review have done much of the work for you, curating this directory of the best MySQL books on Amazon. Titles have been selected based on the total number and quality of reader user reviews and ability to add business value. Each of the books listed in this compilation have met a minimum criteria of 50 reviews and a 4-star-or-better ranking.

Below you will find a short list of titles from recognized industry analysts, experienced practitioners, and subject matter experts spanning the depths of database programming all the way to understanding the different options when it comes to evaluating MySQL database products. This compilation includes publications for practitioners of all skill levels.

The Best MySQL Books

SQL: Learn SQL (using MySQL) in One Day and Learn It Well

OUR TAKE: With more than 600 ratings and 4.5 stars, this is one of the most popular MySQL books on the market. This title shows you the basics of SQL fast through concepts, which are presented in a concise manner.

“The best way to learn SQL is by doing. This book provides examples for all concepts taught so that you can try out the different SQL commands yourself.In addition, you’ll be guided through a complete project at the end of the book that requires the application of all the concepts taught previously. Working through the project will not only give you an immense sense of achievement, it’ll also help you retain the knowledge and master the language. Ready to embark on your SQL learning journey? This book is for you.”

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Learning PHP, MySQL & JavaScript: With jQuery, CSS & HTML5

OUR TAKE: This book shows you how PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, CSS, HTML5 and jQuery work together. It also identifies valuable web programming practices like how to optimize websites for mobile devices.

“Build interactive, data driven websites with the potent combination of open source technologies and web standards, even if you have only basic HTML knowledge. In this update to this popular hands on guide, you’ll tackle dynamic web programming with the latest versions of today’s core technologies: PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, CSS, HTML5, and key jQuery libraries. At the end of the book, you’ll put everything together to build a fully functional social networking site suitable for both desktop and mobile browsers.”

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Murach’s MySQL

OUR TAKE: Author Joel Murach has been writing and editing books about computer programming for over 20 years. This title shows you how to take advantage of newer MySQL features like window functions, CTE, and roles for database security.

“This is the latest edition of the book that application developers worldwide have used to master MySQL…now updated for MySQL 8 and beyond. As you would expect, this book shows how to code all the essential SQL statements for working with a MySQL database. You’ll use these statements every day to have MySQL do more of your work for you. But beyond that, it shows how to work with classic MySQL features that take you to new level, such as summary queries, subqueries, functions, views, transactions, stored procedures, triggers, and security.”

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PHP and MySQL Web Development

OUR TAKE: This updated fifth edition has been expanded to cover developments in PHP through versions 5, 6 and 7, as well as features introduced in recent stables releases of MySQL.

“PHP and MySQL Web Development shows how to use these tools together to produce effective, interactive Web applications. It clearly describes the basics of the PHP language, explains how to set up and work with a MySQL database, and then shows how to use PHP to interact with the database and the server. This practical, hands-on book consistently focuses on real-world applications, even in the introductory chapters. The authors cover important aspects of security and authentication as they relate to building a real-world website and show you how to implement these aspects in PHP and MySQL.”

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High Performance MySQL: Optimization, Backups, and Replication

OUR TAKE: This book will teach you advanced techniques for everything from designing schemas, indexes, and queries to tuning your MySQL server, operating system, and hardware to their fullest potential.

“With High Performance MySQL, you’ll learn advanced techniques for everything from designing schemas, indexes, and queries to tuning your MySQL server, operating system, and hardware to their fullest potential. This guide also teaches you safe and practical ways to scale applications through replication, load balancing, high availability, and failover. Updated to reflect recent advances in MySQL and InnoDB performance, features, and tools, this third edition not only offers specific examples of how MySQL works, it also teaches you why this system works as it does, with illustrative stories and case studies that demonstrate MySQL’s principles in action.”

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MySQL Crash Course

OUR TAKE: Written by Macromedia’s Senior Technical Evangelist, this book will teach you all you need to know to be quickly productive with MySQL. It also includes 30 highly focused hands-on lessons.

“MySQL is one of the most popular database management systems available, powering everything from Internet powerhouses to individual corporate databases to simple end-user applications, and everything in between. And this book will teach you all you need to know to be immediately productive with MySQL. By working through 30 highly focused hands-on lessons, your MySQL Crash Course will be both easier and more effective than you’d have thought possible. You’ll also learn how to retrieve and sort data, filter data using comparisons, expressions, search and more, and join relational data.”

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PHP & MySQL For Dummies

OUR TAKE: Part of the popular ‘For Dummies’ series, this book shows you how to build a product catalog and a member-only site requiring a username and password. It will also teach you basic design for future endeveaors.

“Here’s what Web designers need to know to create dynamic, database-driven websites. To be on the cutting edge, Web sites need to serve up HTML, CSS, and products specific to the needs of different customers using different browsers. An effective e-commerce site gathers information about users and provides the information they need to get the desired result. PHP scripting language with a MySQL back-end database offers an effective way to design sites that meet these requirements. This full updated 4th Edition of PHP & MySQL For Dummies gets you quickly up to speed, even if your experience is limited.”

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Learning MySQL: Get a Handle on Your Data

OUR TAKE: This book is useful whether you’ve never touched a database or have completed some MySQL projects. Key topics include basic and advanced querying, user management and security, backups and recovery, tuning, and developing applications.

“MySQL, the most popular open-source database, offers the power of a relational database in a package that’s easy to set up and administer, and Learning MySQL provides all the tools you need to get started. This densely packed tutorial includes detailed instructions to help you set up and design an effective database, create powerful queries using SQL, configure MySQL for improved security, and squeeze information out of your data. After covering the basics, the book travels far into MySQL’ssubtleties, including complex queries and joins, how to interact with the database over the Web using PHP or Perl, and important housekeeping such as backups and security.”

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MySQL (Developer’s Library)

OUR TAKE: Author Paul DuBois is a writer, database administrator, and leader in the open-source and MySQL communities. This is the definitive guide to using, programming and administering MySQL 5.5 and MySQL 5.6.

“The fifth edition of this bestselling book has been meticulously revised and updated to thoroughly cover the latest features and capabilities of MySQL 5.5, as well as to add new coverage of features introduced with MySQL 5.6. Author Paul DuBois describes everything from the basics of getting information into a database and formulating queries, to using MySQL with PHP or Perl to generate dynamic web pages, to writing your own programs that access MySQL databases, to administering MySQL servers. The book also includes a comprehensive reference section providing detailed information on MySQL’s structure, language, syntax, and APIs.”

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Timothy King

Senior Editor at Solutions Review

Tim is Solutions Review's Editorial Director and leads coverage on big data, business intelligence, and data analytics. A 2017 and 2018 Most Influential Business Journalist and 2021 "Who's Who" in data management and data integration, Tim is a recognized influencer and thought leader in enterprise business software. Reach him via tking at solutionsreview dot com.