B O O K S T O R E Your own recommendations ? Designing Databases Database Design for Mere Mortals by Michael J. Hernandez Very basic-level stuff, well-handled. Useful if you are a complete newcomer to RDBMS. Data Modeling Essentials: Analysis, Design and Innovation by Graeme Simsion THE book for learning from the ground up about data analysis, relationships, normalization and creative ways to solve tough problems. Read this book before you read any other - everything else is just a follow-up. Database Design for Smarties by Robert J. Muller Very sound UML approach to designing databases. Not specific to relational databases. Joe Celko's... Instant SQL Programming Probably not one of Celko's finest works. Not a beginner book, either SQL For Smarties: Advanced SQL Programming New edition of the classic book of magic spells for SQL programming. SQL Puzzles and Answers Hands-on approach to beating your SQL task into shape. Data and Databases: Concepts in Practice Not exactly a primer, but this book contains a good deal of material to cure you of the "spreadsheet mentality" when designing and mending databases. ? SQL Reference The Practical SQL Handbook by Judith S. Bowman et al. How-to and desktop reference for standard SQL, well-reviewed. SQL: The Complete Reference by James Groff and Paul Heinberg A guide to the SQL Standard by Hugh Darwen and Chris Date The Essence of SQL by David Rozenshtein and Tom Bondur Very concise, very much a beginner book. SQL Fundamentals by John Patrick Oracle and Access focused. SQL Clearly Explained by Jan Harrington Beginner-to-intermediate level, thin on discussion of relational concepts but otherwise considered a good starter book. Same author has written Relational Database Design Clearly Explained. Understanding the New SQL: a Complete Guide by Jim Melton and Alan Simon Covers SQL-89 and SQL-92, comprehensive, good lookup reference. Understanding SQL by Martin Gruber It's been around a while but it still gets rave reviews from folk who have had to learn SQL the hard way in the past. SQL for Dummies by Allen G. Taylor As expected, no great depths are sounded here but it uses Borland C++ and Delphi for client examples. Good if you don't want to face the big challenges for a while. ? Teach Yourself Teach Yourself SQL in 24 Hours by Ronald Plew Weekend pressure-cooker. Gets approval for being a straightforward introduction. Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes by Ben Forta Speed-reading skills essential . Good reviews for being direct and a quick way to get to grips with queries. ?