This Master Class has Concluded
The sessions were presented live during January 2010.

SQL is ubiquitous. But SQL is also complicated, difficult, and error prone - much more so than SQL advocates would have you believe. There's a lot of bad practice in the way SQL is used, and testing SQL can never be exhaustive. If you have any hope of writing correct SQL, you must follow some discipline: the discipline of using SQL relationally.

It's a fact: SQL is the standard language for relational databases, but that doesn't make it relational! SQL departs from relational theory in all too many ways. Duplicate rows and nulls provide two obvious examples, but they're not the only ones. In this class, you'll learn relational theory, how SQL departs from the theory, and how to avoid the problems that can cause. By using the relational model as an organizing principle, and learning various features of the model in depth, you'll discover the best ways to implement SQL. And you'll enjoy the benefits of working with a truly relational system.

Exercises are an integral part of the class, and your discussion and interaction are encouraged. We are capturing these sessions on video and all students are required to sign a release form prior to the commencement of the class, a copy of which may be downloaded in advance. Hard copy forms will be provided at the event.

• Database application designers and implementers
• Information modelers and database designers
• Data and database administrators
• Computer science professors specializing in database matters
• DBMS designers, implementers, and other vendor personnel
• Database consultants
• People responsible for DBMS product evaluations and acquisition

• A copy of the instructor's recent book, SQL and Relational Theory: How to Write Accurate SQL Code