Chapter 5. Advanced SQL and MySQL

This chapter picks up where its predecessor left off, discussing more advanced SQL and MySQL topics. While the basics of both technologies will certainly get you by, it's these more complex features that will take your database-driven applications to the next level.

I'll begin by discussing database design in greater detail, using part of a content management system as an example. This naturally leads into the SQL topic of joins, an integral part of any relational database. From there I'll describe a new category of functions that are specifically used when grouping your query results.

After that discussion, the subject matter becomes more advanced, starting with indexes, how to change the structure of existing tables, and what the available MySQL table types are. Then, a newer MySQL feature is covered: performing full text searches. The final topic in the chapter teaches how to optimize your tables and SQL queries. (In Chapter 11, "Extended Topics," two other new and advanced MySQL concepts will be discussed.)