Good programming--which is to say, programming that yields both
efficient code and a profitable life for the programmer--depends on not
reinventing the wheel. If someone else has solved the problem you're
facing (and someone almost always has), you'd be foolish to waste your
energy figuring out your own solution. MySQL Cookbook presents
solutions to scores of problems related to the MySQL database server.
Readers stand a good chance of finding a ready-made solution to
problems such as querying databases, validating and formatting data,
importing and exporting values, and using advanced features like
session tracking and transactions. Paul DuBois has done a great job
assembling efficient solutions to common database programming problems,
and teaches his readers a lot about MySQL and its attendant APIs in the
process.

DuBois organizes his cookbook's recipes into sections on the
problem, the solution stated simply, and the solution implemented in
code and discussed. The implementation and discussion sections are the
most valuable, as they contain the command sequences, code listings,
and design explanations that can be transferred to outside projects.
The main gripe readers will have about MySQL Cookbook is that
the author, in his effort to cover the range of MySQL-friendly
programming languages, uses different languages in his solutions to
various problems. You'll see a Perl solution to one programming
challenge (Perl, in fact, is the most frequently used language,
followed by PHP), a Python fix for the next, and a Java sample after
that. Readers have to hope that they find a solution in the language
they're working with, or that they're able to transliterate the one
DuBois has provided. It's usually not a big problem. --David Wall

Topics covered: How to make MySQL databases do your bidding--in terms of queries, table
manipulation, data formatting, transactions, and Web
interfaces--through the database server's command line interfaces and
(more importantly) through the MySQL APIs of Perl, PHP, Java, and
Python. Particularly excellent coverage deals with formatting dates and
times, management of null values, string manipulation, and
import/export techniques.