Learn SQL, Database Design, and Administration Step by Step

Read before you buy: the PDF here is a free sample — the first 20 pages of the 581-page book (payments, sales and reviews on this demo site are sample data). Get the full e-book at thenexbooks on Gumroad.

Learn MariaDB and SQL from the very beginning — with one real database you build, query, and run yourself.

MariaDB is one of the most widely deployed open-source databases, powering websites, shops, and business applications everywhere. This book teaches it from zero: no SQL or database experience is required. You install MariaDB, create a realistic sample database, and then add one idea at a time — from simple SELECT statements to joins, window functions, database design, stored procedures, backups, and replication.

Everything uses the same continuous example: the database of Greenleaf Plant Nursery, a small business with an online shop. Every query result in the book was produced by running the SQL on a real MariaDB server, so what you see on the page is what you will see on your screen.

• 581 pages · 28 chapters + 4 appendices
• For complete beginners — no SQL experience needed
• Install MariaDB and connect with the mariadb client or a graphical tool
• SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, functions, GROUP BY, and joins
• Subqueries, common table expressions, and window functions
• Database design, normalization, keys, constraints, indexes, EXPLAIN, and views
• Transactions, stored procedures, triggers, scheduled events, JSON, and system-versioned tables
• Users and roles, backup and restore, configuration, monitoring, replication, and security
• Connecting from Python, PHP, and Node.js, plus a complete reporting project
• Every query tested on a real MariaDB server

Table Of Contents

Part I — Getting Started

• Ch 1 · What Is MariaDB, and Why Learn It?
• Ch 2 · Installing MariaDB and Connecting
• Ch 3 · Databases, Tables, and Data Types
• Ch 4 · Inserting, Updating, and Deleting Data
• Ch 5 · Querying with SELECT

Part II — Working with Data

• Ch 6 · Built-in Functions: Strings, Numbers, and Dates
• Ch 7 · Aggregation with GROUP BY and HAVING
• Ch 8 · Joining Tables
• Ch 9 · Subqueries and Common Table Expressions
• Ch 10 · Window Functions

Part III — Designing Databases

• Ch 11 · Database Design and Normalization
• Ch 12 · Keys, Constraints, and Referential Integrity
• Ch 13 · Indexes and Query Performance Basics
• Ch 14 · Views
• Ch 15 · Project: Building Out the Greenleaf Database

Part IV — Programming the Database

• Ch 16 · Transactions and Locking
• Ch 17 · Stored Procedures and Functions
• Ch 18 · Triggers and Scheduled Events
• Ch 19 · JSON and System-Versioned Tables

Part V — Administration

• Ch 20 · Users, Roles, and Privileges
• Ch 21 · Backup and Restore
• Ch 22 · Configuration and Monitoring
• Ch 23 · Replication and High Availability
• Ch 24 · Security Hardening

Part VI — Applications and Next Steps

• Ch 25 · Connecting from Applications
• Ch 26 · Project: Reporting and Analytics for Greenleaf
• Ch 27 · Storage Engines and MariaDB-Specific Features
• Ch 28 · Next Steps

Appendices

• App A · SQL and MariaDB Cheat Sheet
• App B · Data Types and Functions Reference
• App C · Checklists
• App D · Glossary

WHO IT IS FOR
Complete beginners who want to learn SQL and databases, students in database courses, developers who use MariaDB in their applications, and junior administrators who look after MariaDB servers.

FORMAT
PDF (A4), 581 pages, English, clickable table of contents and PDF bookmarks. 1st Edition, 2026. Published by thenexbooks. Not affiliated with MariaDB plc or the MariaDB Foundation.

Book details