The Chapters of the book

Chapter 1:"Introduction to MySQL"
This Chapter introduces some important concepts of RDBMS, It explains in general lines the side of client-server application of MySQL. The important concepts of DDL, DML, DCL are also explained...

Chapter 2:"Relational Database Principles"
It explains the reason of using a Database and not text files or spreadsheets. It starts the design of the example database that will grow through the book. It explains also some important rules about the relation between the tables. And it gives you the basic types of MySQL. And explains the meaning of a NULL value on a Database and how to test it.

Chapter 3:"Installing and Getting Started with MySQL"
This chapter gives you the ways that you can use to install MySQL, from source, from binaries. The installation is explained in a Linux system and Windows.

Chapter 4:"Accessing Your Data"
As the name says it covers some methods to access the data stored on the database. You will learn to use mysql command line tool. The SELECT SQL command is very well explained, for example ordering the selection of your data, performing calculations with the same, or even performing restricted selections with the clause WHERE. The joins of the tables were not forgotten.

Chapter 5:"MySQL Graphical Tools"
This chapter, we could say that it is an extension of the 4th chapter. However this one is not concerned about the Selection of Data, but it concerns in a detailed way the tools you can use to access Data. It covers the command line of MySQL (and include quick references of the command line options, and the internal commands). You will learn also, to create your scripts and process it on a batch mode. But for those who hate command line tools the GUI tools are also reviewed, like KSql KMySQL, MySQLGUI and for the window clients the ODBC, a connection through Access and Excel.

Chapter 6:"Changing your Data"
This Chapter will teach how to populate your database using the INSERT SQL command, having in mind NULL values, values with auto_increment (filled automatically when adding new records). But it talks about something very specific of MySQL, the command LOAD DATA, with which you will be able to import data from your text files (assuming that the fields are separated by a character such as a ','). With a similar function of the last one you will be teached the command mysqlimport. The UPDATE and DELETE commands are also focused...

Chapter 7:"Advanced Data Selection"
You've already a chapter dedicated to the selection of data, however this one brings to you other features of the SQL, like the use of functions (e.g. SUM, AVG, MIN, MAX, COUNT). The concept of grouping data when selecting the same is also exposed. The joins you can perform with the SELECT are also treated (e.g. the UNION Join, the SELF Join, the Outer Join). And probably, a thing that you might appreciate when dealing with complex data selection is the Subqueries...

Chapter 8:"Data Definition and Manipulation"
I've found this chapter very important to me, so I advice you to read it carefully, the ideas here are very but very important. The concepts behind the creation of a table, the kinds of tables that MySQL supports, and each one is the best for your needs. The cautions you must make when converting values. But I think the most important is the explanation given to the kind of fields. Exemplifying the difference between CHAR and VARCHAR, between SMALLINT and INT, between DATE and TIME, and so on...

Chapter 9:"Transactions and Locking"
In the last chapter the things started to warm a little, here they get very deep, introducing the concept of multi-user use of a given database, this is here a transaction gets in. So commands like COMMIT or ROLLBACK gets in scene. The locking is also well explained and exemplified. The locking, as you will see, will depend on the kind of table you have chosen. Commands like LOCK, UNLOCK, will start to be familiar to you.

Chapter 10:"MySQL Administration"
Here the administrators will find all the necessary skills to start learning the administration of MySQL, like stopping and starting the database server, configuring users and their privileges. The server logs, the control files (files that have the configuration of the server, of the clients) are also introduced as well as recovering corrupted data.

Chapter 11:"Database Design"
This chapter has with it important concepts that you must have always in mind when building databases. It gives you concepts like the entities and their relation with tables, the relations and the cardinality of them are also reviewed, exemplified with the relationship diagrams.

Chapter 12:"Accessing MySQL from C and C++"
You will learn what library you must include, what the functions they provide. The code is well explained and easy to follow (for the C programmers).

Chapter 13:"Accessing MySQL from PHP"
This chapter covers the configuration of PHP to use MySQL as well as the respective programming.

Chapter 14:"Accessing MySQL from Perl"
As the last one, this starts with the installation of the DBI modules of Perl, the conventions used, and the respective programming to select data, insert data from and into to the database.

Chapter 15:"Accessing MySQL from Java"
This chapter covers the installation of the JDBC driver, and the code you must edit to perform the operations you need on your database.

Chapter 16:"Further information and Resources"
This last ones provides a list of resources you might find useful.