This indispensable SQL reference book is the first-of- its-kind to leverage the benefits of design patterns to relational database SQL queries. Leveraging on the success of programming design patterns books, SQL guru Vadim Tropashko categorizes and describes all common SQL structures and design patterns. This is an important book for programmers and managers alike. Because SQL is a declarative language there are many ways to write any SQL query and convoluted and clumsy SQL syntax has become a maintenance nightmare. Professional database programmers must understand the correct way to write SQL for complicated database queries, and managers must institute formal SQL coding standards to improve productivity and maintainability. As relational databases structures become more complex, so do their SQL queries. Complex SQL becomes difficult to understand and maintain, especially with novices who pile-on nested subqueries, and all SQL programmer must learn rudimentary SQL theory, which classifies known SQL solutions into common patterns. SQL design patterns greatly improve the quality and productivity of systems development projects because SQL design patterns form a "best practices" foundation for all relational database queries. The SQL programmers benefit from using SQL design patterns since all query structures are standardized with common approaches, and management benefits by having standardized and maintainable SQL syntax. This book is both pragmatic and academic, a worthy academic book that emphasizes theoretical foundation for almost every type of SQL query problem. Most of the material has accompanying figures that help visualizing the problem. This is not a book for casual programmers or dilettantes. It is specifically created for professional SQL developers who need to solve complex problems using common SQL idioms.