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Authors  >  Joe Celko

Joe Celko Joe Celko
Joe Celko is one of the most widely read of all writers about SQL, and was the winner of the DBMS Magazine Reader's Choice Award four consecutive years. He is an independent consultant living in Austin, TX. He has taught SQL in the US, UK, the Nordic countries, South America and Africa.
He served 10 years on ANSI/ISO SQL Standards Committee and contributed to the SQL-89 and SQL-92 Standards.
He has written over 800 columns in the computer trade and academic press, mostly dealing with data and databases. He is the author of eight books on SQL for Morgan-Kaufmann, including the best selling SQL FOR SMARTIES.
Joe is a well-known figure on Newsgroups and Forums, and he is famous for his his dry wit. He is also interested in Science Fiction.
Avoiding the EAV of Destruction
by Joe Celko | 18 June 2009 |  7 comments |
A forum posting, from someone who wanted a better solution to the common problem of handling global settings in a database, leads Joe Celko into a fascinating discussion of the ramifications of the various solutions. Read more...
SQL and the Snare of Three-Valued Logic
by Joe Celko | 07 May 2009 |  10 comments |
The whole subject of the Three-Valued (also known as ternary, trivalent or 3VL) Logic of SQL tends to trip people up. This is hardly surprising in view of the fact that it involves an esoteric Polish mathematician and because it behaves differently in the DDL (Data... Read more...
Median Workbench
by Joe Celko | 05 April 2009 |  11 comments |
SQL Server database engine doesn't have a MEDIAN() aggregate function. This is probably because there are several types of median, such as statistical, financial or vector medians. Calculating Medians are essentially a row-positioning task, since medians are the... Read more...
Divided We Stand: The SQL of Relational Division
by Joe Celko | 17 February 2009 |  3 comments |
Businesses often require reports that require more than the classic set operators. Surprisingly, a business requirement can often be expressed neatly in terms of the DIVISION relationship operator: How can this be done with SQL Server? Joe Celko opens up the 'Manga... Read more...
Temporal Data Techniques in SQL
by Joe Celko | 18 January 2009 |  3 comments |
In the first part of this series on Temporal Data, Joe explained how it is that the Common Era calendar is irregular and mentioned that, although there are ANSI/ISO Standards for temporal operations in SQL, every vendor has something different. Now, he discusses... Read more...
Temporal Datatypes in SQL Server
by Joe Celko | 16 December 2008 |  43 comments |
In the first of a series of articles on the tricks of tackling temporal data in SQL, Joe Celko discusses SQL's temporal data types and agonizes over the fact that, although there are ANSI/ISO Standards for temporal operations in SQL, every vendor has something... Read more...
Unique Experiences!
by Joe Celko | 18 November 2008 |  17 comments |
You'd have thought that a unique constraint was an easy concept - Not a bit of it; it can cause a lot of subtle problems in database designs. Joe Celko goes over the ground of unique keys, primary Keys, foreign keys and constraints. Read more...
Constraint Yourself!
by Joe Celko | 26 October 2008 |  19 comments |
In his first article for Simple-Talk, Joe Celko demystifies the use of Constraints, and points out that they are an intrinsic part of SQL and are a great way of ensuring that a business rule is done one way, one place, one time. Almost all database programmers will... Read more...
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