Another vote for a well written introduction.

For all those experienced and insulted DBAs out there, please remember the up-and-comings like myself who really appreciate an introduction to the subject wherever possible.

I, like many others I suspect, are expected to use SQL as part of their job but have never been offered/given training - i've learned what I know from a DBA and a Systems Analyst that I work with over a period of nearly 2 years now, and I know my knowledge is shockingly bad (i have no theoretical knowledge at all).

In summary - Thanks for the article, and I'm looking forward to reading part 2...