About the Author
Kevin Kline is the team leader for Information Architecture within Shared Informa-
tion Services at Deloitte & Touche LLP. Kevin and his team perform data and
infrastructure architecture in support of major knowledge management and transac-
tion processing systems for Deloitte’s Client Service Technology organization. Kevin
is also the author of Transact-SQL Programming (O’Reilly, 1999) (http://
www.oreilly.com/catalog/wintrnssql/ ) and numerous magazine articles on Microsoft
SQL Server. When he’s not pulling his hair out over work issues, Kevin likes to
romance his wife, play with his three kids, tinker with his ’66 Chevy pickup, and
garden.
Other than being Kevin’s brother, Daniel Kline is an Assistant Professor of English at
the University of Alaska, Anchorage, where he specializes in medieval literature, liter-
ary and cultural theory, and computer-assisted pedagogy. He completed his Ph.D. at
Indiana University, Bloomington, and in addition to numerous scholarly presentations,
Dan recently has published academic essays in Literary and Linguistic Computing,
Philological Quarterly, Chaucer Review, and Essays in Medieval Studies. When he’s not
spending time with his wife and two boys, Dan frets over his pet project, the
Electronic Canterbury Tales (http://cwolf.uaa.alaska.edu/~afdtk/ext_main.htm). Dan
can be reached at afdtk@ uaa.alaska.edu.
Colophon
Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback
from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach
to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects.
The animal on the cover of SQL in a Nutshell is a chameleon. There are approxi-
mately 85 species of chameleons existing in the world today. They are mostly
indigenous to Africa, although there are a few species found in Asia and in Europe.
Most are tree dwellers. The chameleon is relatively small; the average adult size is
between 6 inches and 12 inches. It lives mostly on insects, and uses its long tongue
to capture its prey. Indeed, the tongue is a critical tool. It can stretch up to 1.5 times
the lizard’s body length, and there is an adhesive pad on the end, which the insects
are trapped on. There are several other characteristics common to all species of cha-
meleons. For example, its eyes are large and protruding, and the lizard can see 360
degrees around without moving its head or body. Its toes are on either side of its
feet, usually with three on one side and two on the other. This is ideal for moving
quickly and efficiently through tree branches.
Chameleons are best known for their ability to change their appearance to adapt to
their physical environment. Actually, several types of reptiles can change their skin
color, but the chameleon is far and away the most accomplished. This skill, which
is moderated by the nervous system, obviously is invaluable for hunting prey and
avoiding predators, and also helps to stablize body temperature. The extent of this
camouflage capability is related to the gender, age, and species of the lizard.
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