The text begins with an introduction to the case study and trains the reader to think like the query processing engine for a relational database management system. Once the reader has a grasp of the case study then SQL programming constructs are introduced with examples from the case study. In order to reinforce concepts, each chapter has several exercises with solutions provided on the book's website.

SQL by Example is designed both for those who have never worked with SQL as well as those with some experience. It is modular in that each chapter can be approached individually or as part of a sequence, giving the reader flexibility in the way that they learn or refresh concepts. This also makes the book a great reference to refer back to once the reader is honing his or her SQL skills on the job.