Rating: 5 out of 5
The best book I've found
I've read every SQL Server book I could get my hands on and none compare to this one. The sheer clarity of the text, the ind-depth explanations, the friendly prose -- all combine to produce the best book available on SQL Server.Equally as amazing is the usefulness of the sample code. I don't know about you, but sample code from most of the books I've found tends to be more academic than practical. In other words, though it helps explain some important point, it's not code you could or would use in the real wrold. That's not true with this book. Everything - from the fulltext search examples, to the Automation and Administrative code - is good stuff. I used lots of it in my job as-is. So, you get a double value here. You get a great book, and along with it, a great T-SQL code library. They ought to sell the CD separately. Last but not least - I love the T-SQL editor that's included with the book. It's a freebie tool (they're not hawking a product here) that's much more powerful and easy to use than Query Analyzer. So, you get a triple value. All told, this is one heckuva book (and software package). Knowing what I know now, if I was told I had to get rid of all my SQL Server books except one, this is the one I'd keep.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Not for the faint of heart, the book is ADVANCED!!
If you are brand new to SQL Server, get a simpler book. If you've been working with SQL Server for awhile and want to improve you Transact-SQL skills, look no further -- this is the book for you. I've been working in MSSQL for many years now and this book taught me loads I didn't know the first night I opened it. Undocumented DBCCs, cool statistical functions, array handling, extremely useful administrative code (you can use lots of it right out of the box), etc., all combine to create the most comprehensive body of TSQL work I've ever seen. Note: the book requires and repays careful rereading. You will not be able to read it in one setting. I spent a week and a half on it the first time through, and that was hitting the book every night. It's very dense, and you'll want to study the annotated code listings to get the most out of them. Like the other reviews have said, this book is not just for gurus. It's also not for the faint of heart -- you will have to study it to get the most out of it. However, if you learn everything in it, you'll be a guru yourself when you get done. I'm still working on that one myself.
Rating: 5 out of 5
A great one for DBA's and developers too
This book is unique. It doesn't read like all the other Sql Server books I have. Its totally different and fresh. The expert discussions of statistical functions in the language is like nothing else I've ever read. The full-text discussion, the Ole Automation discussion, and the undocumented chapter are all first rate. I loved the null values chapter and the DML/DDL chapters. They are also first rate. I can't think of a better value for the money than this book. It's very tight, and every page has some new tidbit that you'll be glad you read.
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