Rating: 
Summary: Goes great with Guru's Guide to Stored Procs & XML, HTML
Review: I bought this and Henderson's other SQL Server book, The Guru's Guide to SQL Server Stored Procedures, XML, and HTML at the same time. They complement each other nicely. Several topics are covered in the other book that aren't in this one and vice versa. Whereas this book focuses on Transact-SQL the language, the other book focuses on stored procedures, UDFs, XML, .NET, etc. Taken together, they're a one-two punch that's hard to beat. Between the two, you have all you need to know to be an SQL Server expert in a number of areas. They are far better than the MS Official Curriculum - trust me on this.One final comment: the quotes at the head of each chapter are great. I really enjoyed them. H.W. Kenton is one funny guy.
Rating:
Summary: Tells all the secrets
Review: I bought this at the PASS conference recently and have really been pleased with it. This book has changed the way I work. I just had to tell someone about it. The first thing that jumps out at you is that Transact-SQL is POWERFUL! I had no idea you could do half the things you can with it. I've been under the impression for many years that Oracle's PL/SQL was actually more powerful than T-SQL. Boy, was I wrong! This book proves that's not true! My favorite things about this book are: 1. No fluff - it stays on point
2. The informal, friendly tone - pretty rare in computer books
3. The attention to detail - there's no knook or crannie left unexplored in the language
4. Undocumented features - why doesn't MS document these?
5. The OLE automation chapter - the code in this chapter could be sold retail, I'm quite sure Thanks to this book I have become a much better developer and a much bigger fan of SQL Server. Thank you Ken Henderson for writing it.
Rating:
Summary: The practical guide for Transact-SQL
Review: Most books aren't practical. They show examples that the authors ought to know won't work in the real world. Not this one. It's the best practical guide for SQL Server that I've seen. The author sounds like a real down-to-earth kind of guy, not some pretentious blowhard who doesn't like to get his hands dirty. I learned more from reading this book than I have from all the other books, training, and my work with the product itself combined. It's that good.
Rating:
Summary: The performance chapter alone is the worth the price
Review: I've never seen such a truckload of great technical info!! I can't believe I'm just now discovering this book. What a find! Here are the best parts: * performance tuning chapter - worth the price of the book all by itself * undocumented T-SQL chapter - another real gem * cursors chapter - the best coverage of these that I've seen (far better than Inside SQL Server) * transactions chapter - a good, no-frills discussion of everything you need to know to code transactions in T-SQL I could go on and on. Just one he|| of a book! B.W.
Rating:
Summary: Get this book if you want to write fast, robust T-sql code
Review: T-sql coding is not easy. It's not easy to get right. I teach classes and see people get it wrong almost everyday. This book is the first I've seen to show how to write code that is both fast and robust, that is readable as well as tunable. You will not find a better selection of top-notch code and expert commentary on T-sql than what you find in this book. I definitely recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: A great SQL Server 2K book
Review: This book covers everything I could have hoped for and more. There's a steep learning curve, but it's worth it. Before I knew it, I had learned more in two weeks with this book than I had learned in two years with the product. Some books can really enlighten you and show you fresh ways of doing things. This is one of those books.
Rating:
Summary: Henderson does it again
Review: I have several of Henderson's other books and I just wanted to get on here and say that this is his best one yet. I have several of his C++ and Delphi books and I'm really glad he trained his eye on Transact-SQL. This language needed a good dose of Henderson. No one writes better tech books. He mixes the perfect blend of outstanding technical content with friendly, humorous, down-to-earth narrative. Thanks, Ken, and congratulations on another fine book.
Rating:
Summary: The best book on Sql Server 2000 in print
Review: I've been telling people what a fine book this is for six months. I used to say "This is the best Transact Sql book." But, after reading most of the other top-drawer Sql Server books, I've changed my tune. This is THE best Sql Server 2000 book in print. It is better than Inside Sql Server (by a long ways) and better than the other books people typically refer me to. What's so great about it? For one thing, it's a book, not a long whitepaper or a printed version of the Books Online. The author has an easy-going, relaxed style that is refreshing in these days of authors who may know their stuff technically, but don't write well. Not only does an author need to know the technical info, he needs to be able to explain it in print if he wants to be successful. This author does that and he does it better than any other technical author I've ever read. Not a lot a fluff, just one great technical exposition after another. Another reason this is the best Sql Server 2000 book is how thorough it is. It doesn't miss a trick. All the stuff you'd expect to be there in a book like this is there and more. Stored procedures? Triggers? Views? Query performance tuning? It's all there. Like I said, this is the best Sql Server 2000 book in print. I wish all my clients would buy, read, and study it. We'd all be better off.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect, just perfect
Review: What a wonderful book! I have been looking for one like this for a long time. I started with Ben-Gan and Moreau's book and quickly discovered that I knew more about T-SQL than they do! I wanted and advanced book, a *really* advanced book. Well, I finally found it. The code in this book is invaluable. I don't care who you are, it will teach you a thing or two about T-SQL. Medians, statistical functions, Automation, triggers and stored procedures, sets, arrays, cursors, fulltext search - these are just some of the many excellent chapters. Get this book if you want to become a T-SQL guru yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Exactly what I was looking for
Review: Thanks for writing this book. It is exactly what I was looking for. The coverage of stored procedures and triggers is excellent, and the text flows as well as any computer book I've ever read. Thank you, thank you. This is exactly what the Dr. ordered.
| 
