Rating: 
Summary: won't run on 2000 production servers
Review: Over half of the code from this book's CD crashes on production servers.
The errata for this book could be a book unto itself. The code here is outdated and not useful beyond 1998. Not used today and never will again by any real pros. The book showing all the secrets as advertised is the professional's code words for stay as far away as possible. Simply very outdated and not of use in todays environments. I run a programming business with over 200 programmers and this book is not useful to any of my staff. They called it the smoke and mirrors book with no real solid material nor any of the tools they use daily to build world class apps.
look elsewhere if you need guidance from real professionals and not novice query work.
Rating:
Summary: No concentration on SQL and not timeless
Review: There is little concentration on any of the most important aspects that t-sql is actually used FOR. It has t-sql coverage but with no tie to anything useful at all. There is no repeat value in that you will never pull it out again to use on a project since it is so weak on all aspects of how to actually use the product. My team of professional programmers found it lacking in every way they need a book for in their professional sql development.
Rating: 
Summary: Requires newer versions
Review: My company has a mix of SQL Svr 6.5, 7.0, and 2000 servers. Unfortunately, much of the code in this book is not portable across the three versions - it requires at least 7.0 if not 2000. Probably half of it will not run on 6.5. Our corp dev standards require T-SQL that runs on all three, so we couldn't use some of the code in the book. Other than that the book is very good. I had to turn quoted_identifer off to run some of the scripts, but they all run on 7.0 and 2000 just fine. Not only that but they teach a lot of the new features and secrets of using the language. How to write system-level code and how to use undocumented features. We're using the array code in two of our systems as I speak. I'm not saying that requiring SQL Svr 7.0/2000 is a fundamental weakness but it's why I can't give the book 5 stars. If you are on 7.0 or later and want to write high-quality, speedy, professional code, this is the book to have. If you need code that is portable back to 6.5 I would suggest Klein's book instead.
Rating: 
Summary: Get if you want to master Transact-Sql
Review: This book was my lifeline when I moved from Informix to Sql 2k. My shop recently moved all of our applications (about 15) from Informix to Sql 2k. We could not have done it without this book. It builds on what you can find in the product documentation and teaches the many things you have to know to use Transact-Sql in real production systems. The product docs don't tell even half the story so a book like this is indespensible. We bought 20 copies of this book when we first began researching our migration. Now that we're through we're adding some more team members so I am buying five more copies this afternoon. I would hate to think where our migration would have ended up without this great book.
Rating:
Summary: Truly timeless
Review: I have a lot of computer books. Most don't stay on my desk long. This one has real staying power. I recently bought the newest book in this series and thought I would let everyone know how much this book has meant to me. I am part of a small team that supports a group of front-end developers and handles all the database design and development for the group's projects. We probably face some type of complex T-sql problem two or three times a week. Our code runs on university systems around the world, so it has to be solid, fast, and extendible. This is the first book we turn to when we/re looking for answers. I keep a copy here at home as well as at the office. Nearly always, the book has the exact solution to the problem at hand or at least can point us in the right direction. The specific parts of the book that I have personally found useful are the chapters on statistical computations in T-sql (our systems do a lot of this), hierarchies, arrays, transactions, and cursors. We have also made good use of the OLE Automation chapter and the Undocumented T-sql chapter, the latter being a treasure trove of hidden details about how T-sql works and how one can use it. This book is simply different from other books on the same subject. It's more detailed, has more usable code (a huge amount of it, actually), and is written better. The book explains the secrets of using T-sql like the experts do in a fashion that any IT professional should be able to understand. Irregardless of whether you have been on Sql 2000 since it came out or are just now moving to it, I think you will find this book invaluable.
Rating:
Summary: Older versions covered
Review: Someone recently emphasized this is a sql 2000 book but if you look at when the book was written, and have read it, you will obviously see it was from the 6.5, 7.0 era. It shows as it never makes any mention of any programming tools from 2000 anywhere in the book. It's all query language used to do clever tricky things but nothing about writing code for real implementations. Again an amateur's book written by a novice in the world of enterprise development. That is what SQL was developed for, exclusively yet the author treats it as a standalone application only for running code that would otherwise crash production servers.
Also many reviewers put down each poor review and just today over 50 positive votes were added to over 200 reviews. That is 100,000 votes added just this morning. That is what you see on books when they are only trying to pump up sales and the book is not really good. AFter seeing that my mind was made up, this book is really one to avoid
Rating:
Summary: Like Celko says, "the best t-sql book, bar none"
Review: As Joe Celko says in the book's forward this is the best t-sql book bar none. The coverage ranges from DDL and DML insights, to SELECT expert instruction, to sets, arrays, and hirearchies, to full-text queries and OLE automation. I have hte other t-sql books - Klein, Bengan, etc. - nothing comes close to this one. This book will not teach you dts or any other gui tool. It's a coder's book as it say in its introduction. It will teach you how to write better t-sql code than you probably are adn will teach you how to solve hard problems - the kind that stump most developers and make them resort to hacks and bad code. The book is not for begginers but if you already know what your doing to some extent with Sql this book will take you to the expert level. I also liked the quotes at the start of each chapter - they range from funny to wise and will make you think which is what this book does - make you think.
Rating:
Summary: The gurus guide to Sql 2000
Review: From the time I picked up this book until I finished reading it today I learned more about Sql 2000 than I ever knew before. I thought the book would just be about writing Sql code but I was wrong. The book teaches the secrets of Sql Server itself through code. There are literally hundreds of example codes in this book - more than I have ever seen in a single book before.
Rating:
Summary: No modern tools covered, older microsoft technology
Review: You will find a lot of command line material in this book on how to do certain sql tasks, but glaringly missing is anything on DTS or any tools designed to do in no time what full chapters take up here using command line techniques. This will help sharpen your query writing skills some at an average level but has nothing even remotely related to modern sql tools, .NET or any going forward material. I advise you will find enough SQL in any modern .NET or programming.
I realize this may not have been the intent of the book but don't buy into it if you are thinking sql 2000 is covered. It is not at all. Just simple query writing and lots of code on dbcc and other old tools not used much anymore if at all. Nobody I know of uses these tools. The other reviewers seem to love the book but have not mentioned any of what is missing from this guru's guide to sql server. No DTS, No programming interfaces..you can't even start a programming interface from this book. It is simply a very old and outmoded book. If you are looking for an older one on sql query writing with all the coverage of DTS, advanced DTS (amazing coverage of this) and all modern tools still in and planned to be in the next release of SQL, get Professional SQL server programming by Rob Vieira. It is an awesome book. It does not have as many stars as any guru book, but the review are different. They talk about the book from the obvious viewpoint of a professional. These often lead you to believe the reviewer is a beginner or someone who tinkers with scripts and queries. You will see the difference.
It's all what you are looking to find. I have Rob's book and this one and Rob's is almost beat to death from use, while this one is still in pristine condition from non-use. Not a put down, just what I found more useful. Lot's of graphics used sparingly yet creating vivid learning tools along with everything you need. Even a good start on OLAP and as you'll see Rob explains how important OLAP is today's world. The buzzword in the workplace is BPM, you simply don't find old fashioned sql shops anymore. Even the smallest place in town wants sql objects in olap form to give them a business advantage. There are complete books on olap. rob gives you an excellent start and the XML coverage is second to none. It is hands down better than the the other guru's books in it's completeness and level of examples. You see, Rob uses business examples and not a simple made up set of 5 henderson hot sauces, qty and price or whatever. He has full programming examples you will find indispensible. I see this book and his are shown together here. You don't need both. Decide what you want. Rob's has all of this one and tons more. This is a small subset of Robs with older methodology. Your choice.
Rating: 
Summary: ok but it waz too cumplex
Review: waz gonna return it. i have now.
it made my pc machine crash.
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