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Summary: This is book of good quality, like the paper on which it is
Review: This is book of good quality, like the paper on which it is printed.Good things: 1. Good for all levels. 2. Practical with easy to follow examples. Is there anything than going straight to how to solve a problem and save your life time? 3. Very good examples of SQL query plan. Better than SQL on-line book. 4. Inside tricks of SQL server, undocumented commands. But use it with care, as indicated by the author. 5. It contains more than enough you need to know in order to write professional SQL on SQL server. 6. ... "Bad" things: 1. Some complicated SQL seem to have only academic value. I would use temporary tables and multiple SQL to simply maintenance. The idea should be to spend just enough brain cells to get things done properly. 2. ... As an experienced DBA and real SQL guru myself, I have to say this book is written for SQL gurus and people who want to become one. Jonathan
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Summary: A good book for a developer
Review: The material is well-written, concise and to-the-point. No lengthy, ego-tripping novellas here. Presents information not always apparent when consulting the technical doc's. Provides some good examples. Good food-for-thought, that's presented for quick & easy reading. The included CD is totally useless (the s/w program didn't work, and even if it had, SQL Server's Query Analyzer is already available and DOES work.) Recommended for MS SQL Server programming tasks; NOT a DBA resourse.
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Summary: Raises the bar for all technical books
Review: Two real problems with technical books these days are 1) that they're often written by people who may know the subject material but who don't write very well 2) they're overly long -- bloated with every kind of filler device imaginable. Here's hoping that books like The Guru's Guide to Transact-SQL begin to set a new standard for others to follow. This book is a well-written, tightly drawn treatise on the language. There is scarcely a wasted word between its covers. And though it specifically avoids filler material, it is not stark or barren -- it's richly crafted by someone who obviously knows a thing or two about good technical writing. This book is definitely not your father's computer book -- it's a unique creation that intermingles deep technical coverage with wry humor, expert insight, and passion for one's craft. One element I found particulary fresh about this work was the use of epigraphs to start each chapter. They're well-chosen and often humorous. If you opt not to buy the book here, you owe it to yourself at least to visit a land-based bookstore and read the quotes for themselves. The technical goodies here are too numerous to mention. Suffice it to say that if you aren't well on your way to becoming a guru yourself after reading through this book a few times, you may want to look into some remedial reading classes :) Seriously, for the beginner, intermediate, and expert SQL Server practioner alike, this book is a must-read if ever there was one.
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Summary: Not for beginners, but a darn fine book nonetheless
Review: Though this book is way too advanced for the average beginner, if you have a bit of Transact-sql under your belt, the Guru's Guide is your fastest ticket to becoming an expert. The book assumes you've read through the Books Online, so if you haven't, you'll definitely want to before diving in. Once you have a basic foundation on which to build and extend your knowledge, you'll find a treasure trove of useful info and expert advice in this book. The chapters on Cursors, Statistical Functions, Fulltext Searching, and OLE Automation are chalk-full of expert insights and are masterfully done, as is the rest of the book. As a whole, the book is among the best technical books I've ever read. I consult on SQL Server projects large and small here in the Bay area, and I often carry the book with me from client to client. I find myself reading and re-reading passages to really glean all that's there. I can recommend this book without reservation.
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Summary: Not just for guru's -- want to learn TSQL? Read it!
Review: What really sets this book apart from the other SQL Server books I have is the attention to detail. There is no stone left unturned in terms of the language -- it's many quirks, nuances, and hidden features. From a collection of sprocs that implement better soundex routines than SOUNDEX(), to the gory details of cursors and transactions, to over a hundred undocumented routines/features of the language, this book has it all. I spoke with the author at a conference this past weekend and asked whether any of the techniques he mentioned in his speeches were also in his book. When he told me all of them were, I went out and purchased the book immediately. Holy Toledo!! The book is an expert's catalog of all that's worth knowing about Transact-SQL! I was blown away by all the code. I've never seen a programming book of any kind with so many examples, let alone a database programming book. I've learned so many new techniques with this book. For example, I had no idea you could perform OLE Automation with Transact-SQL. The sp_GenerateSQL procedure is a real gem -- it uses Automation to control SQL Server's SQL-DMO interface and basically do anything Enterprise Manager can do (all from T-SQL!). I now use this procedure anytime I need to generate an SQL script for an object -- no need to fire up EM. The row-positioning queries are priceless too. Who knew you could compute the median of a distribution set of any size with just a few lines of T-SQL? Who knew how to perform complex operations results with T-SQL? I had no idea. Last by not least, the Undocumented T-SQL chapter is worthy of its own book. It uncovers all sorts of hidden stored procedures, functions, trace flags and the like to give you access to the same tools the SQL Server developers themselves use. I love it. Bottom line: this is a wonderfully practical and comprehensive guide to the language, written by a T-SQL guru for those who would become T-SQL gurus themselves.
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Summary: Like the cover says, this book help make you a T-SQL guru!!
Review: 600 sample SQL scripts... need I say more?? This book explores every nook and crannie of Microsoft's version of the language. It condenses, in a single volume, all you need to know to become a Transact-SQL virtuoso. The SELECT chapter is a fine example. Here, the author covers the things not found in the BOL, things that you'd miss were it not for books like this. You learn how to use Transact-SQL's quirks to your advantage, how to program the language the way it was intended to be programmed. More importantly, you gain insight into coding in general -- much of the book's advice applies equally well any language (e.g., use the language the way it was designed to be used; take advantage of what comes in the box (don't reinvent the wheel); resist the temptation to throw technology at a problem, get your techniques right, etc). I like this book better than Transact-SQL Programming (by O'Reilly) because it covers all the new features in SQL Server 7.0 extensively and because it is more systematic. The sample queries and the book's chapters have an orthogonality to them that is refreshing in these days of disparate books written by whole teams of people. I can't give this a higher recommendation. My advice: get it, read it, refer to it often.
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Summary: My faithful companion in all my TSQL work
Review: I consult for Fortune 500 firms across the U.S. and have come to rely heavily on this book. It has SQL examples that no other book has. Particuarly with respect to the nitty-gritties of TSQL performance and tuning, you will not find a better book. The attention to detail is startling. The sheer volume of example code is startling. And I love the fact that the examples are self-contained -- no need to create an example database (most examples in the book use either the pubs or northwind database), or to create example tables -- each script includes all it needs to run. My hat is off to the author for writing such a comprehensive tome on the subject material -- I would that all technical books were this good.
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Summary: Practical, deep, comprehensive
Review: Those three words best describe this book. It is the best practical guide for mastering Microsoft Transact-SQL, bar none. I picked it up because Joe Celko recommended it on one of Microsoft's newsgroups, and he was right -- this really is the best T-SQL book out there. The Performance and Tuning chapter alone is worth the cost of the book. I've used four of the techniques the chapter demonstrates to improve the performance of my company's flagship application dramatically. Also the chapters on Undocumented T-SQL, Cursors, and Transactions are a must read for anyone wanting to really understand how to program SQL Server using Transact-SQL. If you want to become a T-SQL guru yourself, you won't want to miss this one.
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Summary: Joe Celko is right. This is the best T-SQL book bar none.
Review: I've been working with SS for about five years and have been looking for a consumate guide to the language for some time. I wanted something that went beyond the books online and that covered the current release of the product. Henderson's book was just what I wanted. It's a godsend. Just by reading it, I've seen my T-SQL skills improve dramatically. I feel like I'm getting near being an expert. I had no idea you could do so many things with standard T-SQL. I guess it's just a matter of knowing what you're doing, and this book helps you get there faster than any other.
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Summary: Don't Judge This One By the Cover.
Review: I must say I was quite disapointed in this book. For a "guru's guide" it is certainly not a power SQL guide, but is strictly for the mid-level user. I read through the first half of the book, and found nothing to interest an advanced developer. I did, however, find plenty of mistakes, omissions, and misleading statements. The section on data types for instance; it doesn't distinguish between bit and bit-null data types. It gives a technically inaccurate definition of the new GUID datatype, lists several shortcomings of it, but not one advantage or example on when or where you'd use it. He gives a multitude of examples on the perils of using NULL types, again with no data or examples on how useful it can be (I'd hate to write a statistically accurate questionaire app without it, for one). Obviously any book has to omit some level of detail, but he found room for several pages of text on improving the SOUNDEX() function -- odd, in the middle of a chapter on datatypes. Moving to "Selects", he talks of flattening EXISTS queries into joins for performance reasons, then gives as example a join that would perform _worse_ than what it replaced. I could give more examples, but you get the point. The last half of the book may be better. Certainly Joe Celko, (who penned the book's forward and who authored one of the finest "Guru" guides of all times) had some nice things to say about it. The real problem is the title-- if you are looking for a decent SQL book somewhat beyond the beginner level, it is fine. If you're looking for a "Guru's Guide to Transact-SQL", this isn't it, regardless of what the cover says.
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