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Summary: Helped me master Transact-SQL after only 2 1/2 weeks
Review: I learned enough from this book after only 2 1/2 weeks to pass my certification exam on the first try. The explanations of cursors, stored procedures, triggers, and free text searching are the best I have seen in any book, including those not specifically oriented to TSQL. This book would be a bargain at twice the price. Highly recommended.
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Summary: I wish I'd had this book about 5 years ago
Review: First, I was recommended this book by a friend at Microsoft. Usually, when someone at Microsoft recommends a non-Microsoft Press book on one of there products I listen, especially when that someone is also a friend. Second, let me say that this book blew me away. The cover of Transact-SQL internals is the best I've ever seen. I'm a certified old timer in the world of SQL Server, but this book told me things I didn't know. The undocumented T-SQL chapter alone is loaded with stuff I didn't know and will certainly use. Also, the Statistics chapter and the one on Sets and so forth is rife with solutions to hard problems that I've not seen before. Basically, I can recommend this book to anyone who wants to know the language inside out -- especially to those who think they already do.
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Summary: Taught me loads I didn't know the very first day
Review: I learned more in the first day of reading this book than I have in weeks with other books. This is a great coder's book. It teaches you how to write good T-SQL the first time. It teaches you best practices and techniques that will save you time. It was definitely money well spent.
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Summary: The best darn T-SQL book available
Review: I wasn't sure what to expect from a "Guru's Guide" but I have to say, I wasn't disappointed. I have all the other T-SQL books and this one is the very best of the lot. The chapters on data type nuances, cursors, and undocumented T-SQL are my favorites. Many of the tricks you find in this book you will not find elsewhere. It's simply the best darn T-SQL book available.
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Summary: A must-have for the serious SQL Server coder
Review: I've been waiting for a book like this for a long time. I wanted a book that was thorough, yet up-to-date. I wanted a book that was deep, yet informal. I wanted a book that showed how to solve hard problems, but that also gave be a solid theoretical footing. This book does it all. The author has a way with words that makes understanding difficult topics (for example: transactions) easy. His coverage of these topics is second to none. I highly recommend this for anyone wanting to become a "virtuoso of the language" (to quote the back cover) as quickly as possibly.
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Summary: A GREAT book -- the best of its kind
Review: I bought this book at the same time I bought the O'Reilly T-SQL book. This is by far the better of the two. It's up-to-date, thorough, and quite deep. I like the writer's conversational style and I appreciate his committment to avoiding filler material. This book is one of the best SQL Server books I own and has already more than proved its worth in the problems it has helped me solve. I can recommend this for anyone wanting to become an expert in Transact-SQL.
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Summary: If you aren't a
Review: I bought this book because my programming team needed a good reference for writing stored procedures. So far, it has exceeded my expectations. It is truly excellent. In my opinion it lives up to the many good reviews.When I move on to another job and have to leave this book behind, I'll buy my own copy. I can't give it a higher recommendation than that.
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Summary: A masterpiece
Review: I think Joe Celko's foreword to the book says it all. "What Ken Henderson wanted to do was write the best possible book on real, practical programming in Transact-SQL available, bar none. He succeeded." I completely agree. This book is BY FAR the best T-SQL book out there. It belongs up there with Soukup's Inside SQL Server and Celko's SQL for Smarties. The world needed a comprehensive tome geared toward T-SQL and now, finally, it has one.
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Summary: A veritable cookbook of solutions to hard SQL problems
Review: This book is priceless. Within a week of getting it, it helped me solve two separate T-SQL problems that had been dogging me for years. The author is a genius. He seems to have superstar abilities in solving difficult technical problems as well as in explaining how he did it. Even finding those qualities in one person is rare, let alone getting them to write a book. I've only had the book for about a month, and already it's showing signs of wear. And I really like the epigraphs that start each chapter. They're thought-provoking and insightful. They help us keep things in perspective. My favorite chapters are: - T-SQL data type nuances - Cursors - Transactions - Stored Procedures & Triggers - T-SQL Performance Tuning - OLE Automation - Undocumented T-SQL The chapter on performance and the one on Automation are particularly good. I can definitely recommend this book. It's the only one like it on the market.
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Summary: Great book and a great CD, too
Review: I loved this book. I've already ordered several more copies to use with the classes I teach. Henderson is practical, scholarly, thorough, and often quite funny. The quotes that begin each chapter are insightful as well as humorous and give us some insight into who the man behind the book is. I like technical books that I can connect to on a personal level. As for technical merits, you will have to look very hard for a better T-SQL book. I have most of the T-SQL books out there and the Guru's Guide beats them hands down. Henderson includes everything but the kitchen sink without being overwrought. I especially like the chapters on cursors and transactions. I never really understood the fine details of transactions until I read this book. Also very handy was the chapter on full text searches via T-SQL. I'd always wanted to know how to use this powerful facility in my own code, but had never really delved into how to go about it. The Guru's Guide makes it easy. Lastly, I really liked the free T-SQL programming environment the author included. It's apparently one he wrote himself (!) It beats the pants off Query Analyzer, runs faster, and has features we could only dream of in QA (block indention, comment spell check, scripting, keyboard macros, etc., etc.). My team and I have switched to it as our main T-SQL development environment and have realized some real productivity gains in doing so. The author could easily sell this package and make real money from it. If you want a great book and a tremendous CD value, get the Guru's Guide.
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