Rating: 
Summary: Mediocre Guru
Review: Considering the five starts each of the previous reviewers gave this book, I was more than a bit disappointed with it's lack of guru-like information - espeically with regards to multi-database scenarios. With the exception of a small blurb on database context on the top of page 94, he gives no examples or help on ways of working with multi-database scenarios. Surely this guru doesn't expect in the real world that people don't have to work with multiple databases, does he? Fortunately, I had a copy of "teach yourself Transact-SQL in 21 days" (1997 copyright date) which explained how to do this. Quite frankly, I haven't found anything in this book that I haven't already seen in the other Transact-SQL books that I own. It's still a descent reference manual, just not at the level I was expecting.
Rating: 
Summary: My copy is getting dog-eared...
Review: There are two reference manuals I use daily: the Books OnLine and the Guru's Guide to Transact-SQL. As noted by other authors, this book is not for beginners, but use it for a concise, real-world explanation of specific functions.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but it's a steep learning curve
Review: This book is filled with great info.... but I warn you... IF you have no clue about SQL this is probably gonna move a bit fast for you to absorb. If you've had exposure to SQL, Stored Procedures, and a programming language... it will make much more sense to you.
Rating:
Summary: Accurate examples -- best reference I have
Review: I have been using 'The Guru's Guide to Transact-SQL'
by Ken Henderson for a year now and very confident that I can find whatever I need in it. I am just motivated to write a review after wasting time with a QUE book. In 'The Guru's Guide to Transact-SQL' I found the correct syntax.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book
Review: Whether you are learning for the first time or need a good reference, this book does the trick. Easy to understand with good examples.
Rating:
Summary: Good Buy!
Review: This is a well written book that has covered virtually every area I've needed. It is my number one reference book for transact SQL.
Rating: 
Summary: You need it only if you are already a guru
Review: This book is written for people who are already not only familiar with t-sql but they are guru. But if you are a guru you don't need it.
If you are not a guru you will never understand the most of the book. It is useless at all.
Rating:
Summary: The Principia Mathematica of T-SQL
Review: I read this book, and it changed the way I code T-SQL. Never before has someone wielded the language with such adeptness and precision. This is the book to get if you want to raise your skills to the guru level. Henderson teaches you everything you need to know -- every advanced technique and hidden feature -- to become a T-SQL guru in your own right. Highly, highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Something for everyone
Review: There is something for everyone here. If you are a beginner, you owe it to yourself to read through this book until you get it. The opening chapter is as good an intro to the TSQL language as I've found. If you're an amateur, you'll want to read through this to get on the road to becoming an expert. There's enough code here to earn your Phd in TSQL programming. And if you're an expert, you'll want to research and study this book and the insights it shares. You will not find better TSQL coding techniques and explanations anywhere. This book will take you to the next level into the realm of the gurus.
Rating:
Summary: Picks up where the Books Online leave off
Review: What I like about this book is that it doesn't needlessly repeat the Books Online. Henderson says in the Preface that one of his goals was to avoid merely repeating the online documentation that comes with the product and he has succeeded. This book is suitable for the beginner and advanced developer alike because it successfully supplements the entry-level documentation that ships with SQL Server. While it's true that a complete neophyte would not want to start with this book (the opening line of the Preface says it pretty plainly: "This is a coder's book."), if they start with the Books Online, then transition to this book once they've finished, they should be fine. This is the best book on Transact-SQL I've found. It's also extremely well-written -- something you don't see often in computing books.
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