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Summary: big disappointment!!!
Review: big disappointment!!!! for programmers that are looking for Programming ODBC SQL Server Applications... no covering at all for general database access APIs (odbc,oledb....)
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Summary: At last i found it!!
Review: Well i'm a web programmer, i deal with SQL server all the time, thus i found this book is very good and it help me a lot. Thanks!!
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Summary: Excellent book
Review: This is an excellent reference manual for SQL server 2000. It's to the point, easy to read and full of solutions to real world problems. I highly recommend it.
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Summary: Excellent Overivew of SQL 2000
Review: Rob Vieira provides an excellent overview of Microsoft's latest entry into the Enterprise Database Market. Granted this book might be too basic for some readers but anyone who has a basic understanding of SQL or who has lightly used previous versions of SQL will find this book invaluable. Our organization is always looking for books that provide a good mechanism for developers to broaden their skills, Vieira'a writing style and choice of content makes this just such a book.
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Summary: This is NOT Programming book
Review: This a book about SQL Server architecture and some new features. Too many pictures to make it as thick as possible.TO AUTHOR and PUBLISHER: We do not want to hold 1200 page book that should have been 500 page book.
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Summary: Still the best for newbies...
Review: Rob's book for SQL Server 7.0 was the best book I could suggest for developers new to programming TSQL. The 2000 edition continues his style with new information on functions, xml, and other new features of SQL 2000 but he still presents everything (this book is over 1300 pages long) and presents it clearly. There are other books out there, but this one is the best. Rob really knows what he is talking about - I haven't found any errors or bad advice - something that just isn't true for the other entry level TSQL programming books (even those from MSPress). Most importantly - this book reads well, its not a regurgitation of SQL Books Online, its real explanations written with an everyman tone. Alot of topics (mostly covering different services of SQL 2000) are not covered completely (if it did, the book would require a forklift). If I have one complaint, its the chapter on WMI which seems to have been written by a different author and just tacked onto the end of the book - its there, but it just doesn't read as well. If your looking for an advanced book - check out Ken Henderson's Gurus Guide and Ben-Gan / Moreau's Advanced TSQL (which I'm reading now and is great). But if your a newbie, this is it.
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Summary: The SQL book I couldn't put down.
Review: Rob Vieira's work is the one of the most enjoyable technical references in my collection. Read the author's comments, also posted on Amazon.com, for a sample of his writing style. This book is worth every penny of the retail price. Rob does an excellent job explaining highly technical processes without losing the reader or skipping important details. The author covers many of SQL's features that are not well-documented by Microsoft, and he ties them in when important. At some point in the book I remember him explaining why BLOBs are so much slower when stored within a database than the computer's file system, and ways to handle the performance issue. He also gives the reader a heads up on how much overhead alternative processes use and saves us from some trial-and-error. Below is a summary of the book's TOC. I hope I didn't butcher any information here. (number of pages in each chapter is approximate): 1) Particulars and History - N-Tier architecture, Certification, .NET (Now Visual Studio compiled to an interpreted language, like Java. Is Linux in Microsoft's future?) 2) RDBMS Basics: What makes up a SQL Server database? 3) Tools of the trade -- No, not your boss! Explains the usefulness of Books Online, Client/Server utils. Enterprise Mgr, Query Analyzer, etc. 4) The Foundation Statements or T-SQL -- 38 pages of the basics, starting with SELECT Statements and progressing through INSERT and DELETE statements 5) Joining Tables -- (~30 pages) INNER and OUTER JOINs, UNION, FULL and CROSS JOINs 6) Creating and Altering Tables -- explains both the SQL syntax and how to do it using the GUI tools 7) Constraints -- (~30 pages) 8) Normalization and Other Basic Design Issues -- (~50 pages) Reviews normal form, basic relationships, diagramming, Data types, and de-normalization 9) SQL Server Storage and index Structures -- (~40 pages) SQL's evolution. Indexes, B-Trees, WHEN and HOW to use indexes to improve performance, maintenance 10) Views (~30 pages) -- Creating views, using views to change data (Updating multi-table views are covered in ch. 15), Schema binding and Index Views. 11) Writing Scripts and Batches -- Starts with the basics; covers some of the @@ functions (It's most important that you understand these to efficiently use MSSQL Server). 12) Stored Procedures -- (~75 pages) This chapter is a monster. Covers SQL 2000's debugger as well as anything you can think of for stored procedures, including recursive use. Explains the importance of WITH RECOMPILE, among other things 13) User Defined Functions -- (~20 pages) UDFs, UDFs that return tables, Determinism, Creating "System" Functions. 14) Transactions and Locks -- (~35 pages) Covers fundamental database design issues for multi-user, complex-transaction environments 15) Triggers -- (~50 pages) Excellent chapter. Covers new Trigger features of SQL 2000 like Firing Order and INSTEAD OF Triggers for multi-table View changes. 16) Advanced Queries -- (~26 pages) Nested Subqueries, Correlated Subqueries, Derived Tables, Performance Considerations 17) Distributed Queries and Transactions -- (~30 pages) cross-server transactions 18) SQL Cursors -- (~36 pages) Why I bought this book. Covers a cursor's lifetime, scope, types of, performance considerations, et cetera. Must-know information. 19) A Brief XML Primer -- (~22 pages) I haven't yet read this chapter; hopefully it's as easy-to-follow as the rest. Covers XML Basics, Namespaces, Valid vs. Well-formed DTDs and Schemas, Transformations XSLT 20) Integration of XML in SQL Server -- (~70 pages) The FOR XML Clause, HTTP Access, Streaming XML 21) The Bulk Copy Program (bcp) 22) Introduction to Data Transformation Services -- (~50 pages) DTS Package Editor, Import/Export Wizard, Creating a simple transformation package, using DTS in place of bcp 23) Replication -- (~75 pages) 24) Advanced Design -- (~25 pages) Here Rob goes back to database design and arms us with the idea that you can bend the rules a little bit, and even tells us when it might be a good idea. He also goes into a little more detail on database diagramming. 25) Analysis Services -- (~50 pages) OLAP, OLTP, Data Mining, and which to use. Dimensional Databases, OLAP Storage Types, Data Warehouse concepts, DTS (Validation, Scrubbing, Migration, Validation), meta-data and teh Repository, Data Mining, Analysis Manager 26) Full-Text Search -- (~25 pages) 27) English Query -- (~55 pages) 28) Security -- (~40 pages) 29) Performance Tuning -- (~35 pages) 30) Administration Overview -- (~40 pages) 31) Advanced DTS -- (~35 pages) DTS Object Model, The Package Object, Dynamic Properties Task, The MultiPhase Data Pump, Optimizing Data Loads in DTS 32) Scripting Administrative Functions with WMI -- (~50 pages) I've only briefly gone through this chapter, but from my experience in working with WMI, it's a bear to teach yourself. WMI is one of the most powerful features of Windows. It has its own Query Language, WQL, similar to SQL, which programmers can use to remotely draw information and automate core features and settings within windows as well as administer an SQL server. The syntax of WMI scripts is similar to that of ADO/SQL, only with a more complex object model and deeper hierarchy than ADO.
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Summary: The Same Only Better....
Review: With this revision, I've tried to capitalize on what readers told me were the best qualities of "Professional SQL Server 7.0 Programming" and also expand the depth of coverage in many areas. Coverage has been added for the new CASCADE actions, BEFORE triggers, Indexed Views, Distributed Partitioned Views, User Defined Functions, and more. In addition, I've added chapters covering XML and an extra chapter for additional coverage of DTS. The general approach has remained the same - stay light hearted and explain things in people terms rather than in technobabble. Questions are asked much as you might receive them in the "real world", and then both and analysis and solution is presented that explains the topic under discussion. As with the previous revision, this book is written to appeal to all levels - providing an A-Z approach that starts at the beginning and moves quickly into advanced topics.
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Summary: Complete and readable guide to programming SQL Server...
Review: Occasionally I have the need to leave my IBM/Lotus programming platform and interact with data stored in Microsoft SQL Server 2000. I even have it running on my laptop as a higher-end alternative to Access. I found that the book, Professional SQL Server 2000 Programming by Robert Vieira (Wrox) is a very good reference for manipulating data in that environment. Vieira concentrates specifically on the programming aspects of SQL Server 2000 as opposed to teaching you how to administer the server. He does touch on an administration overview in chapter 30, but it's not something you'd read in order to pass an administration exam. Although the title does say "Professional", this does not mean you have to be a veteran SQL programmer to benefit from it. The earlier chapters cover the fundamentals of RDBMS technology, as well as how SQL is used in a SQL Server 2000 environment. The further you get into the book, the more you'll find subjects that are either more advanced or cover techniques you'll use in application development, such as how to build triggers and stored procedures. While you will learn all these skills within the SQL Server 2000 platform, the core technologies are transferable to just about any RDBMS. Time spent with this book will continue to pay off regardless of what database system you need to use at any given time. While the content is technical, the writing style is conversational and approachable. It's actually quite easy to read the material and digest the concepts without trying to fight against the author's style. If you have need to work with SQL Server 2000 from a development standpoint, this is definitely a book to consider to guide you along the way.
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Summary: A ton of wisdom, delivering on its promises.
Review: Starting out fresh in SQL server, I first read most of Thearon Willis' "Beginning" book. With many years of IT experience, I quickly switched to this book, and am very impressed. I feel it has delivered on its hope to make me a competent (SQL Server) database developer. The strongest points in my opinion include: - SQL Server basics, and essentials such as data storage, index structures, locks, constraints, transactions, triggers, advanced queries, cursors, security, replication, bcp, full-text search, and XML output and reports from SQL Server. - An easy-reading writing style that puts information into my brain quickly and relatively easily. - Solid scope. Many other sections I may take a little for granted given experience with databases, but are more than adequate and packed with pain-saving wisdom and useful tips. What the author knows he can't accomplish in one book is clearly spelled out. There are solid overviews of performance tuning, DTS, WMI, and Analysis Services, and advice to look elsewhere for more information. One exception is Database Administration, which is reviewed well, but does not suggest looking for other sources of information in addition to this book (likely because a programmer perhaps doesn't need to... but an administrator must.) There are few typos, plenty of examples (but no exam-type questions), and good chapter introductions and summaries. 32 chapters and 5 Appendixes are all VERY well organized, from easier to more difficult (generally). One thing I like is that if I get bored or stuck on one item, there's "always" another chapter I'll enjoy. This is the best technical book I've read so far and I've no intention to put it down until its read 3 times over. Great value!! 70-229 is within reach.
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