Rating: 
Summary: This book has it ALL - guaranteed - highly recommended
Review: There is certainly an enormous amount of value packed into this title. It is one of the best development titles I have ever seen. You won't be at all disappointed. Now if only more authors could write and present information as well as Henderson...
Rating: 
Summary: Good but I want more!!
Review: This is the third book from Ken and I believe in my heart that this is the best book out there. It is like the Lion King which by the way I cry every time I see it but SQL is spoken of beautifully as if Mark Twain and Larrie Wright Jr. spoke in concert through the author as a medium. He is thorough and comprises an all you need to know attitude on everything else. The samples in the book are of like having your whole house together without the paint ( the paint being pure imagination for design) OK enough already this book is great but I need more... I need things spelled out the right way and also in a way as if I were Dyslexic backwards you know???
Rating:
Summary: Even better than the first one
Review: What I like the most about this book is that it goes beyond the cookbook genre and gets into the "why" behind tsql programming. Sure, there's still reams of code as in Henderson's first book (The Guru's Guide to Transact-SQL), but there's more emphasis on the philosophy behind the language and overall design considerations. The 700+ samples don't keep Henderson from sharing some of his hard-won experience with the language as an expert developer, and I find that quite valuable.
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Summary: Sample code alone is worth 10x the price
Review: With over 700 code samples, this book is literally loaded with good stuff. The SQL XML example code (especially sp_run_xml_proc) alone is worth the cost of the book. The code is top notch and explained by a master. I'm an old programmer at heart, so I love this stuff. I've never seen someone pull off being so code-centric but so in-depth with the explanations and advice. You can definitely tell the author "has been there." That's why he writes stuff like sp_run_xml_proc, ingenious in its simplicity, infinitely useful -- like most of the code in the book. If you want a coder's take on SQL XML, .NET, xprocs, OLE Automation, and, above all, Tsql Stored Procedure programming, this is the book for you.TJD P.S. I just bought his other book, The Guru's Guide to Tsql, and it looks just as good!
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic book
Review: This book is simply fantastic. The writing is tight, but engaging -- lean, but mean. From the first page to the last, Henderson doesn't waste a word, yet I found myself not able to put the book down. That's really rare for a technical book. Henderson has a direct, friendly style that is, unfortunately, rare in computer books. He's a writer's writer -- I think he would be successful in any genre. I can definitely see why the book is selling so well (it was the #1 bestselling "SQL Server" book here on Amazon when I searched a few minutes ago). My favorite parts are: * The database design chapter. This was a hidden gem that I didn't expect to find in a programming book. It encapsulates all one needs to know to design robust databases on SQL Server. * The version control (Visual SourceSafe) integration chapter. Goes along nicely with the theme of treating T-SQL like a real language. * The Design Patterns chapter. As far as I know, this is the first published discussion of formal Design Patterns for the T-SQL language. Again, it goes nicely with Henderson's point that T-SQL is a real programming language. * The UDF chapter. Many of these are so unique and such high quality that I'd bet they have commercial value apart from the book. Take the Median() function, for example. Henderson shows how to write your own aggregate functions and provides Median() as a very useful example. * The SQLXML section. This set of chapters is by far the best expository reference on the SQLXML technologies I've seen. From the introduction to XML itself to advanced features such as SQLXMLBulkLoad, I found this section extremely compelling and useful. * The .NET introduction. If you didn't have a good reason to dive into this technology, you certainly will after you read this. * The Xprocs chapter. I always wondered how to write these. Now I know. The chapter takes you from ground zero through building several very useful xprocs of your own. Xp_setpriority is a real gem. * The programming philosophy essay chapters. These give weight to the book and finish off the book's overriding theme -- that T-SQL is a real language that you must approach professionally just like any other language if you want to be truly skilled in it -- very nicely. This is the first "cerebral" treatment of software engineering I've seen in a SQL Server book. By my count, Henderson converses in at least 7 difference programming languages in this book (VB Script, C/C++, T-SQL, C#, VB.NET, XML, and Delphi) which, frankly, is amazing. That anyone could know this many languages at this level is simply mind-blowing. It certainly reinforces his status as a guru. If you want to learn from the master himself, get this book and study from cover to cover.
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Summary: Best SQLXML book on the planet
Review: This book takes a refreshing look at SQLXML and how to use it to build technology solutions. It treats it like the component of SQL Server that it is. Instead of getting someone who knows XML but only kind of knows SQL Server (like most SQLXML books), you get a SQL Server expert who also knows XML at an expert level with this book. You get someone who's used the stuff in production and knows what works, what doesn't work, and where the bodies are buried. If you want sage advice, instruction, and technical details on how to deploy this exciting technology in enterprise-class solutions, look no further.
Rating:
Summary: Pure genius
Review: Its about time a real developer took on the task of writing about coding in Transact-SQL. Where I work, there are so many wannabe's - this guy is the real deal. I've never seen a programming book with such a good mix of sage advice and real life code that you can use in production scenarios. The essays at the end of the book are worth reading all by themselves. I'd have bought them alone. The same is true for lots of chapters in the book. Its the best technical stuff I've ever had the privilege to read.
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Summary: Must-have for all SQL Server Programmers
Review: The book covers so many challenging subjects with such ease. It starts out with a primer on stored procedures. It devotes chapters to database design, triggers, views, UDF's, XML, and .NET, to list some of the topics. Once you read Mr. Henderson's book, you see there is so much to learn about SQL Server. I especially liked the chapter on UDF's. If you've ever searched for a better alternative to the builtin Soundex function, Mr. Henderson provides *the* best Soundex solution for SQL Server. In fact, that alone makes the book worthwhile. And let's not forget his listing and explanation of dozens of undocumented functions and features in SQL Server.
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Summary: Ken nails another one again
Review: I have carried the first "Guru's Guide" with me in my backpack for over two years to numerous DBA assignments, and this one is right there with it. This is a great book - simply fantastic.
Aside from the great technical information, Ken included several chapters on his philosophy of the art of programming, opinions and viewpoints on .NET, XML, suitable environments in which to work, and great stories of life as a programmer/writer/thinker. Very thought provoking, Ken has become one of those that I look up to and have great admiration for. I was lucky enough to hear him speak at a local SQL Server group in Dallas last year - if you get a chance to see him, go. Mr Henderson, I promise not to send you too many emails going forward. Thanks.
Rating:
Summary: A great Book
Review: Ken does it once again. He is a great writer. If you are looking for the XML support in SQL Server or stored procedure functionality, look no further. This IS the book.
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