Transact-SQL Programming

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Summary: A collection of old code snippets
Review: What this book is is a collection of old scripts. That's why, I think, most of the book targets old versions of SQL Server. Some of the code works on Sybase, some works on Microsoft, but frequently the authors don't tell you which. Moreover, much of the code doesn't work on SQL Server 7.0 and later, yet the authors fail to mention this. Version 7.0 is covered near the end of the book in an appendix. For learning modern Transact-SQL, this book is a real loser.

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Summary: Completely out-of-date
Review: The big problem with this book is that it's quite dated. I'm still trying to understand why anyone would publish a book in 1999 that targeted SQL Server 6.5 or, worse yet, 4.2. Version 7.0 had been out for some time, when this book came out, so the fact that they would target old versions mystifies me.

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Summary: Out-moded, out-of-date, and out-done
Review: This book should cover 7.0 in depth, but doesn't. It focuses on old versions only. Also, the techniques it demonstrates have been deprecated for years. Old-style outer joins have been passe since Inside SQL Server 6.5 came out (and even before). Last, there are T-SQL books out there that put this one to shame. I especially like The Guru's Guide to Transact-SQL.

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Summary: Book is schizophrenic
Review: I have a number of problems with this book. First, it doesn't cover 7.0 in any depth. 7.0 is shut away in an appendix in the back of the book. The rest of the book focuses on mostly 4.2 code, with some 6.5 coverage. So, right off the bat, it's out of date. Second, there's little continuity in this work. It's all over the place topic-wise. It's like the authors dug up all the neato code they'd written over the years and wrote a book about it, with no thought to actually covering the subject at hand systematically or logically. Lastly, the book is uneven. I suppose this is due to multiple authors, but it's just a guess. Whatever the case, the book jumps from being overly formal to converational on a regular basis. It's like the book is a bit schizophrenic.

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Summary: Old info
Review: I think this book needs an update. I think it should cover 7.0 more than it does. I think old techniques should be abandoned. Book tells you very little about SQL7. I cannot recommend this book.

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Summary: Way out-of-date
Review: This book targets SQL 6.5. I think it should focus on 7.0. Also SQL 2000 is coming -- it will have even more problems then. I found the material hard to wade through and anachronistic.

Rating:
Summary: Out of date
Review: Since the book says it was published in 1999, I don't understand why it doesn't cover SQL Server 7.0 better. It should not have been published w/out decent 7.0 coverage. Worse, the cover claims it covers 7.0, but the only real 7.0 coverage is in a single appendix. This borders on false advertising. Had I known this when I first looked at it, I would not have bought it.

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Summary: Needs update
Review: Book is lack in coverage of 7.0. Only one chapter on it, while the rest of book emphasises older versions. Where is SELECT TOP? Where are meta functions? Many things change with new release -- book should show that.

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Summary: Decent book, but way out of date
Review: I remember SQL Server 4.2 and 6.5 well enough to know that this was a good book in its time. Problem is, 7.0 has been out for over a year and SQL 2000 is on the horizon. This book is woefully out of date. It queries system tables (in the first place, you shouldn't do that unless absolutely necessary) that don't even exist anymore (e.g., sysprocedures). It uses old-style joins throughout, despite the fact that they've been deprecated by Microsoft, Soukup&Delaney, Henderson, and many others. Last but not least, it *claims* 7.0 coverage, but does not deliver. A perfunctory appendix on 7.0 does not constitute SQL Server 7.0 coverage.

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Summary: Needs about a pound of wrinkle cream
Review: I bought this O'Reilly title because I've had good luck with O'Reilly titles before. The Nutshell series is particularly good. This one, however, is a real disappointment. First, it's focused entirely on old versions of SQL Server. Version 7.0 has been out long enough that this is inexcusable. Second, it recommends poor techniques. A book like this should *only* recommend ANSI outer joins -- old-style outer joins can return incorrect results. Third, the book is deceiving. The cover says it covers version 7.0, but 7.0 has been relegated to an appendix and the coverage there isn't very good. If you need an up-to-date, comprehensive t-sql reference, don't get this book.