SQL Server and ADO Programming Complete

Rating:
Summary: Ignore Your Instincts -- Buy this book
Review: I "never woulda thunk it" when I first saw this book (looks like something off of a bargain table), but this book has been massively useful for learning and understanding everything I've needed to know about effective database management from a "get things done now" perspective.

Particularly, it has the clearest explanation of SQL queries (joins, unions, and all those other gizmos) I've ever run across.

And it's been even more useful than that as a quick reference tool, way better than the highfalutin stuff I usually hear touted by "experts."