SQL Server 7: A Beginner's Guide

Rating:
Summary: Your time is better spent elsewhere
Review: This book is simply a regurgitation of SQL Server's Books OnLine, except filled with typos. You would be better off just reading BOL if you want the "here are the 3 ways to do this" style found here. There is no input from the author on why you should do things one way instead of another, advantages or disadvantages of programming or administration options, etc. I don't suggest this book. I do suggest "Professional SQL Server 7.0 Programming" by Rob Vieira, even for beginners. There you will find some common sense advise from an experienced programmer, along with the "how to".

Rating:
Summary: Your time is better spent elsewhere
Review: This book is simply a regurgitation of SQL Server's Books OnLine, except filled with typos. You would be better off just reading BOL if you want the "here are the 3 ways to do this" style found here. There is no input from the author on why you should do things one way instead of another, advantages or disadvantages of programming or administration options, etc. I don't suggest this book. I do suggest "Professional SQL Server 7.0 Programming" by Rob Vieira, even for beginners. There you will find some common sense advise from an experienced programmer, along with the "how to".

Rating:
Summary: Poor Choice of Title
Review: This is the first book at Amazon I have ever taken the time and trouble to preview, but I want to prevent someone from making the same mistake I did based on this book's title. This is the last book I would ever give a beginner on Microsoft SQL Server 7.0. At times it bogs down to the point it is sheer will power to force oneself to continue on with it. This book is way too detailed in some places and in other places is way too shallow of its coverage of MS SQL. To get a person acquainted and familar with the MS SQL enviroment, this book is way too deep and gets too involved in the programming aspects of SQL. A far better read for the beginner would be the Dummies book, "Microsoft® SQL Server 7 For Dummies" or the Sams series, "Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Sql Server 7.0 in 21 Days". By the end of this book I was skimming through much of its content so I could finish the book and put it away. Maybe in a year, after I have worked more deeply with SQL Server I might come back to this book when I am at its more appropriate level, an intermediate. By the way, I am an MCSE with experience with Exchange, Internet Information Server, Proxy Server, and some prior working knowledge of MS SQL 7.0 before I ever came to this book.

Rating:
Summary: Poor Choice of Title
Review: This is the first book at Amazon I have ever taken the time and trouble to preview, but I want to prevent someone from making the same mistake I did based on this book's title. This is the last book I would ever give a beginner on Microsoft SQL Server 7.0. At times it bogs down to the point it is sheer will power to force oneself to continue on with it. This book is way too detailed in some places and in other places is way too shallow of its coverage of MS SQL. To get a person acquainted and familar with the MS SQL enviroment, this book is way too deep and gets too involved in the programming aspects of SQL. A far better read for the beginner would be the Dummies book, "Microsoft® SQL Server 7 For Dummies" or the Sams series, "Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Sql Server 7.0 in 21 Days". By the end of this book I was skimming through much of its content so I could finish the book and put it away. Maybe in a year, after I have worked more deeply with SQL Server I might come back to this book when I am at its more appropriate level, an intermediate. By the way, I am an MCSE with experience with Exchange, Internet Information Server, Proxy Server, and some prior working knowledge of MS SQL 7.0 before I ever came to this book.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Reference - A DEFINITE KEEPER!
Review: Very easy reading and gets right to the point. Microsoft claims to have re-written the source code for SQL 7 as well as a great deal of the interface features, this book cuts to the chase. Our firm has been working with MS SQL Server since 4.2 and we consider this book to be a MUST READ for all of our serious clients. We have a roll-out of a new version of software later this year, for which the database is SQL Server 7.0 and definitly plan to include this book as part of the upgrade package.