Rating: 
Summary: A simplistic reproduction of the Books Online
Review: All the info in this book can be found in the Books Online. It reads like a printed version of them. A word of advice: before you buy this book, do two things. READ the BOL completely, then browse the book in a bookstore BEFORE you buy it. If you don't see the redundancy, buy the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent tutorial and reference
Review: As a programmer with over 10 years experience I have found this book to be comprehensive and concise. There are many useful examples many of which have helped me solve problems on the job.Lowell Mauer explains things very well. This is my main reference book it has paid for itself many times over. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent tutorial and reference
Review: As a programmer with over 10 years experience I have found this book to be comprehensive and concise. There are many useful examples many of which have helped me solve problems on the job. Lowell Mauer explains things very well. This is my main reference book it has paid for itself many times over. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT for the layperson! :-)
Review: As a relatively new database administrator with no SQL experience, this book was EXACTLY what I needed. It is written in an easy-to-read and easily comprehended style. It takes me everywhere I need to go with confidence that the code I now write will perform the necessary functions...and perform them efficiently and effectively. Thank you, Sam!
Rating:
Summary: GREAT for the layperson! :-)
Review: As a relatively new database administrator with no SQL experience, this book was EXACTLY what I needed. It is written in an easy-to-read and easily comprehended style. It takes me everywhere I need to go with confidence that the code I now write will perform the necessary functions...and perform them efficiently and effectively. Thank you, Sam!
Rating:
Summary: Not worth your time
Review: Everything you find here you can find in the Books Online. I was expecting a systematic introduction to the language. What I got was a hackneyed referenced book. The only thing you'll learn in 21 days from this book is how utterly useless it is.
Rating:
Summary: A complete waste of money
Review: I bought this book expecting a quick ramp-up on T-SQL. What I got instead was an amateurish romp through a variety of SQL Server-related technologies. The writing is poor and fails to stay on point. Worse, the tangents the author(s) gets off on are often loaded with incorrect/out-dated information. It appears that the MS SQL Books online have been virtually copied (and maybe even some of the examples!). I returned this one for my money.
Rating:
Summary: Unless you need a printed version of the BOL, don't buy it
Review: I didn't find anything in this book that wasn't also in the BOL. I also don't think the presentation is any better. The coverage isn't systematic -- it jumps around all over the place. If you're going to learn something in three weeks, you can't take the seat-of-the-pants approach -- you have to attach the subject vigorously. Merely repeating the vendor online docs isn't going to cut it. There are also numerous technical errors in this book. The description of the DELETE and INSERT commands contain errors -- pretty alarming in a book like this. Don't like to give one-star reviews, but have no choice here. This one is definitely a turkey.
Rating:
Summary: A must for beginners
Review: I had a previous background on Oracle, and was about to head a C/S project based o MSSQL Server. Firt I tried "SQL Server 6.5 Programming - Unleashed" (I had SQL background, didn't I?). Ugh! I found T-SQL was far depart from Oracle (mainly PL/SQL). So I looked for something syntax oriented. "Teachyourself..." was the final answer to shed light on MSSQL implementation of SQL scripting (IMHO, the worst implementation I saw). Despite any weakness in T-SQL itself, the book is well organized and easy to follow (took 15 days, but you know, I was in a hurry). If you're comming from any other SQL dialect, stop by this book to get T-SQL insight.
Rating:
Summary: This is a Great book
Review: I had no experience with sql when I purchased this book. It was great. It was easy to follow and I learned transact sql in far less than twenty one days. After reading this book, I got a job in programming and was finally able to change careers. When I saw all the negative reviews for this book I couldn't believe it! Those people obviously never read it!
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