Rating: 
Summary: This book broke my mental barrier for stored procedures
Review: I've been attempting off an on again for over a year to get a grasp on creating and using stored procedures. I've searched the Internet for information, bought another book published by SAMS, read the white papers from Microsoft, just about everything I could think of. Nothing would sink in...Then after sitting back and giving up for a few months, I tried another search of the Amazon books online and found "SQL Server 2000 Stored Procedure Programming". I can't believe the ease of learning this book gave me with its simple step by step, hands on instructions. It finally started to click by the time I was in Chapter 3, I finally had a grasp of how to create and use stored procedures with Microsoft's SQL Server. I've been programming since 1976 and never had such a problem getting over a learning curve but this book's easy to follow, detailed and illustrated instructions made it a snap. My thanks go to Dejan Sunderic and Tom Woodhead for creating a top notch book that I'm having a hard time putting down as I'm having such a good time with it.
Rating: 
Summary: Mediocre, but has a few bright spots
Review: I'm not sure whether this book was a good purchase. Most of the stuff it contains is already in the product documentation. There are a few bright spots, however, so I wouldn't say the book is a complete waste of time. The thing that really surprised me about it was how thick the paper was - I thought the book was really more substantial than it is. I guess I'd rank this as a beginner's guide. If you're new to TranactSQL procedural programming, it might be useful to you.
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Summary: Great Book! If you need a store proc bible, this is it!
Review: My company's web application relies on store procedure a lot. So, I was looking for books that focus on this topic. Most books focus on store proc just 1 or 2 chapters; don't discuss issues that are mission critical to the production application. If you are like me, who is looking for book that will help you write store proc at work and sharpening your saw at the same time. This is definitely the book for you.
Rating:
Summary: Very helpful
Review: I am a Microsoft Access 2000 developer developing with MS SQL Server 7.0 and MSDE and was very pleased with this book. I found particularly helpful the sections which explain the use of the TSEQUAL function to implement Optimistic Record Locking in a multi-user application. I also found very helpful the sections on stored procedure error handling. I was looking for very specific answers and found them. Thank you Dejan.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Learning Tool
Review: As a software developer with many years of hands-on experience, I continually need to upgrade my skills as efficently as possible. What I value most in a book is how clearly it explains the concept and practice of a particular subject, thus allowing me to quickly get my hands on it to discover its nuances and idiosyncrasies. I found this book to be very logically organized, thorough in its coverage of most subjects without going into nauseating detail and, most importantly, clearly written. I have written numerous stored procedures in SQL Server 6.5 and Sybase 10.0, yet managed to learn interesting facts about TSQL. Based on reading this book, I am progressing nicely in my initial work with SQL Server 2000. The explanation of user functions was clear and concise, yet detailed enough for me to understand why they are useful and how they are created. The book provided enough detail about most of the SQL Server 2000 TSQL capabilities to begin working with them. I feel that the authors strike a nice balance between thoroughness and detail. It read easily and quickly from cover to cover, without ever becoming bogged down in myriad details that won't be useful unless the reader is addressing a specific problem in the real world.
Rating:
Summary: The Best on SP on the market
Review: Excelent coverage of XML and error handling. You can learn the basics and tricks. The only problem is that the topic is relatively narrow. If you want to learn architecture or administration, you need another book. The web site is good, but I would prefer to have everything on CD.
Rating:
Summary: A gem of a book
Review: Sunderic and Woodhead have written a gem of a book that can earn on place on almost every SQL Server 2000 developer's bookshelf, if not desk. Whether you are an experienced developer new to SQL Server, or an old hand upgrading to 2000, SQL Server 2000 Stored Procedure Programming will introduce you to the features you need to know about. The writing style is clear and easy to read, and the explanations clear, concise and comprehensive. The book starts with 3 chapters on the basics of SQL Server 2000. While not strictly necessary in a book aimed at developers merely upgrading to SQL Server 2000, it does ensure that the book is accessible to a broad range of developers. I believe any developer with a year or two of experience with SQL can pick up this book and get full value from it. However, even experienced developers should read these chapters; some of SQL Server 2000's new features are first explained here. Then we progress steadily into more detail of the SQL Server 2000 environment. The role of stored procedures in a scalable, high-volume environment is outlined along with an explanation of the tools available for designing, building and maintaining them. The TSQL language is outlined and the proper roles of batches, scripts and transactions is detailed. Throughout these chapters the new features of SQL Server 2000 are described, and their effect on recommended practices provided. Professional habits of error handling, debugging, and source-code management are described. Through a full and detailed understanding of the parts, we prepare to understand the whole. The real meat of the book is chapters 9 through 11. Almost a third of the text is here, discussing Stored Procedures, Triggers, and User-Defined Functions; Locking Strategies, Dynamic Queries, Nested Stored Procedures, and Use of Identity Values; COM and Web Interfacing, Job Administration, Email, Database Deployment, and Security; all of these and more are discussed in sufficient detail to provide a good grounding in their capabilities and limitations. Throughout these chapters, as for the entire book, the emphasis remains on professional practices and usages that demonstrate how to write "code for the ages". Code that will scale well; code that is easy to read, diagnose, and repair when problems arise. The book concludes with an excellent chapter on XML support in SQL Server 2000. It starts with a summary of XML, DFDs and Schemas, and Style Sheets, sufficient to allow a reader new to XML at least follow along with the discussion. Then it goes into details of why and how to receive recordsets from SQL Server 200 in XML, so as to facilitate publication to The Web or an intranet. The ease with which customization, and translation into HTML, can be accomplished is readily apparent from the authors' explanation. Any developers new to XML, who desires to easily publish database content, will find this chapter an invaluable introduction. A consistent thread through the book is "Professional Development". The examples, with occasional exceptions, are clearly adapted from real programs. The authors not only explain proper techniques for trapping, throwing, and reporting errors; they steadily lead by example. Developers in any scripting language, who think that consistent error checking is tedious or unnecessary, would do well to heed the authors' example. The book is not without flaws; two handfuls of minor typos could have been caught before printing. The most annoying, however, is Osborne's insistence on setting the code examples in a large typeface, double-spaced. While from their standpoint it bulks up the book a bit, it is most irritating for readers when a code sample stretches over several pages unnecessarily. For the longest examples, it almost makes them unreadable on paper. Fortunately, they are available online for more comfortable study. SMARTEN-UP OSBORNE! In Chapter 8, "Developing Professional Habits", Sunderic reveals his likely 'project', rather than 'product', orientation. I disagree on his dismissal of "pinning" in Visual Source Safe, because I believe it is a better way to manage configuration in a product-oriented environment. But the issue is peripheral to the book, and probably moot for those readers working in a project-oriented environment. One particularly nice feature is the use of boldface in the examples to highlight the point being illustrated. In lengthy examples, one can immediately pinpoint the code being discussed, and then expand one's focus to the surrounding code. It significantly improves the readability of the lengthy examples. Good Work. In conclusion, this book was a most enjoyable read that I expect to keep by my desk for quite some time.
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Summary: Not a very good book, esp. if you know what you're doing
Review: What a disappointment! The examples in this book are among the worst I've seen. First of all, the formatting of the code is inconsistent from example to example and with any format I've ever seen. I'd be embarrassed to use it myself. Second, the examples are ridiculously simple -- they don't show you anything. Third, there are way too many screen pictures in this book. Do I need a screen picture of every stored procedure result? If you're looking for the ultimate reference on stored procedure programming, keep looking.
Rating: 
Summary: Better books (will) exist
Review: Not too bad, but I feel like this book barely covers the basics, and goes nowhere near advanced topics. If you need the basics, check out Rob Vieira's Professional SQL Server 2000 Programming - the SQL 7 version of his book was by far the best place for beginners to learn SQL Server programming.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: As a consultant, I occasionally meet and work with talented individuals who have the natural ability to unfold complex problems into manageable sections and explain them in simple and understandable terms. The authors of this book successfully achieve this status. This book caters to all users, from beginners to experts. It includes lots of tips, tricks and pitfall warning notes for the casual user right through to intense documentation for the seasoned pro. The authors do a wonderful job of unraveling the complexities of Stored Procedures through simple and concise examples for real world applications. Thorough coverage of the SQL Server Environment will help even the novice to quickly harness the power of SQL Server and turn it into a productivity tool. The concepts are easy to follow with step by step instructions and documented results. There are lots of examples and screen shots to support the authors' theories and help illustrate stored procedure behaviours. Finally, a book that explains how to debug Stored Procedures using available tools and techniques which the average reader can access. This book will help beginners journey through the complexities of SQL Server and Stored Procedures. The Sample Asset tracking database is a much needed alternate to PUBS and gives the reader a fresh perspective on database design. The chapters on Advanced Stored Procedure Programming and XML Documentation are excellent features of this book. The authors do an exemplary job of presenting structured programing techniques and encourage readers to follow industry standard practices. The authors have left virtually no stone unturned in their quest for thoroughness in explaining and documenting the features and flexibility of Stored Procedures. This book belongs on the desk of every serious developer and DBA. It is a wonderful reference book and a source of many solutions to those nagging problems that cause too many of us to lose sleep and our hair.
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