Professional Data Warehousing with SQL Server 7.0 and OLAP Services

Rating:
Summary: Misleading title
Review: A better title maybe "Professional Data Warehousing with OLAP Services in SQLServer 7.0". As a designer and developer of a data warehouse back-end, I thought I had found a great book to enlighten me as to SQLServer7 specific data warehousing techniques, but in reality the author rarely deviates from discussing OLAP in SQLServer and data cubes. If you're looking for information on creating and optimizing a data warehouse as a back-end system, I would highly suggest looking elsewhere. Although there is basically no discussion of data warehousing, the book "Transact-SQL Programming" offers a much more well rounded approach to the awsome capabilities of SQLServer.

Rating:
Summary: Misleading title
Review: As my title states, this book was fairly difficult to read from cover to cover. This is not due to any complexity (although I found myself re-reading certain sections because of quirky grammar) or failure to convey each neccessary aspect of a subject, but the text is laden with grammatical errors, the sentences are short, stubby and choppy, and each concept is repeated throughout multiple paragraphs (exceeding the "hammering-in" quota). Makes for a quite annoying read. The content is there (however badly written it is), thus the reason for my saying that it may make a good reference book. I wish I had a great book to recommend, but this is my first delve into this subject.

Rating:
Summary: Nicely written
Review: I found this book to be the best among several book I reviewed about SQL Server data warehousing and OLAP. It handles most topics in a way that sets you on the right path to knowing what you need to know to do the job. It did help me, as a beginner, to smoothly start my first MS OLAP project. Of course, no one book can equally cover aspects of data warehousing. Therefore, this book will serve more as an intro, and in some cases, more than an intro to the world of MS DW.

Rating:
Summary: WROX - shame on you
Review: I know WROX books and until this one they were very good or excellent. This one is no help to anybody. Author touches a lot of subjects not giving you anything on any of them. Almost anything you can also find in Books OnLine (bad as they are).
If you need serious book, look for E. Thomsen titles.

Rating:
Summary: Good additional resource to SQL 7
Review: I was hesitant to buy this book at first when I read some of the reviews online. However, when I started to look at it in the book store I found that it is the book that the book was very nicely written and structured. It is written for someone who does not have a background in data warehousing and OLAP, but yet, provides a great deal of knowledge by the time you finish reading it. I found that the book satisfies my needs. I have been using this book as a reference for Microsfot OLAP Services for the last three months and it helped me with a couple of projects already. For those who do not like the book, please keep in mind that if it does not satisfy your particular need, it does not mean that it is not a good book that can help others.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty poor choice
Review: Incomplete. Superficial. Inaccurate. I felt taken, after paying for it and reading it all the way through.

Rating:
Summary: NOT a good choice
Review: My company had a project that requires using MS SQL Server 7.0 OLAP Services. We did not have anyone on staff who is familiar with the topic, so I bought the Wrox book and started reading it. I found the book to be great and extremely helpful. It addresses all kinds of issues, the simple ones as well as the more difficult ones. It is easy to read and comprehensive. Although it focuses one OLAP and how OLAP is used in SQL Server 7.0, it also gives great information about building a data warehouse, administering it, and managing it. What is also so great about this book, is that when we needed some help, I sent an email to the author, who was very responsive. Mr. Youness responded to my email questions with enough detail to get us going when we got stuck with one of the issues. I do recommend this book to anyone who wants to use MS OLAP and MS data warehousing.

Rating:
Summary: Good but not enough examples on DTS
Review: This is the best and most comprehensive book I read or reviewed about MS OLAP and data warehousing. It has it all. It discusses MDX, DTS, Multidimensional data modling, data warehouse design, maintenance, and even a brief discussion of decision support objects in an appendix. The only thing I think it lacks is a discussion of ADO-MD and examples of how it can be used to access OLAP data from client apps. I hope the next edition will cover these topics along with the new topics in SQL 2000 OLAP Services. If you are out looking for a good book on MS OLAP, you found your wish with this book.