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Editor's picks

• 

  Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2012

  Book (Microsoft Press)
  

  Rating (4 reviews):

  (4.8/5)

  

  Good for forward thinking

  If your wondering how to use the newest version of sql server that is coming out in the near future, then buy this book. 5/5 Carly Weaver - See all my reviews This review is from: Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2012 (Paperback) If your wondering how to use the newest version of sql server that is coming out in the near future, then buy this book. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , May 11, 2012

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  Good resource

  Great introduction to the new features in SQL Server 2012. Topcis are presented in a clear, understandable way. Recommended to help you get up to speed on the latest SQL Server version. 5/5 ForNow - See all my reviews This review is from: Introducing Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 (Kindle Edition) Great introduction to the new features in SQL Server 2012. Topcis are presented in a clear, understandable way. Recommended to help you get up to speed on the latest SQL Server version. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , May 11, 2012

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  Great stuff

  This is a great book giving great fundamental information about the up coming MS SQL server 2012. Knowing what changes to expect, and gives you a heads up when upgrading your existing server.Making it an ebook and allowing me to read on my iPhone and iPad is a big plus, since it makes search much easier. 4/5 gorolla - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Introducing Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 (Kindle Edition) This is a great book giving great fundamental information about the up coming MS SQL server 2012. Knowing what changes to expect, and gives you a heads up when upgrading your existing server.Making it an ebook and allowing me to read on my iPhone and iPad is a big plus, since it makes search much easier. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , May 6, 2012

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  List Price: $14.99
  

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  Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Unleashed

  Book (Sams)
  

  Rating (21 reviews):

  (4.6/5)

  

  Useful technical reference for SQL DBA

  Microsoft keeps adding new functionality to SQL server so the latest version, SQL 2008 R2, has become vastly complex. So much so that Microsoft has divided up their DBA certifications into three specializations: core DBA and developer and BI. Correspondingly, technical books on SQL 2008 tend to be divided up along the same lines. Thus I would have thought it would be impossible to cover the whole in a single book. But this book attempts to do just that. And it does a pretty good job, in my opinion. Of course it cannot go into great depth on any one subject, but it goes into enough depth to be useful to a practicing DBA in any of the three categories.They manage it by making the book huge. So huge that, apparently, it can't all be printed in a single book. So when you buy the book, you get a book that is around 1700 pages (1550 pages of text and about 100 pages of index and 50 of front material) and in the back of the book is a CD that contains another 800 or so pages in... 5/5 charles pyle - See all my reviews This review is from: Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Unleashed (Paperback) Microsoft keeps adding new functionality to SQL server so the latest version, SQL 2008 R2, has become vastly complex. So much so that Microsoft has divided up their DBA certifications into three specializations: core DBA and developer and BI. Correspondingly, technical books on SQL 2008 tend to be divided up along the same lines. Thus I would have thought it would be impossible to cover the whole in a single book. But this book attempts to do just that. And it does a pretty good job, in my opinion. Of course it cannot go into great depth on any one subject, but it goes into enough depth to be useful to a practicing DBA in any of the three categories.They manage it by making the book huge. So huge that, apparently, it can't all be printed in a single book. So when you buy the book, you get a book that is around 1700 pages (1550 pages of text and about 100 pages of index and 50 of front material) and in the back of the book is a CD that contains another 800 or so pages in... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , November 28, 2010

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  Very poor QA process...

  To be honest, I have never seen such a poor QA process for a book. The chapter I was most interested in has numerous errors in it. Let me explain...This book comes with a CD containing another ~800 pages of supplemental chapters. Chapter 52, in PDF format on the CD, contains info on SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS). However, the CD's Chapter 52 code samples aren't for PDF Chapter 52--they're under the Chapter 46 folder. The "Chapter46_AllCodeExamples.sql" file has the correct code... For the first exercise in the chapter, if you paste the right code into the export query window & click "Parse" (like it says to do in the book), you'll get an error that says "Incorrect syntax near '`'." Unless you're already a SQL guru that knows the authors accidentally used the Unicode "open single quote" character as opposed to the standard ASCII apostrophe, you'll be lost. Once you fix that problem and click "Parse" again, you'll get the following 3 errors... 2/5 1PBFOOT "1PBFOOT" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Unleashed (Paperback) To be honest, I have never seen such a poor QA process for a book. The chapter I was most interested in has numerous errors in it. Let me explain...This book comes with a CD containing another ~800 pages of supplemental chapters. Chapter 52, in PDF format on the CD, contains info on SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS). However, the CD's Chapter 52 code samples aren't for PDF Chapter 52--they're under the Chapter 46 folder. The "Chapter46_AllCodeExamples.sql" file has the correct code... For the first exercise in the chapter, if you paste the right code into the export query window & click "Parse" (like it says to do in the book), you'll get an error that says "Incorrect syntax near '`'." Unless you're already a SQL guru that knows the authors accidentally used the Unicode "open single quote" character as opposed to the standard ASCII apostrophe, you'll be lost. Once you fix that problem and click "Parse" again, you'll get the following 3 errors... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , January 29, 2011

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  A case where the Kindle book beats print?

  I purchased the Kindle edition and am pleased to report that it does contain all 56 chapters, so no need to download "part 2" of the book as a pdf. The graphics are in colour and in all cases the text in screen-dumps is readable (if fuzzy). The index uses a notation like "CD:2331" when referring to pages that are on the pdf included with the print edition. Thankfully these links take you to the correct location in the Kindle book.The content is wide ranging but don't expect miracles in what is now a huge platform. For example Master Data Services gets only a short overview. Overall the book is very good value. 4/5 Lance M. Andrewes "lancenz" (Wellington, New Zealand) - See all my reviews, May 14, 2011

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  List Price: $59.99
  

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• 

  Introducing Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012

  eBooks (Microsoft Press)
  

  Rating (4 reviews):

  (4.8/5)

  

  Good for forward thinking

  If your wondering how to use the newest version of sql server that is coming out in the near future, then buy this book. 5/5 Carly Weaver - See all my reviews This review is from: Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2012 (Paperback) If your wondering how to use the newest version of sql server that is coming out in the near future, then buy this book. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , May 11, 2012

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  Good resource

  Great introduction to the new features in SQL Server 2012. Topcis are presented in a clear, understandable way. Recommended to help you get up to speed on the latest SQL Server version. 5/5 ForNow - See all my reviews This review is from: Introducing Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 (Kindle Edition) Great introduction to the new features in SQL Server 2012. Topcis are presented in a clear, understandable way. Recommended to help you get up to speed on the latest SQL Server version. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , May 11, 2012

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  Great stuff

  This is a great book giving great fundamental information about the up coming MS SQL server 2012. Knowing what changes to expect, and gives you a heads up when upgrading your existing server.Making it an ebook and allowing me to read on my iPhone and iPad is a big plus, since it makes search much easier. 4/5 gorolla - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Introducing Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 (Kindle Edition) This is a great book giving great fundamental information about the up coming MS SQL server 2012. Knowing what changes to expect, and gives you a heads up when upgrading your existing server.Making it an ebook and allowing me to read on my iPhone and iPad is a big plus, since it makes search much easier. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , May 6, 2012

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  Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 T-SQL Fundamentals (PRO-Developer)

  Book (Microsoft Press)
  

  Rating (42 reviews):

  (4.6/5)

  

  Not just syntax, but the theory behind it

  I'm half way through this book and I am totally impressed. The author not only explains T-SQL syntax very systematically, but also explains enough of the theory behind it to help you understand why. This makes it much easier to optimize your syntax and avoid logical bugs in your code. This is not an introductory level SQL book, but it's not a book for experts either. I have been writing SQL for years and I have learned a great deal from this book already. I highly recommend this book if you are looking to take your SQL skills from basic/intermediate to a more advanced level. 5/5 UberGoober - See all my reviews This review is from: Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 T-SQL Fundamentals (PRO-Developer) (Paperback) I'm half way through this book and I am totally impressed. The author not only explains T-SQL syntax very systematically, but also explains enough of the theory behind it to help you understand why. This makes it much easier to optimize your syntax and avoid logical bugs in your code. This is not an introductory level SQL book, but it's not a book for experts either. I have been writing SQL for years and I have learned a great deal from this book already. I highly recommend this book if you are looking to take your SQL skills from basic/intermediate to a more advanced level. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , December 15, 2008

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  Excellent book - clear focus and ordered presentation

  I have worked with T-SQL for about 11 years, but nevertheless immediately pre-ordered this "Fundamentals" book when I saw a blog post about it - for three reasons: (a) I wanted to fill in any missing gaps in my understanding of the language, (b) I wanted to learn what was new with the 2008 offering, and (c) I have heard Itzik Ben-gan speak and read his blog for sometime and always find his presentations to be excellent. I was not disappointed.For me, this has been one of those rare reads, where I can see where the topic is going but it is never dull because I either learn something new about the subject or the presentation clarifies what I already knew. I especially like how the book continually reinforces how T-SQL is built on set theory and predicate logic.Great read and reference. I highly recommend it.Kudos to the author. 5/5 Regan J. Wick "Regan Wick" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews, December 4, 2008

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  There just is no point in writing another book on T-SQL after this

  Film director Stanley Kubrick would make a film in a specific genre, after which there was almost no point in making movies in that genre any more. War movie - Paths of Glory, political satire - Dr Strangelove , historical film - Spartacus, science fiction - 2001 A Space Odyssey, horror - The Shining. Itzik Ben-Gan managed to do with his book what Kubrick did with his films. There just is no point in writing another book on T-SQL after his.The first thing I looked for when I picked the book at the post office was the section on Outer Joins. A common question when using outer joins that is the source of lot of confusion is whether to specify a predicate in the ON or WHERE clause of the query. Itzik explains it definitively: " You can see that with respect to rows from the preserved side of an outer join, the filter based on the ON predicate is not final. In other words, the ON predicate does not detremine whether the row will show up in the output, only whether... 5/5 Mladen Andrijasevic (Israel) - See all my reviews, February 9, 2009

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  List Price: $49.99
  

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  Inside Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008: T-SQL Programming (Pro-Developer)

  Book (Microsoft Press)
  

  Rating (9 reviews):

  (5.0/5)

  

  Outstanding Book Covering T-SQL Programming w/ SQL Server 2008

  Being primarily a database and web developer, I feel more than experienced enough to review 'Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2008: T-SQL Programming' by Itzik Ben-Gan and others and I feel more and easily able to give this ***** and highly recommend this text. All the basics are covered in this 800 page book. It's not a teaching book that will give you all the ins and outs of database design and use, but it will show you what the major points of using SQL Server 2008 are, and how to get the most out of them.Major topics covered are Views, User-Defined Functions, Stored Procedures, Triggers, Transactions & Concurrency, Error Handling, Temporary Tables/Table Variables, Cursors, Dynamic SQL, Date/Time usage, CLR User-Defined Types, Temporal Support, XML & XQuery usage, Spatial Data, Tracking Access and Changes, and finally Service Broker discussion.The parts of the book that I enjoyed most were the last 6 chapters, as discussion on CLR usage, Spatial Data, and the... 5/5 Daniel McKinnon "Dan" (Tewksbury, MA USA) - See all my reviews, April 9, 2010

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  Probably the best focused on T-SQL Programming

  I can't praise this book enough.This is one of those books that keeps you interested like a good best-selling novel because it's so well written, almost in a conversational way. The author seems pationate about the technologies being shown and he doesn't try to confuse the readers by using a vocabulary which is difficult to understand like many other technical books.Each chapter is filled with real world code examples and you can download the sample database used in the book's website. I find the examples to be satisfyingly useful and a lot of them helped me to think of better ways to optimize my code.This book also served as a wonderful reference when I was studying for my MCITP exam.To sum it all, this is probably the best book about T-SQL I've read because it's easy to understand and presents many useful techniques and explanations. It's not for the beginner though. To those I recommend the first book in the series: "T-SQL Querying" by the same... 5/5 Andre Guerreiro "byo" (Brasil) - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Inside Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008: T-SQL Programming (Pro-Developer) (Paperback) I can't praise this book enough.This is one of those books that keeps you interested like a good best-selling novel because it's so well written, almost in a conversational way. The author seems pationate about the technologies being shown and he doesn't try to confuse the readers by using a vocabulary which is difficult to understand like many other technical books.Each chapter is filled with real world code examples and you can download the sample database used in the book's website. I find the examples to be satisfyingly useful and a lot of them helped me to think of better ways to optimize my code.This book also served as a wonderful reference when I was studying for my MCITP exam.To sum it all, this is probably the best book about T-SQL I've read because it's easy to understand and presents many useful techniques and explanations. It's not for the beginner though. To those I recommend the first book in the series: "T-SQL Querying" by the same... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , June 18, 2011

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  Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2008-T-SQL Programming Book Review

  I have used SQL Server since the 6.5/7.0 days and thought I knew enough to get by. I had various experiences with SQL Server 2000/2005, and then did not immediately use SQL Server 2008 until the Spring of 2010; I took a T-SQL CLASS using SQL Server 2008 at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California. I learned a great deal that I did not previously know from Professor Shui-lien Huang, a very excellent teacher.You can work with SQL Server, and unless you have the opportunity to have many challenges to stretch your skills, you may seemingly work in a silo and never learn all of it, which is a good reason to buy this book: "Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2008: T-SQL Programming". I am glad I had the T-SQL class before reading this book.This book contains the typical coverage for a standard T-SQL statement, and then User-Defined Functions (UDFs), Triggers, Stored Procedures, Views, etc., but also some new things. For example, extending SQL Server by using CLR... 5/5 Cecil T. Champenois Jr. "Cecil" (Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA) - See all my reviews, October 27, 2010

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  List Price: $49.99
  

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  Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 Step by Step (Step by Step (Microsoft))

  Book (Microsoft Press)
  

  Rating (15 reviews):

  (3.3/5)

  

  A Great Help in Understanding MS SQL Server

  I just completed a different MS SQL Server 2008 book, and am now wishing that I would have read this first, basically because the author, Hotek, is so much more concise and is defining terms as he goes, and is clearer when describing database concepts. So now I am forced to read this book too, just to clear up what was confusing in the first book!What this book has that the *other* didn't is a really organized approach to MS SQL Server, including a description of all the tools that come with it and a meaty section on Business Intelligence with chapters on SQL Server Integration, Reporting and Analysis Services, which is the reason I bought this book originally.As a side note, Mr. Hotek also obviously has a lot of experience and is sane... in Chapter 5, he gives an opinion on database design that I have secretly thought for years and I can't believe he said this: "...Lost in all of this material is the simple fact that tables have to be created to... 5/5 default_character (Reno, NV USA) - See all my reviews This review is from: Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 Step by Step (Step by Step (Microsoft)) (Paperback) I just completed a different MS SQL Server 2008 book, and am now wishing that I would have read this first, basically because the author, Hotek, is so much more concise and is defining terms as he goes, and is clearer when describing database concepts. So now I am forced to read this book too, just to clear up what was confusing in the first book!What this book has that the *other* didn't is a really organized approach to MS SQL Server, including a description of all the tools that come with it and a meaty section on Business Intelligence with chapters on SQL Server Integration, Reporting and Analysis Services, which is the reason I bought this book originally.As a side note, Mr. Hotek also obviously has a lot of experience and is sane... in Chapter 5, he gives an opinion on database design that I have secretly thought for years and I can't believe he said this: "...Lost in all of this material is the simple fact that tables have to be created to... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , January 14, 2009

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  A Good Introduction to SQL Server 2008

  This book was a pleasant surprise, I was looking for an introduction to SQL Server and this book was exactly that. The chapters were all in manageable sizes with the right amount of detail and exercises (%95+ worked as expected) to reinforce the topic. I don't usually write reviews, but if you are looking like I was for a book provide a basic introduction to SQL Server 2008 I would recommend this one. As a bonus there script which the author says can be used in production to perform backups. 5/5 Stephen Vaillancourt (MA) - See all my reviews, January 1, 2009

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  OK Overall..

  ..but let down by some poor editing, and the fact that content, pointed out as being 'online' in the book, doesnt actually exist. Not sure why they couldnt just put the articles on the CD.Also some of the 'steps' are incomplete..Google came to rescue on the odd occasion. This book needs a companion web site, with an errata list.Also the book is 500 pages (approx.) not 800 as Amazon indicates.I would probably supplement this with the 'Pro' book from Wrox. 3/5 Hemingway (Australia) - See all my reviews This review is from: Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 Step by Step (Step by Step (Microsoft)) (Paperback) ..but let down by some poor editing, and the fact that content, pointed out as being 'online' in the book, doesnt actually exist. Not sure why they couldnt just put the articles on the CD.Also some of the 'steps' are incomplete..Google came to rescue on the odd occasion. This book needs a companion web site, with an errata list.Also the book is 500 pages (approx.) not 800 as Amazon indicates.I would probably supplement this with the 'Pro' book from Wrox. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , June 12, 2009

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  List Price: $49.99
  

  ISBN13: 9780735626041

  Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

  Condition: New

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• 

  Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Unleashed

  eBooks (Sams)
  

  Rating (21 reviews):

  (4.6/5)

  

  Useful technical reference for SQL DBA

  Microsoft keeps adding new functionality to SQL server so the latest version, SQL 2008 R2, has become vastly complex. So much so that Microsoft has divided up their DBA certifications into three specializations: core DBA and developer and BI. Correspondingly, technical books on SQL 2008 tend to be divided up along the same lines. Thus I would have thought it would be impossible to cover the whole in a single book. But this book attempts to do just that. And it does a pretty good job, in my opinion. Of course it cannot go into great depth on any one subject, but it goes into enough depth to be useful to a practicing DBA in any of the three categories.They manage it by making the book huge. So huge that, apparently, it can't all be printed in a single book. So when you buy the book, you get a book that is around 1700 pages (1550 pages of text and about 100 pages of index and 50 of front material) and in the back of the book is a CD that contains another 800 or so pages in... 5/5 charles pyle - See all my reviews This review is from: Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Unleashed (Paperback) Microsoft keeps adding new functionality to SQL server so the latest version, SQL 2008 R2, has become vastly complex. So much so that Microsoft has divided up their DBA certifications into three specializations: core DBA and developer and BI. Correspondingly, technical books on SQL 2008 tend to be divided up along the same lines. Thus I would have thought it would be impossible to cover the whole in a single book. But this book attempts to do just that. And it does a pretty good job, in my opinion. Of course it cannot go into great depth on any one subject, but it goes into enough depth to be useful to a practicing DBA in any of the three categories.They manage it by making the book huge. So huge that, apparently, it can't all be printed in a single book. So when you buy the book, you get a book that is around 1700 pages (1550 pages of text and about 100 pages of index and 50 of front material) and in the back of the book is a CD that contains another 800 or so pages in... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , November 28, 2010

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  Very poor QA process...

  To be honest, I have never seen such a poor QA process for a book. The chapter I was most interested in has numerous errors in it. Let me explain...This book comes with a CD containing another ~800 pages of supplemental chapters. Chapter 52, in PDF format on the CD, contains info on SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS). However, the CD's Chapter 52 code samples aren't for PDF Chapter 52--they're under the Chapter 46 folder. The "Chapter46_AllCodeExamples.sql" file has the correct code... For the first exercise in the chapter, if you paste the right code into the export query window & click "Parse" (like it says to do in the book), you'll get an error that says "Incorrect syntax near '`'." Unless you're already a SQL guru that knows the authors accidentally used the Unicode "open single quote" character as opposed to the standard ASCII apostrophe, you'll be lost. Once you fix that problem and click "Parse" again, you'll get the following 3 errors... 2/5 1PBFOOT "1PBFOOT" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Unleashed (Paperback) To be honest, I have never seen such a poor QA process for a book. The chapter I was most interested in has numerous errors in it. Let me explain...This book comes with a CD containing another ~800 pages of supplemental chapters. Chapter 52, in PDF format on the CD, contains info on SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS). However, the CD's Chapter 52 code samples aren't for PDF Chapter 52--they're under the Chapter 46 folder. The "Chapter46_AllCodeExamples.sql" file has the correct code... For the first exercise in the chapter, if you paste the right code into the export query window & click "Parse" (like it says to do in the book), you'll get an error that says "Incorrect syntax near '`'." Unless you're already a SQL guru that knows the authors accidentally used the Unicode "open single quote" character as opposed to the standard ASCII apostrophe, you'll be lost. Once you fix that problem and click "Parse" again, you'll get the following 3 errors... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , January 29, 2011

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  A case where the Kindle book beats print?

  I purchased the Kindle edition and am pleased to report that it does contain all 56 chapters, so no need to download "part 2" of the book as a pdf. The graphics are in colour and in all cases the text in screen-dumps is readable (if fuzzy). The index uses a notation like "CD:2331" when referring to pages that are on the pdf included with the print edition. Thankfully these links take you to the correct location in the Kindle book.The content is wide ranging but don't expect miracles in what is now a huge platform. For example Master Data Services gets only a short overview. Overall the book is very good value. 4/5 Lance M. Andrewes "lancenz" (Wellington, New Zealand) - See all my reviews, May 14, 2011

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  List Price: $47.99
  

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  Beginning SQL Server 2008 for Developers: From Novice to Professional (Expert's Voice in SQL Server)

  Book (Apress)
  

  Rating (12 reviews):

  (3.8/5)

  

  Not really for developers... but still a good intro

  This book was a great introduction to MS SQL Server, but I honestly don't think it would be as helpful to new developers as it would be for new DBAs, for the following reasons: 1) No real relational database theory review 2) SQL not really introduced till over halfway through the book 3) Some terms randomly mentioned, then never explained (such as "computed columns") 4) IIs and other pre-2008 server references 5) Cursors not mentioned... also wish there had been some text on accessing the database via different languages.Not all of the examples worked. I eventually figured out everything, but had a really difficult time understanding the descriptions of some of the concepts; some were too wordy and some too terse. The last chapter on Reporting Services was almost completely useless because he didn't show you how to deploy the reports... this would have been pretty easy (I found it in another book). Because of this, I... 3/5 default_character (Reno, NV USA) - See all my reviews This review is from: Beginning SQL Server 2008 for Developers: From Novice to Professional (Expert's Voice in SQL Server) (Paperback) This book was a great introduction to MS SQL Server, but I honestly don't think it would be as helpful to new developers as it would be for new DBAs, for the following reasons: 1) No real relational database theory review 2) SQL not really introduced till over halfway through the book 3) Some terms randomly mentioned, then never explained (such as "computed columns") 4) IIs and other pre-2008 server references 5) Cursors not mentioned... also wish there had been some text on accessing the database via different languages.Not all of the examples worked. I eventually figured out everything, but had a really difficult time understanding the descriptions of some of the concepts; some were too wordy and some too terse. The last chapter on Reporting Services was almost completely useless because he didn't show you how to deploy the reports... this would have been pretty easy (I found it in another book). Because of this, I... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , January 14, 2009

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  Great Reference Book for Beginners

  I have several books on SQL Server Development and this one has been the one that has had the answers that I needed in it (as a beginner writing stored procedures and triggers). While other books that I own spend a lot of time talking about complex areas or give broad overviews, this one shows you how to do very simple things like creating conditional statement in T-SQL or checking the value of a passed parameter to see that is is not null. There is also a very nice section on setting up SQL Server 2008 that takes you through all the options and explains what they are for and offers some suggestion on how to set them. I wish I had the book before setting up SQL Server 2008. 5/5 Todd Haehn (Maple Grove, MN United States) - See all my reviews, November 19, 2008

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  Not for Developers

  I have been very disappointed in this book. I am a software developer with many years of relatively lightweight knowledge of SQL. I hoped that this book would teach me a greater depth of knowledge of SQL, including how to master various types of joins, group by, having, etc.You can imagine my surprise when I looked up the GROUP BY topic and found only one-half page of descriptive text, followed by less than a page of example. There was only a cursory discussion of this topic, which I found very disappointing.This same disappointment has played out on every topic I have tried to explore to broaden my understanding of SQL. One would expect a book of nearly 500 pages to have some depth on fundamental topics.I don't really know who would benefit from this book. This is clearly NOT a book for a developer such as myself, and it did not take me "from novice to professional" as I had expected.If you are looking to broaden your understanding of... 2/5 Greg Klinkel "Greg" (Boulder, CO USA) - See all my reviews, March 21, 2010

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  List Price: $49.99
  

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  Murach's SQL Server 2008 for Developers (Murach: Training & Reference)

  Book (Mike Murach & Associates)
  

  Rating (18 reviews):

  (4.5/5)

  

  Excellent technical reference for SQL Server 2008

  After spent the past few years as developer/DBA for Oracle databases, SQL server is required during my recent projects. I find myself often spending too much time on simple issues such as how to perform a date and/or date time search. Microsoft SQL/T-SQL syntax is a little bit different from Oracle PL/SQL syntax.This book really saves me time and effort. This format of this book is like a technical how-to manual or cook book. I extremely love this kind of format because I can quickly refer to a particular issue. The topic is usually concise and easy to understand.This book is for developers not DBAs. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn SQL Server 2008. Of course, basic programming skills are the pre-requisites. In addition, it is very useful as an excellent technical reference book for more experienced programmers. 5/5 J. Huang "A humble programmer" (Mobile, AL USA) - See all my reviews, January 3, 2009

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  Out of Luck

  The programmed learning method, where material is taught on one side of the page and then retaught using examples on the other side of the page is used very effectively in this book. Unfortunately, the merits of the book are negated by the fact that Murach does not give the answers to the practice exercises! This is not a problem until about half way through the book where the difficulty increases and there are 2 or 3 (or more) problems in every chapter that you just can't figure out. It would be really nice to have an appendix with the answers so that you could learn how to do those problems. I contacted Murach and requested the answers. They replied that they only send the Instructors CD to teachers who have purchased at least 15 books (and they need a copy of the receipt). If you buy one of Murach's books for self-teaching, as I suspect most Amazon shoppers do, you are out of luck. This greatly reduces the effectiveness of an otherwise good approach. 1/5 TekDev "TekDev" (US) - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Murach's SQL Server 2008 for Developers (Murach: Training & Reference) (Paperback) The programmed learning method, where material is taught on one side of the page and then retaught using examples on the other side of the page is used very effectively in this book. Unfortunately, the merits of the book are negated by the fact that Murach does not give the answers to the practice exercises! This is not a problem until about half way through the book where the difficulty increases and there are 2 or 3 (or more) problems in every chapter that you just can't figure out. It would be really nice to have an appendix with the answers so that you could learn how to do those problems. I contacted Murach and requested the answers. They replied that they only send the Instructors CD to teachers who have purchased at least 15 books (and they need a copy of the receipt). If you buy one of Murach's books for self-teaching, as I suspect most Amazon shoppers do, you are out of luck. This greatly reduces the effectiveness of an otherwise good approach. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , February 24, 2012

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  Excellent Text and Reference

  This is one of the best technical books I have seen in a long time. Like a lot of people who have been around software development for awhile, there are areas where I am an expert and other areas that I have picked up enough on the way to just be "a little bit dangerous". SQL Server was one of the latter areas and I wanted to round out my knowledge and this book proved to be the perfect tool. Its unique "facing page" design means you can easily grasp the topic being discussed, and if it is one you are already comfortable with, just scan the code to make sure and move on quickly, or stop and read the details if needed.I also recommend that you stop and do the exercises at the end of each major chapter -- they are worth spending the time on. They are well thought out and you may very well pick something up even in those areas where you may "think you know it" (I know I did).Finally, the layout of the book and a detailed index means that this will be a... 5/5 M. Almond (Spokane, WA USA) - See all my reviews, December 1, 2009

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  List Price: $52.50
  

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  SQL Queries Joes 2 Pros: SQL Query Techniques For Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Volume 2 (Sql Exam Prep)

  Book (BookSurge Publishing)
  

  Rating (19 reviews):

  (4.8/5)

  

  In All That Getting get An Understanding

  Hello, I want to recommend Rick Morelan's Joes 2 Pros teaching aids as a must have in your quest to learn Microsoft SQL server 2008. I am currently a student In a 12 to 36 week Intensive program that teaches business intelligence. Learning SQL in a Microsoft environment is my goal and purpose but the instruction leaves me void of a complete understanding. The pace of the course; as you may already know is extremely fast; this is because most of these programs are set up just to make money off the BI and IT boom and If you are a novice or an enthusiast wanting to learn SQL you'll get swallowed up as the course progress through topics such as recursive queries, pivots, CTE, and the various joins: leaving you confused and frustrated.Nevertheless, after failing several test in my BI course and after wanting to throw in the towel; I was up late one night contemplating about my next steps and I discovered Rick's Joes2Pros videos on YouTube; they were so clear and concise I knew... 5/5 S. Manley - See all my reviews, May 30, 2010

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  Quality Continued

  I've been waiting for this second book to come out and now will continue to look for the rest of the series. What I really appreciate about this series is the easy to follow tutorials that don't confuse things with too much tech dialogue like I've seen in other books. Step by step guidance to understanding the premise of creating specific code and its application. The Points to Ponder enforce the rules surrounding the premise (also fabulous quick reference material). The teaching technique is simply great in this series. It truly speaks on a user friendly level. This is the only way to not only learn SQL, but to prepare for Microsoft Certification, since this series specifically uses that goal as a basic principle. 5/5 Mary E. Knowles (Bonney Lake, WA) - See all my reviews, January 21, 2010

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  Wish I had this while getting my MIS Degree

  Hands down this is an awesome book (and series)!!!! If you want to get ahead (level up) in your place of work buy these books as they become available; they're superior investments. I was fortunate to have been able to take Rick Morelan's Advanced SQL Course where I dicovered that he knows this stuff so well that he can come up with great examples on the fly, and do it with out "geek speak". 5/5 D^2 - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: SQL Queries Joes 2 Pros: SQL Query Techniques For Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Volume 2 (Sql Exam Prep) (Paperback) Hands down this is an awesome book (and series)!!!! If you want to get ahead (level up) in your place of work buy these books as they become available; they're superior investments. I was fortunate to have been able to take Rick Morelan's Advanced SQL Course where I dicovered that he knows this stuff so well that he can come up with great examples on the fly, and do it with out "geek speak". Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , November 12, 2010

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  List Price: $39.99
  

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