4 comments about Oracle DBA Pocket Guide (Pocket Reference).

1. Not all of the pocket guides work, but this one does. This topic is just right for this style of book. This a quick reference to all of the syntax that you need for DBA work on a daily basis. Definitely worth the money if administration of Oracle installations is your job.



2. This pocket guide is great for quickly looking up syntax and usage of all the common Oracle DBA commands. If you are a seasoned Oracle DBA and you have it all memorized it might be of limited help, but if your like me where you are primarily a software developer then it's great.
   
   It covers everything from installation to backup and recovery. This is not a book to learn Oracle from, but for a quick reference to jog your memory it's great.



3. I bought this book on a whim at a bookstore because it claimed to include "quick reference" info on performance. I found that area seriously lacking...
   
   I thought it odd to have sections on installation and planning in here. Hopefully one does not make such decisions with only a pocket guide as a reference. That section could be shortened to a few pages of warnings and a few URLs. The backup and recovery section was great, but it could be shortened up about 5 pages. Same for the security section.
   
   With the extra space, I would put in at least 15 pages on performance tuning.
   
   The data dictionary quick reference is very useful, and if it weren't for that I would probably have given this book away.



4. I bought this book hoping for a pithy, comprehensive, quick-reference guide to Oracle DBA commands and syntax. If you've ever used Rob Verschoor's superb Sybase DBA guides you'll know what I mean.
   
   Instead it's a rather odd collection of general paragraphs giving high-level overviews of a limited range of topics (many of which ought to be covered in more detail and in a larger book), coupled with other sections covering strange subsets of syntax, by no means completely, which are seemingly chosen and presented at random. There ARE some nice bits if you dig through it BUT if you're looking for that one book you'll carry everywhere, refer to everyday and eventually falls apart with overuse (like your usual O'Reilly book...) you may be very disappointed. I'm sorry to say I've found Google and Oracle's own documentation to be much more useful for day-to-day DBA work and can only hope Mr. Verschoor starts writing Oracle books sometime soon... This one sits on my shelf gathering dust.

3 comments about Beginning SQL Queries: From Novice to Professional (Beginning from Novice to Professional).

1. I'm a computer-savy first time SQL'er. I found this book to provide a quick and complete introduction to SQL that allowed me to straight away get going. It's written from a practical stand point which is really useful if you're like me and just want to get the job done.
   
   I also like the way book tackles the subject from two different angles - she calls it the Algebra or Calculus angles. Sounds mathematical but it simply means that when you're got a complicated problem you've got twice the chance of finding a solution.
   
   This book comes totally recommended. I became quite intrigued by the stuff about how you should design your database right that I'm now reading her book on Database Design.



2. Last year I read and reviewed Clare Churcher's excellent little introduction to database design. Although I learnt enough SQL at the time to write working queries, I could not resist picking up this book when I recently saw it. And true to form, Clare Churcher has written another gem. What I particularly like about the style is that all examples are kept simple while conveying important concepts.
   Two different ways to approach a query are introduced in the book, the "algebra" or "how-approach" and the "calculus" or "what-approach". Why two approaches? According to the book, student classes are equally divided in which approach they prefer. With two approaches to choose from there is a greater chance that anyone reading this book will find it useful. I'm personally greatly helped by the "what-approach" in reviewing old SQL code as well as writing new queries.
   This book is a must for anyone learning SQL for the first time. In addition, it provides a refreshing new way of looking at SQL code for those who already know the basics.



3. Wordy and obtuse. Typical PhD attempt at a user manual.
   If you're a novice, it'll confuse you more than necessary; if you already know SQL, it'll bore you more than necessary.

5 comments about Pro SQL Server 2005 (Pro).

1. I've always been a fan of these series of technical books. The information in them is always presented with enough detail and with a technical person in mind. Great reference book



2. This book does an awesome job of hitting everything that is new in SQL 2005. There is a lot to cover so it doesn't go into deep depth, but it does give you a good overview and points you in the right direction to find more information out on a particular topic by making sure you have a great introduction.



3. If you're looking for a "what's new in SQL Server 2005" this book covers that. If you're looking for a reference book on the product, that goes into how to configure or upgrade from an earlier version--Keep Looking.
   
   The book explains new features in some detail. But, I want to know how to place the databases in a specific directory, how to set up replication--not mirroring; and how to install the software remotely. The book does not discuss any of that.



4. We have been heavy users (both as developers and administrators) of SQL Server 2000 since it came out in 2000. We were anxious to upgrade to SQL Server 2005 and did so in early 2006. For the first couple of months we largely utilized SQL 2005 in the same way that we had done with SQL 2000 (with the exception of using the new Management Studio) and did not really exploit the new features of SQL 2005. This book definitely opened our eyes to many of the new features of the SQL 2005 database and we are using many of those features in our current development efforts.
   
   The Pro SQL Server 2005 book spent a significant amount of pages on process changes between 2000 and 2005 and then dove into the significant functional differences between the databases. As users of the Reporting Services features rolled out mid-stream in SQL 2000 we were very interested to read the coverage dedicated to it in this book. This book cannot serve as a comprehensive reference to all of the new features in SQL 2005 (there are entire volumes dedicated to each topic) and the authors did not attempt to. However, I felt like they did as good a job as was possible in such a concise manner.
   
   I particularly enjoyed the section on the CLR embedded into SQL 2005 but wished that it could have been a bit longer. Overall, this is an excellent title and I encourage all database developers and administrators moving from SQL 2000 to check it out.



5. This book has many examples of how to use the scripts to get your job done! It gives you an overview of the New SQL Server 2005. The book covers new features of SQL Server 2005 and gives very good examples to explain "How and why" to use different scripts. It is an eye opener and it points you to the right direction.
   
   [...]

5 comments about Microsoft Reporting Services in Action (In Action series).

1. The content reveals a lot of details of RS. However, I had a hard time to make the samples running.



2. Being a Microsoft trainer, and needing to get up to speed in a hurry, I found this book - luckily. This book was able to give me the answers to the "how do I do..." questions I had, and then enabled me to explain these concepts to my students.
   
   Teo's style is easy to read, and he makes it easy to see how you can apply his examples to your reporting needs.
   
   If you need to get up to speed on Reporting Services in a hurry, and need a book you can refer to in the future, this is the one.



3. I found this book to have lots of information, but if you learn best by hands on examples, this is not the book for you. The author shows you a report already done and gives a quick explanation of how he got there. It is not a step-by-step type of book. As a lot of the examples shown do not have a how-to to go with it, I found this book not a good place to start. There are others that are more hands-on and step-by-step which are easier to learn from.
   
   Having said that, if you've had some Reporting Services experience and are just looking to brush up on techniques and/or learn additional techniques, then this book will probably save you the tediousness of having to go through a step-by-step example that you have already done in the past.



4. The project: create a secure, distributed, Internet-facing, interactive ASP.Net reporting application for a Very Large Customer. The schedule: short. The budget: low. Amazingly, we got it done, and I credit Teo and this book with helping us meet our requirements.
   
   The Microsoft Reporting Services 1.0 documentation is not very useful to the newcomer, and with 7 months' experience now, I can also say it's not very useful to the rising journeyman. The product is quirky, with surprising gaps and baroque security features. Without expert guidance from someone who has worked with the RS dev team I don't see how anybody would get much done with Reporting Services 1.0.
   
   Teo Lachev worked intensively with the Microsoft dev team and the book shows it. Perhaps one of the reasons other reviews here gripe about the examples is that the most useful examples are the non-trivial ones in the second half of the book. Report authoring is the easy part! Delivering your reports to your users in the ways they demand is the hard part, and in my opinion this is where Teo's book shines.
   
   It is no exaggeration to state that without Teo's book, and in particular his discussion of custom security extensions for Reporting Services, we would have failed to deliver the goods. But we succeeded... thanks Teo.



5. Very good book, lots of useful info that goes beyond the normal documentation.

2 comments about SQL for Microsoft Access, 2nd Edition (Wordware Applications Library).

1. As promised. Easy transaction. This Book is not easily found in bookstores. I saved the price of the book in gas alone!



2. This book is an excellent primer for the SQL novice. It is well organized and offers an excellent exposition of Microsoft's version of the SQL language. There is just on big problem; it is just about impossible to download the book's companion file offered on the Wordware site. This problem is a serious flaw in an otherwise outstanding book.

5 comments about Beginning Databases with PostgreSQL: From Novice to Professional, Second Edition (Beginning from Novice to Professional).

1. This book will get you started quickly and painlessly, regardless of your previous experience with other SQL engines.
   
   For complete beginners there is a short but sound chapter on general database design. If you are migrating from "some other open source relational database system", this book will teach you the basic peculiarities of PostgreSQL and get your server up and running in the shortest possible time.
   
   This book is not a "complete refence", nor does it pretend to be. And that's fine. After you've got a basic overview, you can get the rest referring to the online documentation.
   
   P.S. There is a syntax reference in the end of the book, of course :).



2. This book teaches a huge amount of information on building PostgreSQL databases. It teaches some theory/history behind many features and can be read straight-through unlike other books I have tried for learning SQL. I am learning about the capabilities/concepts much of Databases more then I have with other beginner books I have read, with none of the try our 5 examples BS to figure out what we are trying to explain...
   
   It also introduces many more advanced ideas and does not hesitate to recommend resources (including free ones) for learning more while it goes on to the next concept.
   
   Definitely recommend if you have no-beginner knowledge of Databases and want a thorough introduction that will give you a sound basis for making a database application.



3. I ordered this book because amazon.com bundled it with « Beginning PHP and PostgreSQL 8 ». I must admit I was happily surprised. It's definitely more than a copy of the PostgreSQL manual. Explanations are simple to understand.
   
   There's a chapter on database design, something really important to me.
   
   Something that surprises me too is the big part on languages. The PostgreSQL manual focused on C with libpq and there's not much on other languages. This book brings a lot of informations with PHP, Perl, Java, C#.
   
   This book also brings informations on new PostgreSQL 8 functionnalities (tablespace, $$ quoting). Unfortunately, there's nothing on release 8.1 (CREATE ROLE for example).
   
   Finally, a great book to begin with, a reference for the rest of us.



4. I really wanted to like this book, but, unfortunately, after the first 100 pages, can't endorse it at all. I'm a "poweruser" of MSAccess and a general fan of databases in general. I have read enough books on SQL and know enough about database theory and implementations to know disorganized and poorly introduced subject matter when I read it. This book suffers from what a lot of database books suffer from, a smattering of this concept and that concept, mixing in a little SQL syntax with database schema design with a little snippet on good table design then off to the multi-user access features of PostgreSQL.... whoa Nelly! Sadly, the authors try to be too many things to too many audiences and the result is a mess. Understandably, the subject of databases (from theory, to implementation, to end user) is huge, writing a book to cover it all is a daunting task, and this one fails like the many that have gone before it. My apologies for not providing a list of other books I feel succeed, but time doesn't permit.



5. This book would be better labeled "Beginning Databases with Postgresql - From Novice to Amateur with a few Provisos."
   
   This book is good for getting you to the stage where you have some basic confidence in using PostgreSQL (an excellent database). Do NOT expect to be able to learn what it is you are learning Postgres for without a great deal of googling, hanging out on the #postgresql irc channel (hint: type ?? and topic, VERY useful), searching the mailing list archives, reading the online documentation (which is very useful), and of course, liberal use of \? and \h in psql.
   
   After you have some basic familiarity with Postgres you will still use Matthew and Stones from time to time, looking up syntax etc. For that it is useful.
   
   One of the most annoying things is that it promotes bad database design through the "bpsimple" and "bpfinal" sample databases. Anyone using such a database would be constantly having to clean out garbage data in their database. Take for example their customer table. Their only unique constraint is the primary key, customer_id. If they don't have either a multiple column primary key or some other unique constraint, they will constantly be getting duplicate customers.
   
   At least when I was learning MS Access the books I used taught me good principles such that I am not having to deal with duplicate values years later.
   
   Unfortunately due to the dearth of Postgresql books this is still one of the better offerings. I would give it 3 stars if there was more competition.

5 comments about Eclipse.

1. This book a a very good start for Eclipse new users in the way that it presents all basic features of Eclipse 3.0. I recommend it to any one.



2. I bought this book and have been making my way through it to teach myself about Eclipse. I did fine for the first five chapters, but after that the trail grows cold because the book is based on Eclipse prior to the 3.0 and later releases. I began having lots of problems because the instructions and screen shots no longer came close to matching what is actually in Eclipse 3.0. So I gave up after chapter five.



3. Time has started to diminish the value of this book. Chapters 6, 7, and 8 deal with building GUIs using the V4ALL Eclipse plugin, which is now classified as Obsolete. Also with Eclipse 3.3 now available (the book focuses on Eclipse 3.0), a new edition of the book is definitely needed.



4. I stumbled onto Eclipse from a very unorthodox path. In my concurrent Java programming unit I continued to have problem in getting students to address all issues of import in their assignments. I thought that I should write a progressive series of programs to address one issue at a time. In class we were relying on command line compilation and execution of the Java programs.
   
   To develop Java programs, I downloaded Eclipse IDE and started to write programs one project for each set of progressed specifications. Soon I had some 10 projects with 10 sets of codes. Eclipse was great, it allowed me to debug and see activities even in multi-threaded execution of programs. However, I wanted to have some transition among my 10 projects to be smooth. I wanted to use consistent interfaces, shared code for classes and comments. I wanted to learn more on refactoring functionality of the IDE. I bought the book to fill this goal.
   
   Have not found much to help my goal but the book has exposed me GUI builder ideas V4ALL. But this project seem to be already gone. SWT was also a new exposure. I have not yet explored it but would it be acceptable replacement for Swing for a university course?
   
   Over all the book is nice and easy introduction to using Eclipse IDE but much of what it introduces can easily be learned from the Eclipse help, tutorials and commonsense. It is time that the author be magnanimous and put the book on Web for all Eclipse beginners to read and adapt the tool. Good book but I am not sure if I can ask my students to spend money on purchasing a copy. An update to reflect the current state of the IDE would also be welcome.



5. I found this book very helpful in navigating through Eclipse. Be sure to check which version of Eclipse you have; there are differences that can lead to confusion for first time users.

5 comments about Sams Teach Yourself SQL in 24 Hours (4th Edition) (Sams Teach Yourself -- Hours).

1. It is not important how much you pay for a book,

   It is important on what you spend your precious time.

   This Book Lies! It lies in its title.
   Title must be change to:
   "Learn Oracle SQL in 24 Hours"
   More than 90% of samples are for oracle.

   Author only mentions that this SQL can be done in other implementations!!!

   Bottom Line: DO NOT BUY THIS if you are trying to learn MS SQL
   For sql server.




2. I wanted to provide feedback on this book. I am shocked at how many mistakes I've found in the examples, Q&A, workshops, and exercises.
   I had some basic understanding of SQL before I started reading this book, but am trying to learn from this book to better my foundation of knowledge of SQL. Unfortunately, too many times I hit yet another mistake in the book that causes me to have to figure out the problem by working around the book, not with it, or worse, I may not be certain I've even understood the concept to due several contradictions between the conceptual material and the examples/exercises.

   Learning a database language by unlearning mistakes in the training material is not the right way to learn anything.

   I have the third edition. I have not seen the fourth edition, but my confidence is not strong the issues will have been ironed out (they haven't been by the third edition).




3. The back cover says it is beginner to intermediate. It is actually only beginner. It is not intermediate at all!
   
   The book has good points. I had a basic understanding of SQL. It might be good for those taking a class in school or who need to do some basic queries. It covers different types of joins on a basic level. It talks about subqueries and compound queries. I also liked the section on when to use indexing.
   
   If you are familar with these things already, you need not read this book. It did not cover the prefered JOIN ON syntax. It only used (+) symbols to indicate left and right outer joins. It did not discuss variations in inner join syntax either. This was the frustrating part for me. I at least expect the basics to be consistent and thorough.
   
   It is easy to read. I did notice typos and whole examples missing. It just gives you a basic idea of what syntax should or may be like, you should get a book that takes a little more pride in what it is teaching and at least show several COMMON implementations of a syntax. You will have to get another book anyway just to learn the correct syntax.
   
   The book would have been better if it combined some of the concepts using compound, subqueries, and outer joins in one query. Then i would say that it dips into the intermediate level. This book only touches the basics and it won't take long before you are looking for more.



4. I totally agree with a lot of the other reviewers. I am also shocked at the amount of errors in this book. (Yes, THIRD edition! The Editor and/or Technical consultant should be fired!)
   I found myself questioning the credibility of the examples being given by the time I was a third of the way through the book.
   I believe it hasn't misled me too much because I did have some SQL experience before starting it - I just wanted to go through it as a refresher.
   I really wanted a lot more information about the more advanced queries using Joins etc. - this is not covered in any great detail. I would have liked to see some good examples about why a query built in one way would show X rows whereas a query built another way would show Y rows.
   It's ok to get you started I suppose but I'm sure there are MUCH better books out there not to mention courses online!



5. This book is full of typos, bad examples and bad code. The only way you learn SQL through this book is by researching the error codes you receive on messageboards. There is no help through the website. The website tries to sell you additional product. Save your money. Save your sanity. Get a different book.

5 comments about Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft SQL Server 2000 in 21 Days (2nd Edition) (Sams Teach Yourself).

1. This is a very good book for the newcomer to SQL Server, particularly for those who have little experience with other databases.
   
   It addresses various topics that are just enough to get you started on being able to get some work done with SQL Server and know what else you need to learn. Strange as it may sound, IMHO, discovering what you don't know is a valuable endeavour. Sure, it could've gone into a lot more detail on the query optimizer or how lock escalation really works, etc... but really, where do you draw the line? There's no good place that will please everyone. This book did a decent job.
   
   This is not the book to make you an expert. In fact, it won't even make you an "intermediate" if there's such a state. It introduces enough to get you going. If you find yourself asking "well, what about this?" or "ok, you showed one way to use stored procedures, what if I wanted to ....", then the book has done a good job. If you have no questions or don't know what to ask, then it's failed.
   
   As for the readers/reviewers who slammed the book for not making them experts, really, what were you expecting? You won't even know the ins and outs of installing Oracle or DB2 in 21 days much less get into any useful state (I've been an Oracle DBA for 7 years and DB2 for about 2 years, I know a thing or two about them).
   
   If you are an experienced database administrator or developer on another database, this book is probably kinda slow for you and certainly will not contain the depth that you're probably seeking. For this audience, I'd recommend Inside SQL Server by Kalen Delaney. It's not all there but it's a great start.



2. I found this book excellent prep for the MCP exam (70-229). The discussions on deadlocks, indexing, transactions, and security (specifically, application roles and ownership chains) were definitely the difference in my passing the exam.
   
   The authors do a very good job of explaining WHY you would want to do something, not just HOW.
   
   The only negative thing for me was the frequent references to how things used to work in SQL 7.0, 6.5 and earlier.



3. I have a LOT of access experience and wanted to move to SQL Server.
   This is a great beginner book for those with a little knowledge of SQL and a lot of knowledge of relational databases.
   Great chapters on SQL usage.
   GET THIS BOOK!!



4. The book was ok. It has taught me a lot. However, it is not without its easily seen errors.
   
   1) Some concepts are not expounded on to make sure a newcomer or complete idiot thoroughly understands what is said. Some sentences can be so concise that it can cause you to take a word for granted (if you aren't paying extra attention) which could lead to complete confusion. thus, if there are no supporting sentences you can be completely lost. It also uses terms without explaining them or maybe expects you to know terms that a newcomer would not know. Some concepts are just not explained clearly period.
   
   2) Some of the exercises use obsolete code. It is as if the person who wrote the chapter didn't write the exercise.
   
   So if you need a book. Yes, buy this book. Hearing the negative comments can distract but at the same time only good comments can cause a person to wonder if something is wrong with him. The book DOES have errors! Point Blank! Some are very noticeable. Few are frustrating. My most frustrating experience so far has been chapter 5. I had to read ch 6 to understand 5 better. But you will learn a lot and the book's exercises do a good job in making sure you understand what was covered. My point is only that if something seems strange like the exercises on chapter 5 (also the exact same, word for word as exercises for ch 6, probably a mistake) it is probably the book and not you. The answers for chap 5 exercises are indeed obsolete (question 1 anyway).
   
   Overall, the book makes learning this stuff very easy.



5. I use(d) this book as the basis towards my WIN2K MCDBA...It is superior to anything out there including Microsoft's Official MCSE [Exam 70-228] SQL Server 2000 SA Training Kit... includes everything one needs assuming one immerses oneself in the book from Day 1 through Day 21 in addition to Day 22 (SQL Server Analysis Services (OLAP)) and Day 23 (English Query).It is both a superior reference book and programmer's guide. After purchasing Microsoft's official references I found myself repeatedly (frustrated by their shortcomings and referring back to this particular SAMS text). Enough cannot be said about this book.

5 comments about Oracle9i PL/SQL Programming.

1. I must say it is not what I expected. Basically, if you know nothing about PL/SQL, that is, the Oracle extension of the SQL, and you need to grasp its general concept in a very short time, this is the book for you.

   But the subtittle of the book is definitely misleading. When it comes to advanced topics, the book simply copies from the online documentation from Oracle, but only the brief summery. Say, function DECODE, one of the most powful feature in PL/SQL, is covered in half a page! Just the official definition. Nothing to read about. If you bought Oracle 9i The Complete Reference, you'd find a whole chapter devoted to that function.

   The author didn't do much work with this book. If you're a serious programmer, don't bother with this book.




2. This is a well written, fast reading book that provides the reader with the information needed but not with the fluff that we do not need. I used this book to pass the Oracle Certification Exan 1Z0-147 : Oracle9i: Program with PL/SQL. If you own this book and 'Oracle PL/SQL' by Steven Feuerstein and Bill Pribyl (published by O'reily), you probably have what you need (for understanding PL/SQL) ... enjoy



3. This is, indeed, a great book to pass this exam(1Z0-147). Actually, there is no prescribed book(as of now!!), for this exam. This book fairly covers most of the topics that are specified in the official exam syllabus. However, topics on Large objects are not covered in this book extensively. I suggest to search on google for LOBS(This is how i got some notes on LOBS). This book is good to study functions, procedures, packages, triggers, and some DBMS packages, but it doesn't cover LOBS, managing dependencies. Overall, I can give 4 stars to this book, as it helped me to pass the exam.



4. The book is good and is recommended for someone new to PL/SQL. For someone who is already familiar to PL/SQL, you can save money by going through the Oracle Online Manual to read about the new features of PL/SQL in Oracle 9i. Since I already had a previous version (Oracle 8) of this book, I consider buying this book as waste of money. But if you are just getting into the world of oracle and you want to learn PL/SQL, this book is for you. One nice thing about the book is it comes with a CD that has some trial version of some development environments. Nice to explore those.
   I give 4 stars.



5. Its a very good book. covers all the finincial modules very well. Gives the whole flow of data in them. but the newer edition is even better it covers extra modules as well. wil help u in getting a wider view. So i would recomend u to go for the newer edition if u need a wider idea of diff modules