2 comments about Schaum's Outline of Fundamentals of SQL Programming.

1. Are you a new database administrator? Trying to be one? Or needing to pass a certification exam in one of the main proprietary databases, like Oracle, IBM's db2 or Microsoft SQL Server? And you need to prepare for that exam. Well, there are third party books devoted to each vendor's exam. You should probably get an appropriate one and study it carefully. But you can also improve your chances of passing any of those exams by tackling the problems in this book.
   
   Mata-Toledo offers some 400 problems. With the answers to half of these in the book. He tests virtually the entire syntax of SQL; an industry standard. Everything from arithmetic functions to group functions to making complex queries, and more. Of course, it will take you time to go through these problems. But that is the point of the book, after all.
   
   Also, the book is cheap compared to the other books that specialise in a given database vendor's exam.



2. Good affordable Schaums's outlines book. If you have MySQL installed, upload the sample data from the URL given in the book...before you know it, you have learned the nitty-gritty of SQL fundamentals.Schaum's Outline of Fundamentals of SQL Programming

5 comments about Professional SQL Server Reporting Services.

1. The amount of errors in this book is pathetic... obviously the pressures of publishing early is as great as the pressure to release software before it's ready.



2. This book does an excellent, thorough job of introducing the product (which is awesome!), and then going all the way through to advanced coding & custom manipulation. The authors have clearly presented the material in a comfortable style, while remaining seriously technical. As a consultant, seminar presenter, and MS2030 trainer, I use this book extensively as a reference as well as a recomendation. My background includes over 10 years of varied development, & reporting.



3. With this book you will be able to set up and run Reporting Services, however, if you are looking for something that details advanced report design (e.g. anything more than simply bound table data) then this is not the book for you. In fact I don't know what would be the book for you. I'm still looking.



4. I have looked over a number of books about SQL Server Reporting Services (RS), and after comparing them decided that this one is best for my needs.
   
   The book starts with a clear overview of just what RS is, what its components are, and how they work together. This seems to be the part that many other books just miss. Other books seem to get caught up in the hype but fail to deliver a direct, no-frills or buzzwords, account of the actual architecture.
   
   I also like that the books assumes that the reader already knows SQL, .NET programming (although you don't have to be a professional to understand their examples), and SQL Server. This enables them to avoid repeating material which is better covered on other books, and allows them to focus on explaining just what Reporting Services can do, and lets the reader get started using RS right away.
   
   My one beef is that their code examples are in both VB.NET and C#, which takes up unnecessary space in the text. But that's a minor complaint when they otherwise do a great job explaining this fascinating and powerful product.



5. I like Wrox books in general and this book has helped me learned SQL Reporting Services (I had no prior knowledge of SRS). I did find some errors in their examples that wasted valuable time for me. MAKE SURE you check out Wrox's errata page for this book before working through the examples: [...]. The numerous typos detract from the professional feel of the book. Until a second edition comes out you may want to consider "Hitchhiker's Guide to SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services".

3 comments about SQL: Access to SQL Server.

1. I read a lot of books covering topics from Access, SQL Server, to VBA. This book covers all of the "required" Access topics. It covers them better than any other book I have ever seen. It then goes on to cover topics I have not seen in other books or classes. While reading the book you will catch yourself saying why have I never seen this before, or hey I can use this! It uses Jet, Transact & VBA. Do you want to build better applications, do you want to know more than the competition, do you want to be a better developer? If so, this book is a definite purchase.

   This book is already my favorite book of all time, replacing "The Guru's Guide to Transact-SQL
   by Kenneth W. Henderson, Ken Henderson". (You should get that book as well). I also just purchased "Microsoft Access Version 2002 Inside Out (With CD-ROM) by Helen Feddema" and I think that book will also be in my "top three" books to reference/read.

   If you are serious about being a top developer, get this book.




2. This book is well written and easy to follow. The explanations are written in clear language and instructions are written out step by step. The book is well organized which means it's easy to use it more as a reference book. But, it is such a pleasure to read, you want want to skip a single page. This book covers both very elemental aspects of SQL, but also has much to offer the more experienced user.



3. I own about 30 books about Access (all versions). This book tops all of them. If you are using Access 2000 or 2002(XP) and you like to know about SQL Server (2000), trust me this is it. Try to read it from begining to the end. It's written in english language (not technical slang) and it shows you some cool tricks even for those Access 97 users. Hope to see more books from these guys. Thanks

4 comments about MCITP Developer: Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Database Solutions Design.

1. Whenever I buy a book to prepare a Microsoft exam, I expect either a CD with exercises source code/scripts or a website where I can download the training hands-on material. Unfortunately, this book concentrates on theory 90% of the time and what it even calls real world examples are not worth it. Imagine a book reporducing an xml template that you can download from MSDN on 10 pages of a 500 page book! What is really the use of it?. What the book does is reproduce the exam matrix that you can find on Microsoft website, then reproduce the corresponding theory from MSDN topics on the Microsoft website and both sites are available to the public.. If you want to pass exam 70-441, this is NOT the book to use unless you have time and money to waste.



2. I'm not sure what the other reviewer was expecting, but studying for and passing the 70-441 Exam was my focus. The book covered the material well and I passed the exam. The Case Studies were very helpful as the entire exam was the exact same format. There are 10 additional case studies on the CD. I found only 2 minor technical errors (they all have some errors) and a couple of mistakes in the question answers - they were easy to identify. Yes, it would have been nice to copy the code out of the PDF file. All in all, I'm very satisfied.



3. I have only read through the first chapter and the associated questions and answers and I have already found many errors. I am not talking about a "matter of opinion" error, I am talking about hard errors.
   
   As an example, question 20 of chapter one lists several answers, A-F. The correct answer is E, create a field as a persisted computed column. However in the answers section, it gives the correct answer as D, and goes on to explain that answer D is correct because it creates a persisted computed column. That is incorrect. Answer D only includes creating a computed column, not a persisted one.
   
   I hope it gets much better as I go along. Unless this test is MUCH easier than other Microsoft tests, the questions in this book are far too easy.



4. This book is very poorly written. The amount of grammatical and spelling errors are driving me insane!! Not to mention I am finding some of the same technical errors mention in other reviews about this book. Did it even go through a review process (both technical and grammatical)???
   
   The one benefit of this book is the Sample Case Studies. I have used some other study materials and the wording and types of questions from this book appear to be inline with some of the other materials I have used.
   
   I am taking the test this weekend (10/27/2007). The majority of my study efforts have been with this book (reading it cover to cover), so I hope this has enough information to get me through the exam, but I am currently having doubts.

5 comments about Lan Times Guide to SQL (LAN Times Series).

1. I was introducted to this book as a student at DeVry Institute of Technology in Dallas, TX. I found the book to be a great introduction into the SQL language. The books presents a detailed (yet non-exhaustive) history of the language, along with a good solid introduction to the methodology of SQL. It also provides practical examples of relational DMBS scripting, history and methodology. I would recommend those with absolutely no database experience check out the Modern Database Management book (ISBN: 0-8053-6054-9) before purchasing this book.



2. With 5 other SQL titles on my shelf, plus docs from Sybase, Oracle & MS SQL Server, this is the book I (almost) always grab first.

   Well-organized and well-written, an excellent walk-through of "the basics" and as a syntax reference with good examples.

   Look elsewhere however for advanced administration and optimization techniques (Celko's SQL for Smarties is good in this regard). Consider this book as best for Beginner-to-Intermediate topics.




3. My only regret is that these authors don't write books for every IT subject I'm studying. I am a CNE and MCSE who is studying to become a DBA. Simply put, this is the BEST starting book for ANYONE who is interested in databases or SQL.



4. I must say, that this book is written by professionals. I have tons of books about SQL, and this book is among of the best.

   What is important: authors waste no time on less important stuff. Every chapter, every paragraph in this book is like a sniper shoot.

   All clear, all design philosophy is explained. Caveats are pinpointed, working examples provided.

   This book will greatly help novices, and also will be useful for advanced users.




5. I've had this book at my elbow for a long time, and it is a reliable and thorough reference that will be very useful to the programmer who is not a DBA. Coverage of all the standard SQL keywords and what they do is provided, together with practical examples of when you might want to use a particular statement. Highly recommended.

5 comments about SQL Server CE Database Development with the .NET Compact Framework.

1. I found this book to be a valuable reference and the chapters on replication have saved my hours of banging my head on my desk.
   
   What do you get...
   - You get the rundown of SQL CE and its limitations.
   - Some reference material on the subset you must work in.
   - Numerous examples.
   - Complete walkthroughs of RDA and Merge replication, including how to secure the data being transfered.
   
   Overall I am happy with the book.
   I hope in the next edition it covers some topics like best practices for design, and performance enhancements.



2. This book is a great overview for someone starting SQL Ce development. It is also a great reference book for those familiar with CE development. The book starts by going over some of the basics of SQL CE. Examples are easy to follow and a good foundation for starting development.
   
   I found the chapters on Remote Data Access and Merge Replication the most useful. Detailed setup and installation instruction on what is needed to use either of these technologies. Overall book was an easy read and the examples were very useful providing a great starting point to extend on.



3. This book is padded with reference materials that you can easily find in SQL's users manual. Huge amounts of space are used to show full source examples (in both C# and VB) of incredibly simple concepts. There is a 45 page chapter on Operator Reference which includes three whole pages on using the plus sign, and another three on the minus sign. Yes SQLCE can do addition and subtraction. Similar excessive detail is given to SQL command syntax (SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, etc.) and SQL function references.
   
   The first three chapters are essentially how to use Visual Studio, how to use Active Sync, and how to use Query Analyzer. All are covered accurately, but no real insight on any of them.
   
   So 311 pages into the book I finally get to something meaningful, Remote Data Access. Sorry, the chapter walks me, with full page screenshots, through the steps of the wizard to set up RDA. It then gives full source code (in C# and VB) to a simplistic example. Unfortunately, in all of that bulk, there are some important concepts which are essentially lost in the noise, such as why we use uniqueidentifier and timestamp columns.
   
   OK, so maybe the next chapter on Replication will be good. Again, a highly pictoral walk through of the SQL Replication Wizard screens, and another application in full source code (in C# and VB). Oh wait! It's the same application as the previous chapter but with a replication button.
   
   So keep reading there has to be meat here somewhere. Nope, we've hit the Appendix. And somehow we have again found a complete waste of pages. The Appendix contains a class listing of the Compact .NET Framework. I don't understand the point of this at all. It's just a listing of all the objects and their types. No descriptions, no properties, no methods. I don't know what anyone would use this for.
   
   If the source code examples were paraphrased (and provided in full online) and the pointless references were removed, this book would be about 40 pages long. It might be a very good book at that point, although not one worth $49.99.



4. SQL CE is a very tough topic with plenty of pitfalls, this is the book you need to navigate the terrain and ship your product on time. Beginner to Advanced, this book covers it all.
   
   Design of a successful mobile system isn't necessary intuitive, this book guides you through various subtle differences in mobile development issues. The deep dive in the replication is very valuable.



5. This and another book got me through the limitations of the .net compact framework. This book helped me understand and code my first .Net Compact Framework PDA application. I used it to build an actual application. This is a down-to-earth-make-it-happen book. I hope no one else buys it so that I am one of the few that can use SQL CE effectively!

1 comments about Microsoft SQL Server 2005: The Complete Reference.

1. Just a reference. Short explanations. Some critical notes (big plus of this book).
   The only book you need in case you love to look for details out of the BOL.

5 comments about Microsoft Access Projects with Microsoft SQL Server(TM) (Microsoft Programming).

1. Dont waste your money. I got this today in the post. After a quick look when they install of all things SQL Server 7, I looked at the rest of the book. A new book which is available and written WHEN A2002 and SQL Server 2000 where available and this is the result. Save your money and download books online or buy SQL Access to SQL Server published by Apress. In one section that book has more useful information that this entire volume. MS Press seem to be throwing a book at everything lately and quality was bound to suffer. Pity it was an important area like ADPs that suffered. Me, I am returning this for a refund tomorrow. More useful information on MSDN.



2. We upsized our Access-MDB-application to SQL Server 7.0 with the help of this book. We are newbies to SQL Server and that is were the book starts. We now plan to move to Acc2K und SQL Server 2000.



3. This book was a great help! We successful create a ADP-application with Office XP and SQL Server 2000.



4. I love this book. I build a complex ADP application with a lot of SQL Server stored procedures. The authors described very good the differences between standard Access and ADP applications. They use a nice example (movie theater) to describe working with forms und reports in ADPs.



5. Very good buy. Discuss a lot on the newest access technology like xml and web. However, there are some part of the example program missing in the CD provided, not a big issue as they can be easily written if you hav done some access form programming.

1 comments about Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Notification Services (SQL Server Series).

1. One of the most clearly written product references I've ever read. Some may feel the level of detail is over the top, however I found it refreshing to not suffer the ambiguity or assumptions I've struggled with in other technical reference books.
   
   If you need to get up and running with SQL-NS quickly, this will do the trick, plus there's plenty of practical coverage of advanced NS concepts to carry you forward.

5 comments about Admin911: SQL Server 2000.

1. This book is a concise and friendly guide that is great for admins. It proved itself the first time that I had a problem allowing me to quickly find the answer I needed.



2. SQL Server 2000 Administration headaches? ... Well if you need a rapid reference on system administrative functions that could not only save your company $$$ on downtime and system availability but improve your response to difficult situations this is a DBA must have. I have purchased more books attempting to get reliable information and tips to make my Administration of SQL Server Database systems robust, reliable, and rapid on response I have finally found the information I needed in "One" book. I would recommend this book for Mid to Senior level Database Administrators and as a guide for training Junior level DBA's to prevent bad habits and teach the proper habits of monitoring, managing and maintaining SQL Server databases overall. Oh and the nice touch is that TIPS: and CAUTION: notices throughout the book educate the creative "out of the box" approach to proper system risk management. I hope Mr. Knight considers sharing his talent with future Administrative Guides !!!



3. If you're thinking of buying this book, because you've tried everything in Microsoft's online manual "Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 Performance Tuning Guide" and are still having some performance problems, then this book could be your solution.

   It helped me solve some of the problems I was having with our productive server and helped me understand some basics a bit better than before. It does not contain everything you need to know, but gives you some ideas how you have to look for further information and what you have to look for.

   It contains some good reference material, but not all of the hidden features. As with every book under 1000 pages this is not THE bible for the DBA but is a complementary book that will provide some invaluable information not found elsewhere. This book was well worth the price..




4. This is one of those most have books for any SQL Server DBAs reference library.

   Brian Knight covers a LOT of different items and goes into sufficient detail on all topics. Probably the best real world book on SQL Server administration out there. I've worked with SQL Server for over 5 years and have been a senior DBA over a large enterprise SQL Server farm but I still learned a great deal from this book.




5. This is an excellent book. The coverage of SQL Server is very solid. However, if you plan to purchase the author's newest book, SQL Server 2000 for Experienced DBAs, DO NOT purchase this book. The newer book covers everything this book covers, in addition to the topic of high availability. Owning both books would be completly redundant, a mistake I personally made.