5 comments about Oracle SQL and PL/SQL Handbook: A Guide for Data Administrators, Developers, and Business Analysts.

1. This is an excellent book aspiring DBAs, developers who need to get up to speed in Oracle, IT business systems analysts and business power users.

   Since this book has such a wide potential audience I'll highlight the chapters that will be of most interest to each segment. All readers will benefit from the introduction and chapter 1, which explains relational databases and entity-relationship diagrams. In particular, the E-R diagrams plus the clear discussion of keys and joins are the roadmap to the data and need to be understood by less technical users who want to fully exploit the power of SQL and PL/SQL, which are covered later in the book.

   Chapters 2 and 3 cover material that more technical users will find useful: "Building the Database with the Data Definition Language" and "The Data Control and Data Manipulation Languages and the Data Dictionary". I especially liked the fact that my favorite utility, TOAD, was covered in this section - if you are a new DBA chances are you already use it. If you're a developer, chances are that you'll add it to your development environment.

   The heart of this book is in Chapters 4-12. These chapters are for all readers, and they thoroughly cover SQL*Plus in detail. By the time you've finished these chapters (assuming you work through the practice exercises and put in effort) you'll be a SQL*Plus power user.

   Chapter 13 covers data warehouses and shows how to use Oracle Discoverer 4.0. This material is for both technical and business users. The remaining chapters cover PL/SQL, which is aimed at the technical users. The coverage of PL/SQL is not nearly as deep as the coverage of SQL*Plus. Since most business users and the intended technical audience will benefit more from the in-depth treatment of SQL*Plus, the PL/SQL material is, in my opinion, a good introduction that can be followed up in a book, such as "Oracle9i PL/SQL Programming" by Scott Urman.




2. I originally started an on-line training course to learn Oracle SQL however, the course was so confusing and dull that I thought the only way to learn was a 'do it yourself'.

   At the bookstore there were a couple of books that covered the topic but a quick browse through the books dictated this was the book for me! The others just seemed to be too 'techie' and boring.

   This book guides you through the A - Z of relational Databases. From the creation of tables, populating them and then retrieving, amending and deleting information - this is a one stop shop.

   There are examples to show the user exactly how to write things and also what is retrieved with each query. Everything is explained in an easily interpreted manner.

   There is also a database that comes with the book and you can practice what you have learned there and then. The quiz at the end of every chapter to review what you have just learned - is also very helpful.

   This should be the beginners handbook/bible to SQL - I have recommended it to everyone that I work with!




3. There are only four pages on Oracle 8i. This book is written for the outdated Forms Designer 4.5. What a disappointment! The newer Oracle Forms Builder 6 is considerably different. Furthermore, the forms used in the exercises often will not compile, (because the author made the unfortunate choice of the PL/SQL-Forms reserved word "TOOLS" for one of the table names). You can drop the TOOLS table and create it with another name to make the examples work.
   Some example forms need additional debugging. Taking empch14x.fmb as an example, this is what you need to do:
   1. Set mapping of other values to ?M? for the Gender item in data block one.
   2. Change the post query trigger to point to the correct file location for the images. For example: filename := 'c:\palinski\ch14\'||to_char(:one.payroll_number)||'emp.tif';
   3. Also in the post query trigger, you may need to change the ?filename varchar2(25);? to something longer such as filename varchar2(30); to handle a longer path name.

   4. Open the property palette for block two and change the Query Data Source Name and DML Data Target Name to the name of the re-named tools table. For example, if you renamed the TOOLS table to P_TOOLS, then enter the name P_TOOLS here.
   Once these changes are made, the form works well and displays a TIF image associated with each record.
   5. Open the property palette for the relation between block one and block two. Change the name of the TOOLS table to the name of the re-named tools table.

   Another example is form DirCh16.fmb. This is a ?directory? form, useful for finding records in large tables. To make this form work, open the property palette for block one and set Database Data Block = ?No?. This example form should have used parameters in the call to the next form, but instead the author used an unusual home-baked solution to pass a parameter to the called form.
   The text omits instructions on how to pass parameters to a form using a parameter list, and instead describes a makeshift way of adding a non-database block to a form to pass a variable. Students would be better off to use a parameter list as Oracle intended.
   Chapter 17 on reports briefly covers outdated Reports 2.5, which helps little towards learning Oracle 8i?s Reports 6. Chapter 18 explains how to customize and create reports manually.




4. The review by the reviewer from Lincoln does not pertain to this book. The book pertains to my book "Oracle Database Construction Kit" that was written in 1997 and is out of date even though the publisher continues to market it. At the time "Oracle Database" was published Forms Builder 4.5 was the current product and Oracle8 was just released. Oracle8i was still several years away.

   Please disregard his comments concerning this book since they do not pertain. In fact, this book does not even cover the Oracle development tools.




5. Palinski is full of errors, confusing and sometimes contradictory explanations. It seems to have been written by someone who is unfamiliar with Oracle, and just blindly compiled material from different sources.

   I had to check every topic by referring to other documents and manuals.

   In the beginning, you see this book is like college text, not for working Oracle person. I have more than 15 years experience in Oracle and did not find it useful.

5 comments about MCSE Training Kit (Exam 70-228): Microsoft SQL Server(TM) 2000 System Administration (Pro Certification).

1. I've worked on SQL Server, taken this exam, and tutored others in SQL Server. Overall this book is as at least as good as the competition. It is much better written and editted than most other books on SQL Server, although as some other reviewers have said you sometimes hope for more detail. This book alone won't prepare you for the test, but it is a required one in my opinion. Some other good books are Sybex's "Mastering SQL Server 2000", Microsoft's "Inside SQL Server 2000", and of course SQL Server's "Books Online". Practice tests like Transcender or the Microsoft Readiness Review are an absolute requirement to pass the test, which is in my opinion one of the harder ones given by Microsoft.

   A book that was a totally self sufficient standalone preparation for the test would be several times the size of this volume! This one is as good as anything available.




2. I have taken 6 of 7 exams for MCSE. I agree with the previous review that this is a very difficult exam. I doubt that any one book will do it for you on this one unless you have a lot of hands on experience.

   The book covers all the basics but you must also know the following that this book does NOT cover:
   1. Know your T-SQL very well.
   2. Know all about indexes and how they affect performance.
   3. Know some about db design, keys etc.
   4. Know how to diagnose poor query performance.

   Good Luck




3. I just recently started my SQL class, so I don't know everything, but I do know that as far as books go, this one isn't bad. For people who just want to get a paper certifiction as soon as possible...and then get fired job after job after job because they still don't know..., I suppose it isn't so hot....maybe that's why these kind of books get a lot of bad reviews. Here's a hint: I think it was meant to be used in a course with an actual instructor, and yes, you just might have to think and put some time in on it. SQL takes a good year to get down anyways, this book is just meant to introduce concepts, terms, and other information.



4. Though I have not yet taken any exam (aiming for mcdba), I find this book really good. I am one of those who wants to learn a bit a theory as well, not just the practical parts. And I find this book to cover all of my expetations... A little minus for the boring chapters about upgrading Sql-s 6.5 and 7.0 though:), I hope that when I get to the age when I am supposed to find me a work (and hopefully something that has with sql-s to do) that they have done the upgrading before I arrive:D



5. I started studying for the exam with this book and I noticed that this book has poor information for the following areas:
   
   Clustering
   DTS packages
   Stored procedures, triggers, views.
   
   I recommend to look for the 70-229 training book to complement to this one and study the books online.
   
   This book contains useful information for the following areas:
   
   Installation
   Upgrades
   Replications

5 comments about SQL Anywhere Studio 9 Developer's Guide (Wordware Applications Library).

1. I started using Sybase SQL Anywhere before Sybase owned it--when it was called The "Watcom" Database Engine. "SQL Anywhere Studio 9 Developer's Guide" is an outstanding reference. The book was written by someone who obviously has a great deal of experience using SQL Anywhere Studio to build real-world software solutions. Highly recommended.



2. This book is simply a must-to-have for db-developers; it presents a complete and compact reference for experienced developers as well as it offers a comprehensive immersion in SQL Anywhere to beginners and less experienced ones.
   
   If I had to use only one word to express my opinion about this book I would just say: RELIEF. Relief of not getting drowned again in hundred of pages of irrelevant topics, misleading information, decorative pictures and tools descriptions.
   
   I highly recommend this book to application programmers, as myself, accustomed to flirting with different db-engines but still seeking a solid understanding relational db paradigms.



3. Some of the documentation in this book is included no were else besides Sybase official docs. Given that "official docs" have such a dry reputation, I was happy to find this book. Indeed it is much easier to read, and contains lots of important information for configuring and programming in your SQL environment.
   
   This book is packed with pertinant, in-depth info. The author does not have an overly-wordy style, so there is no inflated page-count.



4. In a word: Awesome! This is the definitive book on Sybase SQL Anywhere 9. If you use this at work, especially in a replicated environment, then you MUST have this on your shelf.
   
   This is a down-to-earth, no-holds barred approach to dealing with the good/bad/indifferent aspects of SQL Anywhere Studio 9. I am a data architect for a company that manages over 4,600 remote databases and this book has single-handedly helped me solve issues we have been having for months.
   
   The author, Breck Carter, is a man who has been in the trenches with "the rest of us" to solve some of the most vexing data management problems. The solutions are as simple as they are elegant.
   
   Written in a "real-world" tone, this book gets to the nitty-gritty of 99% of problems. The chapter on Mobilink replication is worth the price of the book alone as it goes into extreme detail on the how/whens/whys of moving data around and how to best utilize this impressive feature.
   
   Highly Recommend!



5. It is one of the best books on SQL I have read. This is a good book not only for those who want to use SQL Anywhere but for all SQL Afficianodos. It is both comprehensive and compact. I found this book useful while trying to understand Mobilink. I recommend this book without any hesitation to anyone who wants to understand how everything works in SQL Anywhere.

5 comments about Writing Stored Procedures for Microsoft SQL Server (Sams Professional).

1. If I wanted a printed version of the BOL, I'd just print it out. There's far too much stuff here straight out of the BOL. I get the impression the guy doesn't know his subject material very well. I wish I hadn't wasted my time with this one.



2. It seems to me that the authors don't have real working experience on either sybase or microsoft sql server.



3. I've got over 300 technical books on my bookshelves and this is probably one of the worst. Apparently the publisher/author wanted to be 'first out of the gate' in order to cash in or something, because this is just a rehashing (sometimes verbatim!) of the Books Online that comes with the program. Anyone can copy-and-paste, but it takes a true master to take an oftentimes dry subject and make it understandable as well as enjoyable. If you're looking for just such a master, Grasshopper, than leave this page immediately and go look at Ken Henderson's "The Guru's Guide to SQL Server Stored Procedures, XML, and HTML." Trust me -- you'll be glad you did. Namaste!



4. Though this book helped me breeze through a project
   and enabled me to write stored procedures even with
   minimal SQL experience, I noticed that the information in
   this book can be found online. If you can manage to look
   at the monitor for hours at a time then don't buy this book,
   you can readily get the information online.



5. I disagree with the negative comments given to this book. Even if it IS simply a rewrite of Books Online (a complaint of other reviewers), it's done in a very easy to read style - and the order of topics covered worked well for me. I've been programming with VBA for years, but was totally new to stored procedures - and this book has me tackling stored procedures with confidence. I'm impressed. I'm guessing this is NOT a good book for the person who has been working with stored procedures for a long time and wants fine-tuning - some of the examples are a bit simplistic - BUT it IS a good book for the beginner. Maybe even more important, unlike most "beginner" books, the author includes solid conceptual foundations - explaining the why as well as the process.

5 comments about Beginning E-Commerce with Visual Basic, ASP, SQL Server 7.0 and MTS.

1. I have read certain books i'e Noel Jerkes, ASP unleashed which are for itermediteat to advance but they easy, clear to undertsand than this one. I have also seen reviews problem of custom dll's which abolutely write. Using Stored procedures like Noel's books make you understand the topic.



2. If you want to build the sophisticated and secure E-Commerce web site in ASP and VB, this book is right to you. Many of books conferred about how to build a shopping cart but not the security of the transaction.At first before I buy this book, I want to learn about web security that applied in internet banking or in transaction, so then I start to read several books about SSL, SET, Digital Certificates, PKI, etc. I just find much information about the infrastructures (like an introduction) not the application.At least I find this book and read the index, then I find that all I want to know available in here obviously and completed with the installations (of course it is 600 pages). SSL, Digital Certificates, etc wouldn't conferred to deep/detail, but I think that's no problem, because this book will show you how to actually build the site content and features, I just applied it online. It is like if you can create the animation from Macromedia Flash then not necessary to knowing how Macromedia Flash software created isn't? ^_^.After buy this book, don't forget to download the source code and the explanations of this book. (Only in several KB). You'll find the address in book, where you can download the files.Hei...I just apply the informations of this book to my website...



3. Don't expect any code from this book from the WROX website - the book says it's available but I couldn't find it - and the people at WROX don't answer their email. I like the book, don't like the publisher much.



4. For whatever reason, there are a lot of E-commerce applications still running using Visual Basic 6.0, ASP 3.0, SQL Server 7.0, and MTS (i.e. Windows NT 4.0). These applications may be in the process of being converted to newer technologies or they may be "Legacy" code, but they still need someone to support them. Matthew Reynolds book provides the needed skills to do just that. This is a good book for aquiring those skills.



5. This book is a must have if ASP is the code of your choice in ecommerce. I am a newbie at programming and knew almost nothing about ASP, SQL, n-tier architechure and COM+ prior to reading this book, but it held my hand through each step so that I could follow along and understand what was happening. I liked the way WROX publishing shows you the code, tells you how it works, and then try it out, explaining each line and method.

   Best of all, at the end of the book you actually have a very functional website (I believe according to Microsoft specifications) that can be modified and added onto easily. Our business is now up on the web and we are very happy with the way it works.

   Downloading the source code from WROX is not hard. Although there are a few errors in it they have all been corrected and published in the errata section of the WROX.com website for the book. I actually believe that the author tried out the code and was happy with it before publication.

   Now for the main draw back. If you want to get the most from this book you need to buy some expensive software, which I purchased and found to be a great investment, namely Visual Studio (for the InterDev and Visual Basic) and SQL Server 2000 on a Windows 2000 operating system. As of the middle of 2002 I couldn't purchase the SQL Server 7.0 (it was upgraded to SQL Server 2000) or MTS (it was integraded into the Windows 2000 operating system) so that I could use my Windows98. But, this doesn't apply if you know someone with the above legacy software and they let you use theirs or if you get it from EBay. Happy programming.

   Harry

2 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.



2. This book is only good if you know nothing about RDBMs in general. The first half of the book covers mainly theory, only touching on how to acutally perform the operations you're most likely looking to learn. Even when explaining how to do something, you're guided through the wizards and GUIs instead of learning something useful. If you're interested in learning stored procedures, look somewhere else. The 20 pages that cover this topic will give you barely enough details for you to write your own.
   
   Reference? yes. Complete? I don't think so.

5 comments about How to Do Everything with PHP and MySQL (How to Do Everything).

1. If you want to work directly with HTML, PHP, and SQL without extra tools like PEAR, Smarty, Dreamweaver, etc., you may like this book. For small projects that do not need to be pretty and especially for learning how the code all works together, I like the approach of having the SQL, HTML, and PHP all on one page for a change. I am using the examples to convert an old ASP/Access project to PHP/MySQL and find the examples helpful.



2. I skimmed through this book once, and I read the reviews here. I thought this book could not have been that bad. It is a well structured book (from reading the Titles and SubTitles). Then I started reading it in details - lucky I borrowed this book from the library.
   
   This book started off so well. It promises "best practices", yet delivers very bad coding habits and taking shortcuts. The book outlines and titles were well designed, but the details were nothing more than, "Hay, here is the syntax, this is the usage plus some simple examples..., and you can use this to design database." Nothing that I couldn't find from the online PHP manual, and probably with better examples. Functions and keywords used were never explained properly. Its like, "Kid, now that I taught you addition, multiplication, subtraction and division.... You should be able to go out and solve the 2nd law of Thermodynamics because all mathematics built upon plus and minus."
   
   Not only that you can't do "Everything" reading this book, having read it I think I know less PHP.
   
   This book reflect badly on the publisher as well, I'd think twice buying similar book from them.



3. In the Introduction, the author claims that this book "is targeted at novice web developers". And true enough, the first two chapters guide the novice how to install and configure MySQL, PHP and Apache. Obviously these chapters have been written or thoroughly edited by an English speaking person. Then, from third chapter, the geek takes over ! He writes assuming that the reader has prior knowledge of PHP and MySQL, using terminology that he does not explain. In almost all chapters, instead of elaborating the subject under discussion, he suggests that the reader should look up the recommended website.
   
   I thoroughly recommend any book on PHP/MySQL written by any author other than Vikram Vaswani. I did not learn anything new from this book, which is "the worst" computer book I have ever read. How can any reputable House publish a book that consistently urges the reader to seek knowledge from elsewhere ?



4. Material is poorly presented. Author assumes programming knowledge on your part. You are often left floundering, wondering what the author meant. Found a much better book at my local library but it was, as you can imagine, seriously out of date. I have made it 1/3 of the way through this book and am considering tossing it in the trash.



5. Great book. It really got me started when I first had started my trek on learning PHP. It goes more in depth than other books I had read before. The only thing I would recommend is a better chapter on error coding and security. Over all I recommend this book.

5 comments about Practical PostgreSQL (O'Reilly Unix).

1. This is an excellent book to begin learning about the most advanced open source database available, it covers the theory and history of PostgreSQL and includes instructions on installing the database server.

   The authors clearly explain the topics covered in the book, I've given the book to several co-workers who were interested in the book and they also view it favorably.

   I recommend this book to the person interested in learning more about PostgreSQL or the person who has never used a database server before.

   This book does not get into the advanced features of PostgreSQL but all in all this is a quality reference and handbook, perhaps better named as Learning PostgreSQL.




2. I wanted to buy this book a few months ago, but after reading the reviews I relented. Finally, a few weeks ago I needed a book on PostgreSQL and it was the only one available, so I bought it. Since then I have referred to it almost everyday in my database programming duties. It is well made, well presented and goes into minute details that other books simply skip.

   Normally I would have given this book 4 stars, but after being misled by the bad reviews below I decided it well deserved the extra star. My only concern with this book, is that it leaves out PHP, which is a shame. Because most people I know use PHP to interface the web with PostgreSQL.

   if you need a book on the best Open Source database at the present, then this book should be amongst your top picks.




3. The Command Prompt guys did a fine job of writing this book. It contains basic topics, like retrieving rows from a table, and advanced topics, like session encryption, JDBC, and PL/pgSQL, and everything in between. A very complete SQL command listing is available at the back of the book, as well, for those times when you can't quite remember proper syntax.

   Furthermore, it covers all the tools provided with PostgreSQL distributions (vacuumdb, etc.) and has a chapter on the included LXP software, which I haven't tried because I don't need it.

   This text, in conjunction with Programming the Perl DBI, got me from a PostgreSQL/DBI newbie to accidentally memorizing common SQL syntax, writing my own Perl DBI wrapper, and programming some simpler PL/pgSQL functions in about four days.

   I highly recommend it both as a tutorial and as a reference. Be warned, though -- the index is a bit sparse. Using it as a reference might require putting sticky tabs at the tops of your pages, as I've done.




4. The book covers the basics of PostgreSQL, but it lacks usefull info for the more avanced tasks like tuning the database.
   The 'stored procedure' (PL/pgSQL) chapter was for me the only interesting part of this book for me.
   When I bought this I was hoping for the PostgreSQL 'Bible', but it was a big dissapointment.
   
   My advice for improvement for the next release:
   - much better index
   - drop LXP chapter
   - chapter about how to tune (not just SQL statements, but the postgreSQL server itself) and benchmark PostgreSQL.
   - a chapter about 'schema' and when to use them.
   - extend PL/pgSQL chapter with some 'real world' examples and how to do PL/pgSQL trouble shooting, PL/Perl(?)
   
   - general advice how to manage PostgreSQL on 'day to day' basis
   - maybe have a chapter about the SLONY replication add-on
   - Postgresql 8.0 features



5. This book used to be a good reference for PostgreSQL 7.4. However there is much more to PostgreSQL nowadays then it was six years ago.
   
   This book has a problem that I guess most SQL books suffer from. It has a very long introduction to SQL itself. Which is not bad if you are a complete beginner. The book is somewhat boring to read, without that additional value because of which you buy a book. It lacks additional information on advanced PostgreSQL features, programming in PL/pgsql, replication, administration and some other interesting topics. On the other hand it's not that "practical" but rather a PostgreSQL reference.
   
   All in all this book has too much reference which makes it hard to read. With that and the fact it is somewhat outdated, you might want to decide on skipping it.

No comments about Professional Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services 2008 with MDX.

3 comments about Mastering phpMyAdmin for Effective MySQL Management 2e.

1. The purpose of this book by Marc Delisle is to teach you how to use phpMyAdmin, which is a popular open source program for working with a MySQL database using the phpMyAdmin user-friendly graphic interface. Most PHP programmers use MySQL for their database needs because these two technologies work so well together. For those who have not yet worked with phpMyAdmin and MySQL, this book will help you get up and running quickly. And for those programmers who have taught themselves to use phpMyAdmin by trial and error, this book will introduce and explain those features you may have missed.
   
   The author begins with an introduction to phpMyAdmin. He covers the main features and some history of the program. After that, he jumps right in to the installation, configuration and security issues for the Linux, Apache and IIS servers. Of course, if you are using phpMyAdmin with your web host account, you may not have much control over these issues. Once the program is installed, he explains the user interface and discusses those easy-to-use features that make this program so popular.
   
   Delisle starts with the basic tasks such as creating databases and setting up tables. He explains the different types of data, table fields and the various choices you have when performing many tasks. Next, he shows you how to move tables between databases and how to backup, copy and move databases between servers. Although the user-friendly graphic interface is what makes phpMyAdmin so nice, you may at some time need to use the SQL commands alone. The author covers the most common tasks you may encounter. Finally, he moves on to more advanced issues such as administrative tasks and generating database reports and documentation.
   
   Marc Delisle is a developer and project administrator for the phpMyAdmin project. He also teaches at the College de Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.



2. I've got a review copy of the phpMyAdmin 2.8 book as well as the previous edition of this book. The old edition already was rather comprehensive and had all the features that phpMyAdmin has cleary laid out.
   
   Still, the layout of the new edition improved a notch, this is a nice update. While you probably won't need the book if you already have the old edition, it is a nice book to help you get out the most of phpMyAdmin.



3. If you don't like command-line interface with your computer, phpMyAdmin is a great tool! And if you want to learn the right way to interact with phpMyAdmin, this book is your perfect resource!
   I stumbled upon a phpMyAdmin screencast by DeLisle at a conference. His calm and collected presentation style along with a great clarity for instruction is repeated in this book.
   Mastering phpMyAdmin has enabled me to move out of my limited comfort zone with database management in general. The book is clearly laid out to give you step-by-step instructions to make a database work for you.
   I highly recommend this book, and DeLisle's Creating your MySQL Database: Practical Design Tips and Techniques as well. They are great books!