5 comments about Backup & Recovery.

1. In the realm of important things in the world of computers are good backups and equally important is the ability to properly restore those backups. My initial attraction to this book had to do with it being tapered toward open system solutions. I am an avid user of Linux and open-source software, so I was interesting in learning about the free tools that the author writes about.
   
   The author starts out by discussing "The Philosophy of Backup" which covers why backups are so important and how you to find a solution that both meets your needs and your budget. Chapter two goes over what to backup, how often and at what levels. It also discussed what types of disaster to be prepared for, automation, storage, testing and things to look out for on various OS's.
   
   Chapters 3-7 cover open-source backup utilities. In chapter three the author discusses and provides examples of how to use basic utilities such as dump, cpio, tar and dd for Unix systems, ntbackup and System Restore for the Window's crowd, ditto for Mac, and the GNU versions of tar, cpio, and rsync. Chapter's 4-6 discuss Amanda, BackupPC and Bacula. Chapter seven digs into near-continuous data protection and how the open-source community is achieving this, and what tools to use.
   
   By chapter 8 and 9 the author is discussing commercial backup solutions. This section is different from the last in that it doesn't really discuss specific tools and how to use them, but rather it discusses the features of commercial products. This section also covers the various types of backup hardware on the market in an effort to help the reader decide what media best meets their needs.
   
   Chapters 10-14 covers "Bare-Metal Recovery". The author takes you through the process of a bare-metal recovery with Solaris, Linux, Windows, HP-UX, AIX, and Mac OS X.
   
   By chapters 15-22 the author has moved on to database backups and takes you through the various solutions for Oracle, Sybase, IBM DB2, SQL Server, Exchange, PostegreSQL, and MySQL. Finally the author wraps up the book with VMware server backup solutions and discussing data protection.
   
   CONCLUSION
   --
   I found this book to be a very interesting read. I especially enjoyed the open-source, bare-metal recovery, and database sections. The author does an excellent job of taking the reader through all of the steps including example syntax needed to perform a backup and restore with the various tools discussed. Another high point is that the author includes current tools and techniques. This book holds lots of real world wisdom and I would recommend it to any system administrator, developer, or user who is interested in protecting their data.



2. W. Curtis Preston is the king of backups, and his book Backup and Recovery (BAR) is easily the best book available on the subject. Preston makes many good decisions in this book, covering open source projects and considerations for commercial solutions. Tool discussions are accompanied by sound advice and plenty of short war stories. If the author addresses the few concerns I have in his next edition, that should be a five star book.
   
   The best aspect of BAR is the author's obvious expertise in this subject. He does a good job sharing lots of his knowledge with the reader. Probably the most valuable conceptual framework I learned in BAR is the difference between backups and archives. Pages 696-7 summarize this nicely: "Backups are the secondary copy of primary data... Archives are the primary copy of secondary data." In this section and elsewhere, Preston describes how archives are the repository one should create when answering ediscovery requests and similar queries -- not backups. This is an extremely powerful idea and I plan to see how my employer deals with this issue.
   
   The second best aspect of BAR involves multiple chapters on backing up various databases. One can usually find similar coverage in single books on specific databases, but having all information in one book is useful for purposes of comparison. Chapter 15 provides an overview of the entire problem by discussing terminology and features found in many databases. This chapter helps storage admins understand the database admin world. Of particular note was the coverage of Microsoft Exchange, which the book calls a specialized database. I had not thought of Exchange in this light, but it's true -- especially when Microsoft indicates future versions will have SQL Server replacing Extensible Storage Engine. I only read chapters on SQL Server, Exchange, and MySQL.
   
   The third best aspect of BAR includes OS-specific chapters on bare-metal recovery. Although my OS of choice (FreeBSD) didn't merit its own chapter, I felt the material in the bare-metal section was robust enough to help me perform this work if necessary. I really only read the chapters on Windows/Linux and ignored Solaris, HP-UX, AIX, and Mac OS X.
   
   BAR is a good book, so why not five stars? First, I thought the chapters on open source backup options (especially ch 7 on "Open-Source Near CDP") were weak. I wanted to learn a lot more about rdiff-backup, for example, but the tool merited about 5 pages and introduced only the simplest possible invocation. Rsnapshot was also undercovered. It seemed like too many pages were spent on utilities I would probably never use (given newer options) like dump and cpio. I was also not confident I could get very far with Amanda, BackupPC, or Bacula given the detail given to each open source product. (Regarding BackupPC -- I had to guess it was open source and then only found out the truth when its Web site at sf.net was mentioned late in the chapter!)
   
   Second, some topics never really made sense. For example, I still do not understand how snapshots actually work. Calling it a "picture" means nothing to me. Snapshots are mentioned throughout the text, and the explanation that finally appears near the end of the book in a miscellanea chapter doesn't help.
   
   Third, I would really have liked to hear more about services offering backup to the Internet, like Amazon's S3 and others. This MUST be covered in the next edition.
   
   Finally, although the book has lots of advice, it would have been nice to have had a case study chapter where multiple example enterprises demonstrate their backup and recovery solutions. After finishing the book I have lots of ideas floating around, but seeing how a one-person, 100-person, 10,000-person, and 500,000-person environment implement BAR would be greatly appreciated.



3. I have used many backup utilities in linux, Unix, Windows, and found this book to be only a very basic view of the backup, DR realm.



4. Short Summary:
   This book's does not only teaches you have to create safe backup but it takes you to the next level where a large organization can save tons of dollars a year by making their backup and restore faster and more reliable process.
   
   Detail Summary:
   Backup and Recovery is the most interesting subject to me. I have always enjoyed reading and writing about this subject. I personally believe that without proper backup and ability to restore the backup to recover the system to original state, any organization is at great risk. Biggest change in the recent industry has been the proliferation of Windows, Exchange and SQL Server.
   
   This book is aimed at the people who feel that the commercial software precuts aren't meeting all their needs. Almost everything which is discussed in this book is either included with operating system or application. This book vastly covers the tools which are open-source projects. This book covers how to back up and recover everything from a basic Linux, Windows, or Max OS workstation to a complicated DB2, Oracle, Sybase or SQL Server (my favorite) databases as well many other things.
   
   This book suggests tools which are less than $100 or in most of the cases almost free. This book is for every developer or system administrator. This book tells users how exactly to choose which backup tool is best. This book stays away from ever changing product names. It focuses on concepts only - what a novel approach! I appreciate author for the same.
   
   This book focuses on two people mainly - Database Administrators (DBA) and System Administrator (SA). Concepts for both the roles are explained in detail in this book. In author's own word "I explained the backup utilities in plain language so that any DBA can understand them, and I explain database architecture in such a way that an SA, even one who has never before seen a database, can understand it."
   
   A book on Backup and Recovery are incomplete without discussing Bare-Metal Recovery. When operating system disk is lost and it is needed to recovered, it is called Bare-Metal Recovery. Out of hundreds of way to recover, this book focuses on best ways for Bare-Metal Recovery.
   
   Working as SQL Server Principal Database Administrator, I have been involved with Database Backup since day one. In several years of my career, I have seen many large organizations ignoring backup of master database. I was very glad when I see in just three lines author has conveyed clear message about master database. These three lines explain the understanding of author for SQL Server.
   
   "It is extremely important to backup the master database on regular basis. This database holds all the configuration information for the running system as well as all the configuration information for all databases and other information such as logon accounts. Without this database, the rest of the system is useless!"
   
   Rating: 4 and 1/2 stars
   
   In Summary, Backup and Recovery is not everything. This book takes you to highest level of the backup and recovery at conceptually strong working examples.
   
   Pinal Dave
   Principal Database Administrator
   (blog.sqlauthority.com)



5. I am a programmer by trade, but don't have much experience with the server management side of IT. I have had scares with backups for my home PCs. Finally I decided to do something about it with this book. A few days of reading gave me a great deal of knowledge. The final solution I decided on was BackupPC, which is now automatically backing up 7 PCs in our house, every night. My stress level has been reduced completely. Worth the price many times over.

5 comments about Microsoft® SQL Server(TM) 2005 Reporting Services Step by Step (Step by Step (Microsoft)).

1. I am migrating our databases from Pervasive to MS SQL. We have a large amount of compiled (V7) Crystal Reports that will need to be updated and I was hoping to use the 2005 SQL Reporting Services instead.
   
   The major problem with this book is the very first script used to load the sample database fails. From this point on you might as well trash the book since none of the exercises will work. To run the first script the author gives you the complete file path for the command and the sample database. This path is 8 layers deep. The actual SQL query used to install the sample database has a completely different path, so the installation fails. Ok....I figured out the path problem and moved the files to where the SQL query wants them to be. I ran the installation script again and now I able to install the sample database. The next problem....the SQL query also configures the user logins to the database.....it fails!!!! I am new to SQL so I am now lost since I can not configure the user logins.
   
   I bought this book as a learning tool!! Now it sits collecting dust!!
   
   In reply to Dr. Ribeiro Silva's comments
   
   Point taken, but you missed the point completely.
   
   I will try to explain it another way. You need to learn how to drive a car. You buy a training package from Eddie's Driving School. It includes a training manual and a used car. The package is delivered by UPS. You stay up all night reading the manual and the next day you are ready to drive. You get in the car and turn the key....nothing happens. The car will not start! You re-read the driving manual and find nothing in it about troubleshooting why your car will not start!!
   
   This is the problem with this book. It is supposed to teach you how to create reports from a 2005 SQL server. It is not a training course on installing and troubleshooting a 2005 SQL database. The book provides a pre-configured 2005 SQL database and the installation scripts to install the database. When you run the installation script, the installation fails with numerous errors. In other words, the provided database "engine" is broken and will not run!! Since the database is not installed properly by the provided software you can not do any of the exercises.
   
   Since I need to learn this subject, I took the official Microsoft SQL Reporting class. I brought the book to my class and the instructor spent his entire lunch hour trying to follow the directions in the book to install the provided 2005 SQL database. He could not.



2. I agree with the other reviewer that had trouble installing the sample files: there's no excuse that Microsoft Press should have let this book out the door without some basic technical review. In order to successfully install the files, you must manually edit the attach_databases.sql file to map the @physname paths to the .mdf files stored in your My Documents folder rather than c:\rs2005sbs (which is never created by the installer). For the intended audience of this book, that's an unnecessary hastle that the use user should have to go through.



3. I am new to SQL Reporting Services. I found this book very helpful with its step-by-step approach. I would recommend it for beginners.



4. I purchased the book well over a year ago and placed it in my library for future reference. Now that I finally need it to dig into SSRS further, I'm truly disappointed. Besides the well documented script to load the databases not working, I've found plenty of instances where I found myself truly lost in the "Step by Step". I really had to go back time after time to see if I missed something. Low and behold, I didn't miss a thing. This was an extreme waste of valuable time away from projects. What the book is missing is a really good technical review. Long story short, placed this one on the shelf and ordered Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services 2005 by Brian Larson. Now I'm beginning to wonder about my SSAS Step by Step now. Then again, I'll just save my self valuable time and pick up another SSAS anyway. Hope this helps!



5. Microsoft® SQL Server(TM) 2005 Reporting Services Step by Step (Step by Step (Microsoft)) should be the best book in this topic. The reason that made me ranked this book at 4 stars is because this book missed just one sentence to tell their readers the exact folder to copy the source code to or how to modify the path in sql script.

4 comments about Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft SQL Server T-SQL in 10 Minutes (Sams Teach Yourself).

1. Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft SQL Server T-SQL in 10 Minutes (Sams Teach Yourself)
   by Ben Forta
   
   Short Review:
   If T-SQL (Transact-Structured Query Language) is foreign tongue to you, after reading this book, you will speak T-SQL. This book is SQL Server version of best-selling book Sams Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes. This book teaches what a SQL developer must know methodically, systematically, and exactly. Anybody who are new to SQL Server and wants to learn most of T-SQL which can be implemented in short time in their application - BUY this book immediately.
   
   Detail Review:
   This is the one book I was awaiting eagerly. I claim that I am very experience Database Administrator and Database Developer, however, I have learned something new from this book of acclaimed author Ben Forta.
   
   This book is focused on T-SQL only. It begins with simple data retrieval and continues to develop complex topics. It addresses various topics that are enough to get some work done with SQL Server as well explains concept in depth. SQL Server 2005 is a very complex, feature rich product. This book does a wonderful job of explaining the various features with out going to too many details that majority of the users will not need anyway. This book covers all of the important aspects of SQL Server 2005 without clouding the information with tons of examples that are not for every user.
   
   Author has divided the book into short comprehensible chapters along with to the point examples and explanations of the concepts. If you see "Table of Contents" of this book, you will find that this book covers many areas. I will talk about few of my personal favorite chapters of this book here to demonstrate, what this book does is best at.
   
   Chapter 5: Sorting Retrieved Data
   If you want to sort in descending order on multiple columns, be sure each column has its own DESC keyword.
   When you are sorting textual data, is A the same as a? And does a come before B or after Z? In dictionary sort order, A is treated the same as a. If you need an alternate sort order, you can not accomplish it with a simple ORDER BY clause.
   It is not required, and it is perfectly legal to sort data by a column that is not retrieved.
   
   Chapter 10: Using Data Manipulation Functions
   It is far safer to always use a full four digit year so that SQL Server does not have to make any assumptions for you.
   When comparing dates, always use DATEDIFF(), and do not make assumptions about how dates are stored.
   
   Chapter 15: Creating Advanced Joins
   It is worth noting that table aliases are only used during query execution. Unlike column aliases, table aliases are never returned to the client.
   Self joins are often used to replace statements using subqueries that retrieve data from the same table as the outer statement. Sometimes these joins execute far more quickly than do subqueries.
   
   Chapter 22: Programming with T-SQL
   This is my most favorite chapter. Experienced programmers will find this chapter most interesting.
   
   To discover the secret of SQL, this is the book you need to read, extremely well written, easy to follow and most importantly to the point. This has got to be the smallest SQL book in existence with highest amount of quality content. A really MUST have book.
   
   Rating: 5 stars
   
   In Summary, A MUST read.
   
   Pinal Dave
   Principal Database Administrator
   (http://www.SQLAuthority.com)



2. I am brand new to SQL Server and have been reading a handful of large SQL Server for beginners type books, but I kept getting hung up on all the T-SQL commands. No book seemed to explain it clearly, or they'd suddenly introduce a series of mind-numbing code without explanation - assuming you knew it. Fortunately for me, I stumbled on this gem of a book. It is well laid out, concise, and there is no filler. It starts with the absolute basics and works on up through to more complex T-SQL scripts (stored procedures, cursors, triggers etc.), but by the time you get there - you're more confident with this stuff. I'd highly recommend this book if you want to learn T-SQL.



3. This is a great book for any newbie to T-SQL. There are lots of examples and each of those is accompanied by an explanation, without assuming that you already knew something (a pet peeve of mine for many how-to books). The chapters are broken up well and each leads into the next seamlessly. It is not the ultimate reference guide, but if you are looking to learn and understand how T-SQL works, then this is the book for you.



4. Read this book if you are new to Microsoft SQL Server. This book is well written and gets right to the main points of T-SQL. I especially liked the later chapters on Views, Stored Procedures, XML, and programming with T-SQL. This is one of my top 10 computer books and I always keep this book close at hand for reference. Use another book if you are looking for the hard core nitty gritty details of SQL Server. I hope Ben Forta writes a "Sams Teach Yourself" book on for other SQL server features like SQL Server Integration Services or SQL Server Reporting Services.

5 comments about Sams Teach Yourself PHP, MySQL and Apache All in One (4th Edition) (Sams Teach Yourself).

1. This is good for those who have incredible amounts of patience and like solving problems. The setup alone took at least three hours and a lot of searching on Google. Many important steps are left out (such as how to add and use a database from the MySQL command line, how to configure PHP to support mysqli, and how to configure Apache properly to support PHP.) The PHP functions used in this book are the mysqli_* family and require special setup in the php.ini file. There are no instructions however to set this up. Without this you can't write any SQL programs.
   
   There are also numerous typos in the code. It's obvious that none of the code in this book is actually tested to see if it works. There are simple things such as variable name inconsistencies and function typos that throw off the whole script. When you're new to a progamming language these aren't easy to spot.
   
   Overall, however, there is still plenty you can take from this book. If you have the patience the problem solving will probably cement the concepts more solidly in your brain because you will be figuring them out for yourself.



2. I am stuck on chapters three and four and can not continue with this book. I could not get Apache to work with PHP. In the "Troubleshooting" section of the book on page 58 the solution to getting Apache to work is this: To solve this problem, you need to stop the running server or change the Apache configuration to listen on a different port. Well, if you know how to do this, buy the book. If you don't, you are forever suck and can't continue with the rest of the book. I tried to change the ports and address as suggested in the book, but it didn't work. Be sure to read "Who Should Read This Book" in the introduction section of the book. I probably don't have the required experience to work the material in this book.



3. Like some others who left reviews, I'm a complete beginner to coding, php, mysql, and apache. Given that, I found the installation utterly confusing and spent three days unable to get past chapter 4 where the real content is. A tip for others like me, skip the manual installation. The author cautions about using pre-configured instances of the software, but I found WAMP5 to be a life saver. It's pre-configured and comes in an MSI file. However, as much as I hate to admit it, the struggles I faced in trying to follow the instructions did teach me a lot about the basic configuration, even if that wasn't the author's intent. Since then, I've found the content to be good and am gaining a fundamental understanding of the tools. I know this won't be the end-all php, apache, mysql bible, but it's a good place to start.



4. "PHP, MySQL and Apache All in One" is a good way to begin learning those technologies. It is simple enough and has lots of visual examples, code examples, tables, figures, etc to break down bigger concepts into manageable ones. Also, its an easy read. I normally don't rate anything perfectly, but I couldn't think of any reason why I wouldn't give it 5 stars. I must add though that I may be biased since I wasn't a beginner to PHP or MySQL and used this textbook for a grad course.



5. This is a solid book if your looking for information on the relationship between Apache, MySQL, and PHP. This is not a beginner's book, nor is it advanced. Rather its purpose is to explain how these three components work together, the combination of which is if not the most popular then close to the most popular basic framework used on the web. For example, all Wordpress blogs are based on the PHP, MySQL, and Apache setup. Plus, all three are free and can be easily setup on your own computer for development purposes.
   
   If you're looking for a singular focus on one or two of the three, then you'll be disappointed. If you do not have any or very little experience with the web, then go buy a "for dummies" or an explicitly labeled "Beginners" book.
   
   If you want to gain a solid knowledge on the Apache, MySQL, PHP framework, this book provides an excellent explanation with sufficient in-depth focus on each and how they relate to one another.

5 comments about Oracle PL/SQL Programming, 4th Edition.

1. Steven's book is the best reference available for PL/SQL. No other book comes close. While he may cover Oracle user-defined types and object-relational technology, I regret that he only approaches the use of PL/SQL as a procedural language. Still, it's the best reference on the market for PL/SQL.



2. No doubt you must own this book if you start learning PL/SQL or if you want to improve your coding. Steven reveals many traps that may be in your code. It explains how to take advantage of multiple techniques like BULK COLLECT.
   
   It may serve as a reference book too



3. It is clear, concise, and as far as I can tell, correct. The writing is friendly, and the examples useful. I learned far more about PL/SQL from this book than from the Oracle documentation. I recently heard the author speak at a conference, and his good personality is reflected in the book.



4. As with the three previous editions, all of which I own, this book sets the standard for PL/SQL texts. Crammed with information, it provides a thorough and insightful reference and always has a place on my desk.



5. I've worked with Oracle and PL/SQL on and off for ages. I never really took a dive into the details of anything until recently. I knew the basics of PL/SQL blocks, writing procedures/functions and some of the "advanced" column/data types and interactions with them(XML with XPath, for example).
   
   Being a professional software engineer for some time now and working with Oracle regularly has lead me down a path of basic knowledge. This book took that knowledge and pushed the boundaries further than I could have imagined. Great detail, simple/concise/powerful examples and explanations coupled with the author's ability to write with humor make this a wonderful read from beginner to intermediate.
   
   Advanced users/developers may find it useful merely as a reference, however. It is something that will surely be worn out as time goes on.

3 comments about The Rational Guide to Extending SSIS 2005 with Script (Rational Guides) (Rational Guides).

1. This is an excellent book. It shows how to unleash the power of SSIS. Script (writing code) is the way to go when you need go beyond the tasks and transformations that are built into SSIS. This book shows how to customize, control, extend and monitor SSIS through code.
   
   One of the best things about the book is that it is only around 200 pages. This book won't put you to sleep with the history of relational databases and ETL or trying to teach you Visual Basic.net. You will appreciate that if you are an experienced database and .net developer. [...]
   The author helped to develop the product and is thoroughly knowledgeable about the subject. He is active in the Integration Services support forums.
   
   There are some typos but they are easy to spot and do not cloud the information. I highly recommend this book.



2. If you need to get moe out of SSIS 2005 and don't want to waste time re-inventing the wheel; this book is a great help. Examples were very helpful to push the SSIS a bit further.



3. Microsoft SQL Server Developer Edition 2005 CD/DVD
   Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Integration Services (SSIS) is a tool for developing and running data integration tasks, such as reading from files, transforming data, and loading data into databases, including, but not limited to, Microsoft SQL Server. It is an "ETL" (extract, transform, load) product, very powerful but easy to get lost in the product's documentation and whitepapers trying to figure out how to accomplish a given real-world task. Farmer's little book is a gem because it is short and it makes an effort to help a developer with real-world data integration tasks. This book's main theme is using the scripting facilities, but it does a good job giving a perspective. Donald Farmer is the SSIS program manager at Microsoft, and besides technical knowledge, he has the skills to educate. I have always felt that there are lots of great software products available, but that developers trying to solve problems have a hard time getting past the product demos and slides. This book, in the tradition of K&R's "The C Programming Language" helps developers take that step. In contrast, books that describe step-by-step procedures that are already described in the product documentation are not nearly as useful.
   While SSIS has lots of toolboxes to do standard ETL tasks, scripting tasks are meant to add facilities that are awkward or impossible to do with standard designs. Scripting has access to the NET Framework and user-developed NET assemblies. Farmer's examples are helpful and inspiring. I hope he will write more books like this, but at the same time I like to see him, as product manager, take some annoyances and weaknesses out of the otherwise great SSIS product. Those who like to watch instructional videos will enjoy his presentations on MSDN TV.

5 comments about Professional SQL Server Analysis Services 2005 with MDX (Programmer to Programmer).

1. I needed to know quickly how to implement a BI solution and ordered three books: Delivering Business Intelligence with Microsoft SQL Server 2005 by Brian Larsen, Applied Microsoft Analysis Services by Teo Lachev, and this book. Of the tree books, this is the only one I really needed. This book had everything I wanted to know about Analysis Services. I was also impressed with the knowledge and information regarding how to design dimensions and cubes especially when it comes to tough situations such as how to apply security. If you need to implement a BI solution, I highly recommend this book.



2. After reading the previous reviews of this book, I think my expectations may have to been to high. Overall the book is good, but I feel like it could have been more in-depth in numerous areas. I still find myself searching MSDN with help on topics. My main fault with the book was that I constantly had to read sentences over-and-over again due to extremely poor grammer.



3. I do not understand why this book gets such high ratings by other readers. I found this book a real mess. My concise evaluation of "Professional SQL Server Analysis Services 2005 with MDX":
   · general: bad as a tutorial, but it might serve as a good reference,
   · incorrect code: see below,
   · incorrect references to other chapters,
   · extremely inconsistent use of names of the cube, tables, dimensions, measures, etc., which makes the learning process more like a puzzle,
   · subjects, details are scattered over many chapters (which has some advantages as well), but complicates the learning process.
   
   In chapter 3 of this book it starts with code samples, that are incorrect in almost any sense. Not really being a novice, but having my first experience with SSAS (that is: the 2005 version, I had some experience with the 2000 predecessor), I was blaming my ignorance. I could better do not: I simply had to correct about every code sample.
   I made a long list of errata, that I have sent to Wiley/Wrox on January 9, 2007. These errata are very detailed and specific, but I do not find the results in the list of errata of this book on the Wiley or Wrox site. They simply did not process my errata.
   So, I finally bought "Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services" by Melomed, et.al. (Sams, 2007). My first impression: very good, indeed. I just have it for two days now, so my review will take a few more months.
   Leendert.



4. I am a DBA, and bought this book hoping to learn quickly basics of implementing SSAS project. This book exceeded all my expectations. I would call it a practical tutorial on implementation with explanation of all aspects behind SSAS: basic theory, technologies, tools, security, connectivity. Not only it gives you hands-on approach to learning with 99.9% precision in samples, but also explains usage of Microsoft SQL Server 2005's related technologies: Integrated Services, Reporting Services.
   The scope of presenation is also very much oriented on practical needs of SSAS utilization.
   In short, I am 110% satisfied on my expectations for this book.
   
   Vladimir Kievsky



5. Half of the chapters in this book are well planned and very readable. But the other half are just terrible. There are two authors of this book, so it's clear what is behind this. The "bad" chapters are loaded with bad grammar, technical errors and explanations that just don't make sense. This would be bad enough, but the larger problem is that there is no overall planning to these chapters, with illogical jumps between topics and a lack of any conceptual flow. I've been reading technical books for over 25 years, and this is without a doubt the poorest offering I've ever seen published. You can gain some value from the book from the "good" chapters, but the other chapters are so frustrating that I recommend avoiding this book altogether. If you need to ramp up on 2005 Analysis Services, the Microsoft Press Step-by-Step book is a much better choice.

5 comments about Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services (SQL Server Series).

1. As a professional consultant for microsoft, I know what a good book on SSAS look like and this book is a great book compared to many other ones. I want in depth coverage for the saavy professional so I bought it and read it cover to cover. I used this as a reference guide when I'm stuck on some design issues. This book has helped me delivered many projects for large customers.
   
   I wish we have a new version for SSAS 2008 !!! (the author informed me that he's considering it !!! and this is great news).



2. I have read 3 SQL 2005 Business Intelligence books and this one is the best by far. For one, it provides a working sample SQL 2005 Business Intelligence Project Solution. This solution is a predesigned HOLAP. The OLTP database is also provided.
   
   The level of expertise of the authors is very high. They go into granular detail on the architecture of the SQL 2005 BI (but not as much as I have liked). They also go into details on how one can improve the performance of SQL 2005 BI. Administration and security features are also covered. It was little weak on ETL (SSIS) but that topic has few thick books of its own.
   
   SQL 2005 Business Intelligence is very different (conceptually and architecturally) from its SQL 2005 OLTP counterpart. It is not an exaggeration to say they are completely different products integrated into one. If you have no previous BI background, then expect a steep learning curve.
   
   I highy recommend this book for anyone who is interested in learning SQL 2005 BI.
   
   Here are the contents:
   
   1)Introduction
   2)Creating Multidimensional Models
   3)Using MDX
   4)Creating Data Warehouse
   5)Bringing Data into Analysis Services
   6)Analysis Server Architecture
   7)Accessing Data in Analysis Services
   8)Security
   9)Management



3. If you must, avoid this book. Looks like they threw in all chapters in a bin and did a pot luck. No flow whatsoever. Only good for quick lookup. But then you have MSDN. I am utterly dissappointed



4. I came from the world of Hyperion Essbase and decided to switch to Microsoft SQL Server Analysis services. The SQL server books online seemed to be lacking in some details (or examples) and other SSAS printed books seem to be more of the beginner level books or step by step tutorial books. They are good to start with but not deep enough. If you are just starting in the BI and OLAP world, get those books first.
   
   This book is not a general BI book and is more specific to SSAS details. Because of my prior understanding of of data warehousing and OLAP, I was able to build SSAS cubes in no time but there were some lingering questions on how do I do this in SSAS (compared to doing it in Essbase) and other low level details. This is the only SSAS book that I found so far that goes into enough details of SSAS that no other book goes into.
   
   If you are just starting with Microsoft BI and need to learn the concepts of data warehousing (star and snowflake schema), OLAP, ETL and SSIS, get one of the other books first. Then do the SSAS books online tutorials. Once you are ready to dig deeper into SSAS and build enterprise class analysis services cubes, this book would be a great help.
   
   Here is a quote from Nigel Pendse of The OLAP Report in the foreword of this book:
   "This book is not intended to teach new users how to use Analysis Services 2005; it is for technically competent implementers who want to make the most of Analysis Services by understanding how it really works..."



5. I bought this book because I was facing a few specific problems while implementing Analysis Services. This book did not help much there. As I was reading, I found that this book does have great content on the design of MS-AS2005. It's a great reference book to have handy because it consolidates information in one book and often describes the motivations for certain designs. Likewise, the book never discussed the significant missing feature in the product, nor workarounds to handle some of the very common requirements. That, while not surprising given the authors are from Microsoft design team, is not helpful.
   
   Ultimately I don't regret buying this book, but don't expect it to solve many of your challenging problems. The materials in this book should have been included in the original product documentations!

5 comments about Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2005: T-SQL Programming (Pro-Developer).

1. This book is a must-have, even for those who uses other SQL Databases... Totally Amazing!



2. This book has lots of sample code for developers to follow. I bought a book "Advanced Transact-SQL for SQL Server 2000" written by Itzik Ben-gan about five years and loved the book. This book did great job in the SQL Scripts where you might need to spent sometime read through it.
   
   This book is a gem for SQL developers!!! Highly recommanded!!!



3. You should think of this book as of the second volume of the two-volume set on the 2005-Server SQL. If you get this one, you'll get the other one too; neither tome is self-sufficient; in fact there's a lot of explicit interdependence. This book, Programming, deals with slightly more esoteric features than the first tome, Querying -- although I can't say you must read the first entire volume before touching this one. Both books can be read at the same time (but see what I say about the target reader below).
   
   So, real quick:
   
   1. Target reader: someone with a good grasp of the 2000 Server wishing to learn the new stuff that came with the 2005 server (there's a lot: the 2005 product is _much_ better than the previous: covering new features is probably the only thing that's unequivocally good about this book). This is NOT your first, nor second, nor third book on SQL in general or MS SQL Server in particular. You must have a good grasp of the basics to be able to overcome this book. I say 'overcome' advisedly; more on it below.
   
   2. Content: Data-type subtleties (datetime, xml, CLR user-defined types -- a lot of CLR in this volume); temporary tables, cursors, dynamic SQL, views, user-defined funcs, stored procs, triggers, a bit on transactions, exception handling, a bit on service broker.
   
   3. Very clean technically: no technical errors (and while we're here: I found no typos either).
   
   4. Depth vs breadth: the book is more extensive than deep, although on average it's (inevitably) more in-depth than the first volume. Some reviewers here say it's very deep or difficult -- and difficult is true, although not because of PhD anything. This, unfortunately, brings me to the next point:
   
   5. Writing: ABHORRENT. (Both volumes, Querying, and Programming, in about the same degree). That's why it seems difficult, PhD and so on -- except this difficulty isn't due to, say, conceptual complexity of the subject matter. It's the authors' extreme inability to use the English language to explain things that makes reading this book such a chore. There is also conceptual muddle (unsurprisingly: people write as they think).
   
   Now, experience taught me to forgive literary incapacity to a _technical_ author (to a degree; and I do take notice and, if possible, avoid him in the future). In cases like that I put the blame squarely on the publisher, especially if otherwise I know the publisher to be solid. I have a pile of books from Microsoft Press and I consider them a good publisher, so what's the matter?
   
   Although (strangely) a bit better than the first volume, this book (Programming) is also strewn with unimaginable, fantastic garbage of every possible kind, from grating usage errors to a pervasive lack of unity, coherence, and logical connectedness on the page/paragraph level, to a frequent lack of the overall unity. When I bought this book and read it a bit I was so p-off I almost sent it back (I got as far as getting an RMA from Amazon). I did keep it though. Both of them, actually.
   
   Do I recommend this book? It has been useful to me (especially the UDF section: there's a lot of new stuff, all very handy), so -- with great reservation, and only to the right reader -- yes, kinda. And please check out what else is available (there's tons of books on the 2005 server these days). The Programming book is part of the three-volume update and extension of the server-2000 version by Delaney. Delaney's server-2000 book was extremely useful and quite decently written. I wish they let her write the new version, even though it's now three books instead of one, and I suppose it's difficult for one person to do it all.



4. Please see review by C. Mialaret. S/he is spot on.
   
   One gets the impression that the author may have been more focused on impressing you with his eruditeness, rather than writing a practical book with useful examples and clear explanations.
   
   Affecianados of Kalen Delaney's 'Inside SQL Server 2000' will be disappointed.



5. Book actually has very limited T-SQL. Mostly triggers, USP, functions, but little actual code.

2 comments about Oracle Database 11g PL/SQL Programming (Oracle Press).

1. Michael McLaughlin has delivered the most comprehensive book on PL/SQL on the market. No matter where you are, novice or master, you will find this book helpful. The book is loaded with practical, working examples and detailed descriptions that will help you from getting lost. Even the most complex topics are covered thoroughly and comprehensively in a way that makes them feel simple. Even if you are not on 11g yet, you need to buy this book. It's not only a great reference, but an interesting and captivating read that will give you ideas and understanding which will help in any project.
   
   Most of all, this book reveals the power of PL/SQL as a viable and fully-featured programming language. It covers complex subjects such as Object Oriented Programming and utilizing Large Objects (LOBS) with striking detail. It also contains a primer on using PHP and Java with PL/SQL! You'll also find a revealing discussion on using Functions, Procedures, and Packages that enhance understanding in a way that no other book does. Other books teach you the "how", this book covers the "what" and the "why" so that you not only can write the code, but you understand everything that it is doing.
   
   I would highly recommend this book to anyone that uses PL/SQL no matter your current skill level. There's great content for everyone.



2. This is one of the best technical books I have read. It makes PL/SQL easy to learn for the beginners and it is so detailed that very experienced users will find it extremely useful. It covers the usage of PL/SQL with many different types of applications such as JAVA, XML, PHP, etc. I have recommended very few language books in my time, because, I have found them to be written with the writer's logic as to how the writer thinks the code would be better executed. However this is the first book that I have seen that is written logically based on how the language would be better used to efficiently interact with the database. In short, I give this book my highest recommendation. I would like to congratulate Michael on writing such a great book.