4 comments about Introduction to SQL: Mastering the Relational Database Language (4th Edition).

1. I ordered this book through amazon.com when there where no reviews-- took a chance and did it ever pay off. So now i'm writing a review for the next guy who is looking for a good book to get HANDS-ON sql experience with. You should have some understanding of relational databases and a basic understanding of sql to get the maximum from this book, but that's not necessary, first time sql self-teachers stand to benefit greatly from it also. I definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to gain further understanding of SQL and relational databases.



2. The disk supplied with the book (contains the database to work the exercises) will not easily install on Windows NT. I have contacted the author (via e-mail) and the database manufacturer for more installation instructions but have not yet received any help. Without the information on the supplied disk the learning process is less than complete.



3. First, I should mention that I got this book in Dec. 2000 and had no trouble installing the disk on Windows98. Hopefully the problem pointed about by another reviewer has been resolved. Incidentally, I find the SOLID server very easy to set up and use, with a simple but friendly user interface. OK, now for the book. It is very clear and includes numerous detailed examples, along with step-by-step discussion as to why the syntax works the way it does. This is particularly helpful when grouping, subqueries, joins, etc., or combinations thereof are involved. Sometimes he'll solve a problem in more than one way, which is good to see. Occasionally, too, like a good teacher he will have a snare for the unwary and go on to say, "Wait, this isn't working the way intended," and use the pitfall as a way of bringing home a point. Another thing I like is the adaptation of Backus-Naur Form that he uses in specifying languages -- if you've never seen BNF before (which included me before reading this book), that may sound a little daunting. Actually, it makes correct usage really clear. One more thing to mention about this book is its excellent range of topics without bogging down on them. In addition to covering the core keywords "select", "from", "where", and so forth, he talks about imbedded SQL (which I rely on heavily when I use VB or work on web pages), stored procedures, and what ODBC is, to mention only a few extra topics. Finally, the translator should be commended for readable, fluent English.



4. Found the text to be very very thorough, and the translation from Dutch to be excellent. My only complaint is that some of the code does not run on all servers, and wish the editors had tagged some of the code with tips on which servers the code was for. The book "SQL Cookbook" has that, and wish this book had that too. For example, in one of the last chapters, the discussion on Collections, there is code that introduces the SETOF concept, but does not mention on which SQL implementation it is applicable.

3 comments about SQL Weekend Crash Course (With CD-ROM).

1. This book is a streamlined, concise presentation of the ANSI-standard SQL:1999 that all implementations seek to match. It presents the SQL data types and commands and provides examples of their use. The book concentrates on the SQL functions that most people are likely to need, without getting highly technical about obscure, little-used features. It makes a handy reference for the experienced SQL programmer as well as an easy to follow introduction for people new to SQL.



2. A very good book for getting up to speed quickly - the examples are clearly laid out and meaningful

   - just a shame that none of the examples and sample data that the book and CD says are on the CD are actually on the CD




3. I was fairly unimpressed with this book. I found it fairly easy to read the first night's lessons, but when it came time to try any of the examples on an actual machine, there were plenty of typos in examples. The examples should be the one part of a book where you NEVER find a typo. It's been about 9 months since I threw this in the corner, so I can't point to examples off hand, but I know once I spotted obvious errors I didn't bother to move further through the book. There's also no errata on the author's website, once you find it. I realize this book is no longer published, but there's no excuse for even wasting money on it. Try SQL Queries for Mere Mortals, it's far more useful to learn from, and works as an excellent reference to basic SQL commands.

1 comments about CramSession's Administering Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 : Certification Study Guide.

1. this book is wonder for all programmers who learn visual basic. it is used for back hand tools for visual basic and oracle. it is known as RDBMS.

   this book is wonder for all programmers who learn visual basic. it is used for back hand tools for visual basic and oracle. it is known as RDBMS.

   this book is wonder for all programmers who learn visual basic. it is used for back hand tools for visual basic and oracle. it is known as RDBMS.

5 comments about Professional UML with Visual Studio .NET.

1. It is a total mystery to me why this book was written in the first place. From UML standpoint it covers only very basic scenarios. From software perspective it does not cover topics like "..how the hell do I specify .Net attributes and do not lose them in reverse engineering..." or "...why C# documentation is totally incompatible with what Visio produces...". The only thing this book teaches is how to do basic operations, which you probably can figure out on your own after 2 days of pocking around. DO NOT waist you money (I would use 0 star option if it was available)



2. I do not think that the title of this book is appropriate. The book is about UML but i question the professional bit in the title. The writing is okay but you can tell that different authors worked on the book. Had the book been a little more coherent I would have opted for 4 stars.



3. There are better books to train developers in individual skills - UML, Visio, dot net. But this book does a nice job tying them altogether - it won't teach you how to model, etc. but does a very good job in applying and integrating all the skills. There are some annoying typos, but no showstoppers.



4. ...maybe not the fault of the book, but Visual Studio support for UML isn't that great. In practical use, it is very frustrating and limited. Break out of Visual Studio and get Sparx Enterprise Architect for UML work.



5. There has been a real need for a text that explains how to use Visio for documenting software requirements. Likewise, there has been a real need for a text that shows how to tie the different UML diagrams together as part of a coherent and comprehensive process. This text promises to do both, and to some extent it succeeds, but it is far too fractured to live up to its initial promise.
   
   I would still recommend the text for anyone seeking an introduction to UML in Visio. The examples are very simple, however, and the discussion of UML is incomplete, so I would recommend using a UML text as an accompaniment to this one as you work through it.

5 comments about Oracle Built in Packages.

1. Oracle should just have O'Reilly publish all of their documentation. Though I haven't had a need to use 85% of Oracle's packages, the ones that I have read are thoroughly documented. Even the author (Steve Feuerstein) mentioned that there are even MORE builtin packages that he didn't put into his book. Word is that he may add more of them.

   Excellent book.

   Gio




2. Very little about Oracle build-in packages. Much more about O'reilly's own build-in packages, it is more like a kind of ads.

   I want to use packages, doesn't mean I want O'reilly packages. If you want to sell O'reilly packages, name the book accordingly.

   I wanted to know more about the numerous oracle standard build-in packages, this book didn't help me.




3. This book is absolutely necessary to get oriented in Oracle documentation. It covers PL/SQL packages that are of major interest both for application developers and those of us who want to automate DBA functions. Wonderful writing and excellent code samples are very helpful!

   Some examples of DBA-related packages are DBMS_SQL which takes care of dynamic SQL (chapter 2) and DBMS_JOB for cron-type PL/SQL scripts.

   Chapter 3 covers DBMS_PIPE and DBMS_ALERT packages necessary to implement servers running inside Oracle independently from host operating system.

   Chapter 6 describes DBMS_OUTPUT and UTL_FILE. DMS_OUTPUT is well-known for its put_line procedure which prints short (up to 256 bytes) strings to SQLPLUS console. However, from this book one can find out how to increase standard overall output size for this package - which may be crucial for testing. UTL_FILE takes care of ASCII file I/O for PL/SQL.

   Considering Large Objects management (chapter 8), we remember this is 1998 book, it does not cover latest Oracle object-related features like types or collections. Now ASCII documents (such as news articles) can be kept in VARARRAYs rather than in CLOBs.

   ORACLE BUILT-IN PACKAGES is more of a reference than a tutorial, it leaves for the reader to find out what functionality is actually needed and for what technical purpose.




4. I code and teach a lot of PL/QL, and this is the only book I have found which goes into any depth on these built-ins. It tells me most everything I want to know. However, you have to dig through tons of sample code from his PL/SQL products. In most cases, you won't find a clear example of the Oracle built-in packages (you know, the ones the book is supposed to be about?). Instead, there are huge, unneccesarily complex examples of how to use the author's bloated code (which is for sale, btw).

   There is no doubt he is the foremost author on PL/SQL, but it's not worth digging through the junk and arrogance. To quote the back cover:
   "I work with built-in packages every day, and nobody kicks sand in my face-- at least when it comes to PL/SQL!" Given the amount of his own code he buried them under, I doubt he ever even *sees* the Oracle built-ins anymore.
   We have used his other books as texts for professional training, and the students have the same complaints. They are better than the manuals which come with Oracle, but not by much. (If you want a good PL/SQL book, check out Oracle PL/SQL Programming by Scott Urman. Doesn't cover built-ins much, but its far better than the Feuerstein PL/SQL or Advanced PL/SQL books).
   Summary: Better than the manuals, if you like searching for needles in haystacks.




5. This serves as a good reference book. Saved lot of time many, many times. I bought this book 2+ yrs ago and still helps me out. But I think this book needs a major update. Oracle8i is a new beast altogether (I didn't work with 9i yet) and there are tons of new built-in packages that are very useful.

1 comments about Progress Notes Print Utility Add-on Module.

1. I purchased this to use with my 5.0 Solo Practice. I had purchased other Therascribe software with no problems. In this case I opened the CD and attempted to install it. I received a message that it was too old and could not be installed. As a result, it can't be returned because it was opened, and it can't be used. So after waiting months for it to finally be sent to me, I have thrown away my money. Be cautious if you have current therascribe software. I have attempted but have been unable to have the information updated for use.

5 comments about MySQL Reference Manual.

1. Well, they wrote big parts of MySQL. That's a good recommendation, if you ask me



2. It's been a long wait, but finally a comprehensive MySQL Reference manual has arrived ! Definitive comprehensive and one might even say exhaustive - you'll want to keep this one handy.



3. A paper copy of the manual can be most useful, since I, like most people, find it hard to wade through an online manual.

   But there is one area in which the online form is more useful: searching. By opening the MySQL manual in a text editor, one can search it, making the poor organization of the manual less of a problem.

   The printed copy suffers from the same poor organization (indeed, it is the same as - or very, very close to - the online manual) but without the ameliorating factor of searchability. The index is not very good, but even if it was better, the scattering of information throughout the book would make for lengthy index entries.

   Take security for example. What is the recommended process for securing a fresh MySQL installation? Start at the Table of Contents: Aha! 4.3 "MySQL User Account Management" Sounds promising. P. 249. GRANT and REVOKE Syntax? Not what I had in mind. I just want to know about the right way to secure the system and create new users. Back to the Contents. 2.4 "Post-Installation Setup and Testing" P.113. Nope, nothing there.

   Last resort: The index. Security, against hackers, p.227. Nope. But that page is in section 4.2 "General Security Issues and the MySQL Access Privilege System." Now that sounds like it. Start reading section 4.2.1 on p. 224... "If you are able to connect successfully to the server without being asked for a password, you have problems! ... Review the MySQL installation instructions..." I thought I just did that. Now I know the secret is burried in the installation instructions. Back to Chapter 2. Still no dice.

   Give up and install phpMyAdmin.

   While I don't doubt that the answers to this and a myriad other questions are in there somewhere, the poor structure of the book makes it extremely hard to find anything.

   A complete rewrite would do the trick.




4. This book is the printed version of the online documentation available through the MySQL site. It is the definitive version of documentation for MySQL, but it is also left wanting. The authors, two of the principle programmers of MySQL, provide comprehensive coverage of all aspects of MySQL.
   That being said, one of the biggest problem with this book is not its subject coverage, but its organization. Most technical books begin with installation instructions, or a brief overview of the software's purpose and the need it addresses and then moves into technical subjects. This one spends the first 10% telling you why you should use MySQL, and only then does it start delving into technical matters.
   Skipping past that, the book's other big shortcoming is that it's biased towards a Unix mindset. Granted, the software was developed on Unix and the largest portion of deployments are on *nix. However, as a long-time Windows user with little *nix familiarity, a lot of the material is over my head. If they want Windows users to use MySQL correctly, they're going to have to make it much easier for Windows users/admins to understand.
   The one thing I found the book does really well is to teach you exactly how to use MySQL using SQL, and documenting well where MySQL diverges from ANSI SQL compliance. The portion of the book strictly dedicated to teaching the user how to use it is well-written and thorough, I wish the rest of the manual was written this well.



5. This is simply the printed version of the online documentation. This is very handy to have when you are not in front of your keyboard. I use the printed and online versions equally. The layout of the printed version is not the best by any means. Used in conjunction with the online documentation, you will find what you need though. This book should be on any PHP/MySQL programmer's shelf.

5 comments about SQL Server Developer's Guide to OLAP with Analysis Services.

1. This is a fairly good book for some one starting to use Analysis services. If you are a professional and are looking for a reference source then this is not for you. But if you just want something to help you get started... this is a simplified introduction with few useful insights.



2. Its a good book to get introduced to analysis services. It teaches everything that you need to know to get going. The sample code in Visual basic is a real add-on..Recommended highly



3. Microsoft's Analysis Services brings Data Mining and OLAP to the masses. One of the hardest challenges was finding an authoritative guide - this book does an excellent job to rectify the challenge.

   Microsoft's Analysis Services makes business intelligence extremely easy to undertake and perform; without a high investment cost. Often OLAP/Data Mining has been made to seem more complicate than necessary. Until recently, the cost of installing an OLAP solution could run into thousands per seat - plus the presence of the prerequisite consultant from the vendor being onsite for many months.

   Analysis Services demystifies data analytics in a manner that the Rosetta Stone demystified hieroglyphs. And this book makes it very simple to understand Microsoft's Analysis Services.

   To gain the most from this book, readers should generally already have an understanding of what OLAP, Data Mining, Data Warehousing are. Although this is not compulsory, it helps.

   For those already familiar with OLAP, ROLAP, Clustering etc; this book will be a very gentle and pleasant read. It will enable you to almost immediately get cracking with Microsoft's Analysis Services.




4. I liked the book, but when I went to load the sample software called Proclarity, I got a message from Norton anti-virus that something was afoul in the install routine. Foolishly, I thought that Norton must be wrong. It turns out, I was wrong and the CD apparently had a virus or did something it shouldn't have done.

   Immediately after rebooting, my desktop disappeared after opening my first application. The mouse isn't working right either.

   So, the book is good. But don't load the sample software from Proclarity. Regarding the rest of the CD, I have not loaded it all, so I can't speak for whether it has any other viruses/problems. Just make sure you have your anti-virus software running. BTW, I'm running XP Pro.




5. This book might not be an exaustive reference, but seems to cover everything you need to know - and that's what counts. It also does so in a readable way.

No comments about Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services Unleashed.

2 comments about Access and SQL Server Developer's Handbook.

1. Simple enough for the astute beginner and complete enough for the experienced user.



2. The book is in excellent condition, much more than you can expect from buying used books, unbelievable give-away price, excellent package and shipping. I am very happy about it.