No comments about Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Administrator's Companion.

2 comments about Official Sybase SQL Anywhere Developer's Guide.

1. I was very disappointed when I tried to install this book onto my PC and failed many times ! Seems something wrong with this CD-ROM and it can not be recognized by Win-95 ! If anyone out there has any idea how to install it or get a refund on the CD (not the book itself, since I still need it) from Amazon, please let me know. Many thanks in advance !



2. Got to the index, and it is for ver 5.0. Very disappointed

5 comments about Beginning PHP5, Apache, and MySQL Web Development (Programmer to Programmer).

1. I bought this book a couple of days ago after reading the cover (Bad Jon, never judge a book by its cover) and learning that it teaches you in both Windows and Linux. This is not the case. I am still in chapter one trying to configure Mysql under Linux. There is very basic linux setup configuration and then the book just assumes Windows is what you will use. I am retiring this book and picking up another.



2. Great book for those, like me, who wants to start from zero with PHP5 and MySQL. I had no previous knowledge about this two languages, and in short time began to understand about it all. You may buy this book for sure!



3. For a novice in these 3 fields, it's a good introductory and step-by-step guide to get familiar with them.
   However, since the book was first published in 2005, many contents about installations are outdated. An update in these parts will benefit new readers because it can help them get into the main topics easier.



4. This is a decent book, but the MySQL syntax is very out-of-date. If you're working with a current version of MySQL, this isn't going to do you any favors. Until they see fit to update this volume, I recommend buying something else.
   
   I've had great luck with "PHP, MySQL and Apache" by Julie C. Meloni (Sams Teach Yourself) third edition (2007). Its example projects are different and not quite as applicable to what I'm needing to do, but who knows - they may be just what you need. The biggest benefit is that it uses the mysqli commands that PHP 5.xx demands.



5. I would truly love to give this book 5 stars; however, as some of the more recent commentators have indicated, it's out of date. Unfortunately, that's a show stopper when you're using the most recent version of MySQL! I was going over this book as a refresher course, since I have been generally well satisfied with Wrox's books, but the outdated syntax in the MySQL sections are real deal-killers. It's been years since I touched PHP, so I figured I could pick this up and get back into the groove of things and truly get into MySQL at the same time -- no dice on that one.
   
   In short, this book is largely handicapped by two things:
   
   1. It needs to be revamped for the latest version of MySQL and PHP (6 is right around the corner), and
   2. The errata section on the website needs to point some of these things out.
   
   I'm giving it four-out-of-five stars because it would have been a righteous book in 2005.

No comments about Manual de Oracle.

2 comments about Sybase System 11 Development Handbook.

1. Let me open with this handbook's positives. It has reasonably useful BNF-like syntaxes for SQL and statements useful to the administration and tuning of SYBASE installations. The author also does a good job detailing the history of SYBASE's growth and development, and the differences between products on the market. Several chapters offer fair introductions to a variety of topics. For a DBA's handbook, I might give this a mediocre two stars.

   Stop here if you're a Developer, though, and look for a Developer's Handbook elsewhere, because this book falls short of what it actually claims to be. There's nothing on Transact-SQL, all the add-on statements that SYBASE supports like dateadd(), etc. The programming APIs most developers are likely to use such as OpenClient, is given a cursory example chapter which does little to explain OpenClient's intricacies. Instead, the example (whose C code is in double-spaced Courier type which fills space by having approximately fifteen lines of code per page of code listings) is heavily lifted from SYBASE's own OpenClient example program (only the SQL statement being performed programmatically appears to differ).

   Lastly, there's absolutely nothing about Python integration in this book, if that matters to you. But even if it doesn't, the poor typography, numerous typos and grammatical errors, and general lack of new or useful information to anyone already acquainted with SYBASE should be taken as strong signs to spend your documentation dollars elsewhere for a developer's handbook for this RDBMS.




2. A history of the company is all well and good, but a "developer's guide" should say something about referential integrity, "triggers", and "GRANT"s. It doesn't.
   Also, the references to "locks" and transactional "COMMIT"s is skimpy.
   Be wary of any book that rambles without concrete examples.
   This one does. What a rip-off!

5 comments about Introducing Microsoft SQL Server(TM) 2005 for Developers (Pro - Developer).

1. This book is a good idea: an intro book for SS2005 aimed at developers, but it is unfortunately not implemented very well. Firstly, the author obviously isn't a professional developer. The advice he gives is just plain bad much of the time. It belies a lack of experience designing and building database systems. Secondly, the book was written for one of the really early CTP versions. Much of it doesn't apply to the actual product released in November. Thirdly, the author writes with a mix of arrogance and incompetence that, while entertaining, doesn't belong in a book like this. MSPress: do yourself and us readers a favor and get a better author for the next version.



2. Old build, poor writing style, bad code = bad book.
   
   Don't waste your money. Go buy a book from another publisher that teaches you about SQL Server 2005. Better yet, the product documentation is even better than this book!



3. From Esposito, Prosise, Richter, Balena...Since the days when MFC was new, I've grown to trust the Wintellect authors and learned to look forward to their take on the Microsoft products. Microsoft and Wintellect really dropped the ball on this one. Scattered Logic, Examples which don't work, lack of focus, where should I begin?
   
   How about with the title. I don't know who the intended audience was...certainly not developers. Maybe purchasing departments? I found Mr. Debetta's writing style quite arrogant and it interfered significantly with any points he may have been trying to get accross. Rather than an introduction, I found it to be little more than an extended advertisement.
   
   Mr. DeBetta clearly has a passion for XML. However, XML is just a small part of a developer's interest. Maybe next time he will step back and think about what developer's are looking for. Those of us out in the field trying to stay abreast of new technologies. We are NOT looking for ads, we ARE looking for solid leads on where to take our products. This book does not suffice.
   
   I feel I've wasted too much time on this book. Spending any more on this review seems an excess.



4. For me, time is more important than money but this book does not deserve your time as well as money.



5. The book rocks. I found almost all that I needed easily. I give it "4 stars" instead of 5 only because it didn't have EVERYTHING I needed.

No comments about Replication and English Query (Microsoft(r) SQL Server(tm) 2000 Reference Library).

No comments about MCSE SQL Server 2000 Administration Exam Cram Personal Test Center (Exam: 70-228).

1 comments about SQL Power!: The Comprehensive Guide (Power!).

1. SQL Power!: The Comprehensive Guide (Power!)
   Thanks for a well-written book with REAL LEARNING in mind. I despise those books that have the students follow graphical step-by-steps and step through a tutorial. This book forces the students to READ! the text. This is what I like for my students because I think it forces them to learn. They learn not only how to do something, but why they do it that way. This book is A-1!!!

No comments about Bases de Datos Relacionales.