No comments about Als Microsoft SQL Server 2000 System Administration: Installing, Configuring & Administering SQL Server 2000 (Pro-Academic Learning).

5 comments about Developing Time-Oriented Database Applications in SQL (Morgan Kaufmann Series in Data Management Systems).

1. This is a book EVERY programmer that deals with databases should read. It explains the evils of NULL date/datetimes and how to properly optimize a database design for real-world queries.

   Follows several applications through the evolution of time-senstive queries, clearly distinguishing the concepts of "current time", "effective time" and "transaction time", which trip up developers over and over.




2. People seem to be selling used copies of this book for quite a bit ($125+) but you can get a PDF of the book for free from the author:
   
   http://www.cs.arizona.edu/people/rts/tdbbook.pdf
   
   Thanks to the author for providing this resource!



3. I enjoyed reading this book more than most technical books, because the author maintains a very pleasant style and adds interesting anecdotes. It isn't presented as a theoretical book, but presents the basic issues with case studies and a review of SQL3 proposed extensions.
   
   The book is about time-based (really temporal) databases. A temporal database is a fully relational database with some additional features for handling time issues. This is in contrast to object-oriented databases, which are not really very relational at all. The temporal issues can be addressed with existing relational products (Oracle, SQL Server, DB2), though they could be addressed with less effort once new versions of existing products are produced that support SQL3.
   
   The author addresses the temporal additions planned for SQL3 while presenting case studies and explanations as to why these additions would be helpful. There are about a dozen additions, depending on how you count things, ranging from new data types (time with time zone) to new predicates (overlaps).
   
   Even though I have worked with temporal database issues for many years, it was helpful to review the issues from someone else's perspective. Dr. Snodgrass obviously has been working with temporal databases far longer than I have and he has that grasp of the material that comes from mastering a subject. Yet he presents the material in a very readable and understandable way. I found the book both useful and entertaining.



4. Not much to add to the reviewers below, except perhaps that the book is friendly, chatty (it sports a goodly number of interesting trivia on rather rarely covered topics like calendars), and -- most of all -- it is exceptionally timely and focused on the right problem: developing temporal applications with the SQL products we have NOW (that is, the products that do not have any built-in support for temporality).
   
   This is in contrast with the recently growing body of literature dealing with the same or very similar topic, spacio-temporal data, but from the DBMS developer point of view, that is, how data-server programs are to be designed if they are intrinsically to support the concept of temporality -- which is, no doubt, interesting and in general enlightening, but at the same time academic, not immediately practical for applications developers: we do not have such products yet. Snodgrass's book shows how to deal with temporality with your regular SQL server product (in fact, it covers a number of the most widely used ones: servers like MS or Sybase SQL Server, DB2, Oracle, even MS Access). The book is clearly written, masterfully paced (not too fast, not too slow, even despite the numerous sidebars with historical info and other curiosities that this uncommon topic is so rich in), and supports the textual explanations with a large amount of sample code.
   
   The bottom line: recommended w/o reservations. This is a necessary, timely book that is also well done: a rare combination. That it is out of print is absurd, but not all is lost: the author very generously made it avaliable for download (in PDF format) on his site. A worthwhile read! Worthwhile even if you don't specifically need it right now (or, more likely, _think_ you don't -- because you don't know what it's about). Read it simply to clarify the concepts of temporality, for, most likely, you _are_ already dealing with them no matter what your specific applications are; you just don't know it yet. Read this book for the sake of mental clarity: once you do, I bet it will affect what you do with your databases no matter what it happens to be. A very, very good book.



5. (This review refers to the on-line version of the book, as distributed by the author)
   
   Hardly an easy read and quite long, but very much worth the trouble to read end-to-end. I actually wished it were longer, since some aspects are bypassed entirely (e.g. sequenced GROUP BY, maintaining referential integrity during DELETEs). It was an eye-opener.
   
   Do expect to spend a lot of time trying things out yourselves, and look out for small mistakes in the SQL code examples throughout.

1 comments about Hands-On SQL Server 2000 : Troubleshooting Locking and Blocking.

1. This 90 page pamphlet is a great choice if you want to understand how to pinpoint and analyze locking. The author delves into considerable detail on locking, isolation levels, monitoring, deadlocks, and lock escalation.
   
   The author has worked for Microsoft for many years and she knows her stuff. It is apparent she is intimately familiar with inner workings of SQL Architecture unlike many SQL book authors.
   
   Although this pamphlet is great in deciphering and understanding locking, it lacks suggestions on how to reduce locking problems.
   
   Sure, many of the locking issues can be resolved by creating an index, but the author hardly mentions even that as a solution.
   
   The pamphlet could have been much better if the author added a chapter on which type of indexes should be created on what types of columns. Also, a lesson on statistics, how it is used, and how it can be best manipulated by DBAs are not mentioned at all.
   
   I look forward to Kalen's next book on SQL 2005 which I am sure will be detailed and insightful.

5 comments about The SQL Server 6.5 Performance Optimization and Tuning Handbook.

1. Had response problems with current database setup and SQL statements. The chapters on Indexing and Optimizing really work. Ex. A simple query on two tables took 2.5 minutes. After applying some of the suggestions, the query took a little over 2 seconds...



2. The techniques described in this book are effective and well thought out. Even if performance optimization is not your main goal, this book is well worth reading. The book delivers in-depth information on indexing, locking, the optimizer and many other topics in a very readable format. Ideal for those with some knowledge of SQL Server who want to dig deeper.



3. After you have spent 8-80 hours trying random combo's on the Server Configuration panel trying to guess what you should do, buy this book and score a direct hit! Microsoft should bundle this book with SQL Server. If a little more detail were provided on the internal data structures of SQL Server one could write a bulk loader that bypassed SQL Server entirely (I know its been done by others) and load 10 X as fast. (hint-hint) This is the closest thing to a K&R for MS SQL Server I've ever seen. I really like the brevity of this book. Every word counts! Very, very good job Ken!



4. This book is one of many I have read on SQL Server 6.5. It is clear& very well written. It highlights key points and goes into the right amount of detail. It is a must-read for anyone designing, deploying, or administering a SQL SERVER 6.5 database.



5. This book completely demystifies a number of SQL tuning concepts. This book provides a superb overview of the various performance topics, and then drills down deep enough into the concepts to give you the insights necessary to tackle thorny performance problems with multiple causes. This is still a very valuable book for SQL 7.0--the majority of the concepts are still with us.

No comments about CramSession's Oracle 8i SQL and PL/SQL : Certification Study Guide.

No comments about Advanced SQL: 1999 - Understanding Object-Relational and Other Advanced Features (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Data Management Systems).

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.

1 comments about Transact SQL User Defined Functions.

1. The author did a great job describing User Defined Functions, how they are used, how they should NOT be used. It is a great book for people who don't know what User Defined Functions are and even for people who do. Even though I have used UDF's before, there were some great tips of when to use them and when not to.

   I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in UDF's and even those who are not. It will open the eyes of people who write TSQL on different ways to solve some of the simple problems you are faced with in writing TSQL.

No comments about Oracle Distributed Systems: A C Programmer's Development Guide.

No comments about Manual de Oracle.