Beginning SQL Server 2000 DBA: From Novice to Professional [Paperback]

Tony Bain (Author), Baya Pavliashvili (Author), Joseph Sack (Author), Michael Benkovich (Author), Brian Freeman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 159059293X | ISBN-13: 978-1590592939 | Publication Date: January 8, 2004 | Edition: 1

SQL Server 2000 is the leading relational database in the Windows market. The increased manageability of SQL Server 2000 has "lowered the bar" with regard to the people that can use it – anyone can use a SQL Server database. However, this book recognizes that aspiring DBAs need more than just a basic knowledge of the available features in order to be considered "a safe pair of hands" for the database and the mission-critical data that is stored in it. They require direction and advice from an expert mentor who not only understands the features available and how they should be used, but also knows what it takes to be a good and effective DBA. In essence, this book is that "mentor", and this is why the book stands apart from the "feature overview" competition.

The book teaches a database novice the core job and roles involved in administering a SQL Server database. It follows the lifecycle of the database, from installation, design and modeling, through development, tuning and securing to growth and migration. It provides practical advice ("How to..."), answers typical questions that they'll encounter from managers and developers ("How do I..."), and offers practical steps to overcome issues with which beginners traditionally struggle. At every stage, it establishes a range of tried-and-tested practices and techniques that will establish and maintain the health of a DB system ("How to be a good DBA").

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tony Bain: Tony Bain is the founder of Tony Bain & Associates and he has worked with SQL Server for the last 6 years. He is passionate about all database technologies especially when they relate to enterprise availability and scalability. Tony currently has Microsoft Certified System Engineer, Microsoft Certified Solution Developer, and Microsoft Certified Database Administrator certification. He is the coauthor of VB.NET & SQL Server 2000: Building an Effective Data Layer, SQL Server 2000 Stored Procedure Handbook, and Beginning SQL Server 2000 Programming, Professional SQL Server 2000 Data Warehousing with Analysis Services.

Baya Pavliashvili: Baya Pavliashvili is Senior Database Administrator possessing extensive development experience with the latest client-server and Web technologies as well as Visual Studio .NET. He has in-depth knowledge and demonstrated experience of Microsoft SQL Server database administration and specializes in systems and business analysis, logical and physical database design, database administration, replication, data warehousing and OLAP, query optimization, application performance tuning and database programming. He is also experienced in systems integration, software testing, implementation, support, and training. Pavliashvili is a Microsoft Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA), Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD), and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE). He is the coauthor of .Net E-Business Architecture , Knowledge Expert for SQL Server (QUEST, available on CD only), and contributor to SQL Server Security Distilled.

Joseph Sack: Joseph Sack is a database administration and developer consultant based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Since 1997, he has been developing and supporting SQL Server environments for clients in financial services, IT consulting, manufacturing, and the real estate industry. He is a Microsoft Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA). Sack received his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Minnesota. He is the author of SQL Server 2000 Fast Answers for DBAs and Developers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 696 pages
• Publisher: Apress; 1 edition (January 8, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159059293X
• ISBN-13: 978-1590592939
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,526,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've worked as a SQL Server professional since 1997 and I work for Microsoft as a Dedicated Support Engineer in the Premier Field Engineering team, working with retail sector customers in the Twin Cities. I'm the author of 'SQL Server 2000 Fast Answers', 'SQL Server 2005 T-SQL Recipes' and "SQL Server 2008 Transact-SQL Recipes."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

98 of 98 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extensive coverage of what every SQL DBA should know, May 2, 2004

By 

Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beginning SQL Server 2000 DBA: From Novice to Professional (Paperback)

Packed with practical, real-world information for anyone involved with SQL Server Administration, "Beginning SQL Server 2000 DBA: From Novice to Professional" is one of the most complete administration books available. It is not without its problems but they are generally pretty minor and in fact somewhat humorous at times. For example, page 84 has a section titled "Upgrading to SQL Server 6.5" and page 90 a section titled "Upgrading to Earlier Versions of SQL Server". Obviously you don't upgrade to an earlier version nor do you upgrade from 2000 to 6.5. So, while there are errors, they are so obvious as to not be a big problem. When it comes to the technical details where accuracy is critical, I didn't find any obvious errors.

So what does the book cover? It starts with the different types of DBAs, the different versions of SQL Server 2000 available, installation methods and resolving installation problems. After getting everything installed and working correctly it moves on to working with the database with things like creating a database, basic considerations for databases (such as raid levels), and everyday administrative activities like making the database read-only, removing databases, adding databases, changing the path, creating and deleting tables. One of the things I liked about this section (and most of the sections of the book) was that it explained how to do each task by using the database manager and by using the Transact-SQL language.

Each of the sections follows logically from the prior one. With all the database management section completed the next part covers doing queries, joins, creating indexes, and similar tasks, basic backing up and restoring databases, generating a database script, creating and adding jobs, working with security and authentication, user permissions, roles, application security, ODBC, ADO, performance monitoring, and other tasks.

Although it was mentioned in brief in an earlier chapter, chapter eight provides a thorough treatment of backup and recovery. This is a very important chapter, I have run across many, many SQL installations where people did not understand the correct backup and restore procedures for SQL and made a complete mess of their system using copy and paste techniques. The author does an excellent job here and it will keep you out of trouble if you follow his advice.

The remaining portion of the book covers replication (a particularly well-done chapter), writing Transact-SQL code, creating views, error handling, writing triggers, data warehousing, data analysis, and creating a data transformation package using the data transformation package editor. Due to the breadth of coverage "Beginning SQL Server 2000 DBA: From Novice to Professional" is exactly as advertised and useful to both the complete novice and the experienced professional. Note that although it covers some of the more common uses of T-SQL for administrative purposes it is not a book on programming, it is a book on administration and within that defined area it is excellent. "Beginning SQL Server 2000 DBA" is a highly recommended read.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not enough T-SQL, March 27, 2006

By 

Dane F. Black "Dane Black" (Northeast Wisconsin, USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beginning SQL Server 2000 DBA: From Novice to Professional (Paperback)

Overall, I would say this book is well put together and is an excellent resource. I personally was hoping for a bit more meat on the programming of the T-SQL commands and methods, but the lack of that information is not the fault of the author, merely my selection of the wrong book.

I picked up valuable knowledge about SQL Server that will serve me well, but DBAs in my company do a heck of a lot with T-SQL that apparently is not as common in other places.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A review, November 22, 2006

By 

Geek in Spokane - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beginning SQL Server 2000 DBA: From Novice to Professional (Paperback)

Warning! This might be a wonderful book except for the fact that the publishers decided to use much smaller print than is normally used for computer manuals. If staring at small print is not a problem for you then buy this book, otherwise you might be better off buying another book with normal sized print.