Customer Reviews

Beginning SQL Server 2008 Administration

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I own all kinds of SQL Server Developer books and have been developing web applications targeting SQL Server for years. What I didn't know a lot about is the proper way to install, administer, secure and maintain SQL Server and a current project has me doing a number of administrative duties on top of my typical developer duties.

This book really hit the sweet spot for me as it gave me a decent balance of concepts and recipes. It provides a good understanding of how to administer SQL Server and shows you solutions to common, day-to-day administration. First thing I wanted to do was achieve an automated, backup strategy for the various databases and was literally able to do this within a few hours using the samples in the book. I was also able to apply encryption and compression which was icing on the cake. I also added a couple of maintenance plans that kicked off nightly and weekly to target common issues that may affect performance. And then, of course, the coverage on how to add users and roles and lock down privileges was very useful to gain a better understanding of how to minimize security risks, etc.

If you are new to SQL Server 2008 administration, this is a really nice first book for someone who needs to learn the concepts quickly and apply those concepts right away. It walks you through numerous screenshots in SQL Server Management Studio and gives you useful recipes and solutions to solve common problems. The book gets you started on your journey and then as you want to learn more you can purchase advanced books as necessary.

I have been a Database Programmer / Developer for a number of years. I needed to perform some Database Administration tasks at my current job, and this book was very handy explaining the basics step-by-step.