6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
A Pathetic Adaptation of the 2005 Edition, July 2, 2010
This review is from: Expert SQL Server 2008 Development (Expert's Voice in SQL Server) (Paperback)
I don't usually review things here, but in this case I felt I had to say something. I really enjoyed the the 2005 version of this book written by Adam Machanic, and was excited to dive into the world of SQL Server 2008 with this new text by my side. I learned a lot of great techniques from other book and so my expectations for "Expert SQL Server 2008 Development" were high. Unfortunately, like the poorly-directed sequel to last year's summer blockbuster, this follow-up disappointed in every regard.
- My first impression came when I opened the pages of the book - and found that it was printed on cheap, thin, almost newspaper-quality paper. I understand that we're all pinching pennies, but this is unacceptable. The paper is so thin, you can see through it; and it takes a steady hand to turn every page without ripping it out of the spine. Frustrating, to say the least.
- The content itself raised another issue: it is mostly the same as the 2005 edition, but the examples have been flipped around and are convoluted and difficult to understand. I found myself wondering how some of the code even related to the text, but luckily I was able to skip most of it because I'd already read it! What a ripoff. A bunch of stuff chopped up and scavenged from the 2005 version, with almost nothing new. I was expecting to learn a lot about the *new* features in SQL Server 2008, but instead I got a confusing, poorly thought out rehash.
- The previous version of the book has full code samples that you can download, and I thought this was standard for books of this type. I guess not, because this 2008 version has no online downloads at all. Some of the code examples are sizeable, and it's not like I want to sit there typing them all in.
I feel like I've wasted both time and money on this book, and don't recommend it to anyone. The 2005 version was really great, and this is a gigantic step down. I don't even think the original author wrote this - I noticed that his name isn't included in the about the authors section of the book, even though it's on the cover. What a disappointment.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Its an ok book. Not much to become an expert., March 27, 2011
This review is from: Expert SQL Server 2008 Development (Expert's Voice in SQL Server) (Paperback)
When I read through the book i got a feeling like I have used/known most of what is in this book. There were only very few that I got to learn from it. Starting from the early chapters, such as methodologies, best practices, testing routines... these are known to any database developer even if he is not an expert. These are very basic. A OK description of Error handling by using try, catch.
In the later chapters describing Dynamic T-SQL, I was expecting more from an expert who is voicing out on Dynamic use of T-SQL in 2008 since its now used more commonly. At least more on the Dynamic SQL Security considerations. There was only a little brief about the security considerations just SQL injection, interface rules. also, Page 233 was a waste. (just has a summary which is the same as the summary in Page 232. :) ).
Some description on the later chapters about working with concurrent application, trees, graphs and hierarchies. that is OK too. I would say this book gives some knowledge to developers with very basic knowledge and haven't worked much in the previous versions of SQL. Not recommending for an analyst developer, who would like to become an expert in SQL.
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