Customer Reviews

Hitchhiker's Guide to SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Now that all the friends and family have promoted the book...

In order to understand something new, we all must relate that which we're learning to that which we already know.
Pete and Bill have a difficult time transitioning from campy comedians to thoughtful educators. To this extent, their writing style lacks any useful analogies whatsoever which might bridge the gap between the known and the unknown.

The book is full of droll and distracting fantasy references which are completely irrelevant to the subject matter, and are prone to taking the unsuspecting reader off task.

The potential purchaser should also be forewarned that the authors tend towards another immature trait of attempting to impress the reader with their linguistic abilities. Yet, to be effective at teaching they should have remembered to never use a complicated word where a simple one will do.

Many examples are rambling and inconcise, where step-by-step quickly degrades into an ambiguous and vague path.

Not every developer can obtain DOMAIN Authority in order to issue SSL certificates and it's too bad that the authors don't allow for this type of scenario, especially when a reporting system is on a VPN.

All of the content is there, but it's up to the reader to filter and translate most of it from the pitfalls aforementioned into something more to the center of the bell curve.

Being a beta tester for Reporting Services I had the chance to meet Peter Blackburn (the co-author of Hitchhiker's Guide to SQL Server 2000 Reporting). His name was the one to come up every time I was searching for help in any search engine or newsgroup about Reporting Services. He even was there, talking to me live on MSN Messenger, helping me to solve my most extreme problems or understand the various concepts about securing, authoring, deploying and managing RS.
I know that these guys spend a lot of time on researching, helping other people, giving Microsoft RS development team precious feedback. Their trails are all over the internet to prove it!
So, I was happy when Peter told me that he and Bill Vaughn were writing a book on the subject and I was really pleased to see that their book was such an excellent piece of work when I got it in my hands...
The book:
Written in a natural, easy to read language (I'm Greek and my English is not proficient) this book is a precious guide for the Report developer, the WEB developer, the Administrator and DBA, System Integrator and even the hardcore developer. This book explains in detail not only how but why. The two experienced authors suggest best practices and justify why. Another thing that I liked most in this book, is the Security point of view of everything. Peter will not let you setup an insecure RS without having nightmares and for all your life! He won't let you write a single query that leaves the infamous "Injection Code" backdoor open. Instead he'll give you an alternative and explain why it is better (see: "Procedure for passing parameters to Stored Procs").
The humour lying all over this book makes it really enjoyable - be prepare for some laughs too, Peter is quite a character.
But, this book is not only a very good guide. It is a source of valuable advices, tips, tricks, inside (MS) info but most of all it is an independent look on Reporting Services that goes farther than Microsoft itself!
I'll be more specific:
This book will show you how to achieve some things (that you'll desperately need when you become an expert) that MS simply does not support:
* Passing multivalue parameters - IN (p1, p2, p3)
* Creating and using your own parameter UI before report execution (my favourite)
* Expanding Reports with your templates and styles
* Customizing the Report Manager
Oh, I said: "show you"! I mean it. There is a DVD accompanying this book. This DVD is the most useful one I've ever used with a book. The "Hitchhiker's Guide Me" videos will show you step by step all the processes (you'll really appreciate the "Installing an SSL Security Certificate" guide).
My favourite parts:
* Installing and Configuring Reporting Services
* Report Security
* Extending Reports--Report Templates and Styles
* Customizing the Report Manager
* Managing Reports using SOAP
To conclude:
Excellent book, it worth the money. You'll read it once. If you are a developer it will be your best friend for ever!

As a Software Engineer I was looking for one concise source for everything I needed to know about Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services. The book covers everything you need to know and would want to learn about, and more, in a manner which puts this book ahead of the competition.

The inside knowledge of Reporting Services from the Authors is clear from the outset and along with the very high quality video walkthroughs on the DVD, there really is no stone left uncovered in the area of Reporting Services.

The best practise guidelines include installation techniques, security options and their implications, query techniques and much more.

Every possible option possible within Reporting Services is explained and there is even content which goes beyond this showing you how to customize the look of the Reporting Services Manager.

In summary the inside knowledge of the Authors of this book coupled with the learning material including the DVD make this my favourite book of 2004.

Go buy it now!

SQL Server 2000 has impressive relational database capabilities, built up by Microsoft in its long struggle with Oracle and IBM. But the size of a real life database and the complexity of a SQL query and of understanding the server's reply are daunting. Thus, Microsoft provides an easier Reporting Services layer, so that you do not need to have expert knowledge of SQL to make intelligent use of SQL Server.

Hence, as an example, the text devotes considerable space to showing the usage of Report Designer Wizards. Quite pretty front end GUIs that hide a lot of complexity. Then there is the Report Manager, to help get summary output understandable to a nontechnical manager.

But while the book shows how these software gadgets do indeed make usage easier, they do not make it easy. This is still a programming book. The heft of which bears testimony to the amount of effort you have to invest in mastering Reporting Services. The programming complexity here tends to be greater than in books on writing macros for Microsoft Word, to cite just one example. (Just in case you are familiar with the latter.)

This is quite simply one of the best technical companion books I have ever purchased. In the last 15 years I have purchased dozens of database and technical manuals, and this one stands head and shoulders over the others. Most books in this category tend to cost $75, $100 or more - this book is an exceptional value.

I've been using SQL Reporting Services for the last six months. The documentation included with the product all too often fails to explain WHY something works the way it does, or help with workarounds to unforeseen problems. Starting with the authors' website forums, and now this book, I have solved many puzzles encountered with SRS, and taken my SRS skills from beyond the basics to some pretty cool development.

Hitchhiker's Guide is written in a very approachable manner for the non-technical reader as well. The authors use the right combination of humor, expertise and practical advice. When you throw in the walk-throughs and samples on the included DVD, this book simply cannot be beat.

I moved from Crystal to Reporting Services and had no idea how cool Reporting Services could be. Peter and Bill don't skim the surface on how to do basic things; they give in depth instruction on how to make Reporting Services work hard for you. They give ideas and example on how to create reports that will impress anyone. Between the book and the website, I have been able to solve the tough problems that have arisen from what report viewers want. Most books give basic instruction on how to do things that anyone could figure out in a week of working with the product. This book goes to the next step and teaches you how to really use Reporting Services and also gives shortcuts to help you accomplish your projects faster. The DVD, which comes with it, has a "Guide Me" section and it is full of examples, tips and tricks that helped me quickly move to the next level. I love this book!

This book is an excellent reference on SQL Reporting Services as a powerful tool and important solution in the Microsoft BI framework. The format is well organized and begins with an extensive overview. Thorough explanations and walkthroughs are provided for, among other things, installation and configuration, report security, creating/using/extending reports and managing reports using SOAP. One of the things that particularly impressed me about this book is the attention to security concerns. The authors continuously refer to potential security issues and provide supplemental information and alternatives.

Although it presents complex concepts this book is a compelling read. The authors maintain an entertaining dialog with the reader engaging with real-world examples as well as very useful tips and tricks. They also provide abundant comic relief throughout the book.

The book purports to be intended for anyone from users and managers with little technical knowledge to hardcore developers but this might be a bit ambitious. This book is primarily written for DBAs and developers. If you are responsible for the deployment of SQL Reporting Services or are interested in migrating from proprietary reporting options, this book is a great choice.

This book/cd/ and access to an optional website combine to create an excellent resource that anyone dealing with Reporting Services needs to read.
The book is not a rehash of the documentation provided by Microsoft. It is a terrific top to bottom explanation of:
- how to install Reporting Services
- how to manage Reporting Services
- How to develop for reporting Services
- How to get Reporting Services to do things it doesnt do out of the box.
The attendant CD gives instructions, and a live demo, on how to setup and use SSL on your development web servers. In fact the CD has loads of walkthroughs, some with voice, that provide all kinds of information you need to know to properly configure SQL Reporting Services.
When SQL 2005 comes out I will buy the book these two write.

This book is the BEST IT book I have ever bought.

The technical content is in just the right quantity, yet it covers everything, and it is written in a manner in which even the non-techie can understand.

The DVD walk-thru's are just magnificent. I was able to setup from scratch in minimal time - thanks to the Guide Me's in the DVD. Yes, I even set up the SSL's as recommended !

I was always wanting the multiple/cascading parameters - now I know what to do !

Well done Peter and Bill.

This book has been written from a VB programmers point of view. If you want to just start creating reports or if you're not a VB programmer (ie DBA etc) you may find this hard work.As another reviewer mentioned, you may find the authors' jokes and writing style to be a hit and miss affair.

Nevertheless, there is some depth on Reporting Services not to be found elsewhere that is quite handy.