Inside Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008: T-SQL Querying [Paperback]

Itzik Ben-Gan (Author), Lubor Kollar (Author), Dejan Sarka (Author), Steve Kass (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 25, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0735626030 | ISBN-13: 978-0735626034 | Edition: 1

Tackle the toughest set-based querying and query tuning problems—guided by an author team with in-depth, inside knowledge of T-SQL. Deepen your understanding of architecture and internals—and gain practical approaches and advanced techniques to optimize your code’s performance.

Discover how to:

• Move from procedural programming to the language of sets and logic
• Optimize query tuning with a top-down methodology
• Assess algorithmic complexity to predict performance
• Compare data-aggregation techniques, including new grouping sets
• Manage data modification—insert, delete, update, merge—for performance
• Write more efficient queries against partitioned tables
• Work with graphs, trees, hierarchies, and recursive queries
• Plus—Use pure-logic puzzles to sharpen your problem-solving skills

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Itzik Ben-Gan is a principal mentor and a founder of SolidQ. A Microsoft MVP for SQL Server since 1999, Itzik teaches and consults internationally on T-SQL querying, programming, and query tuning. He has written numerous articles for SQL Server Magazine and MSDN, and speaks at industry events such as Microsoft TechEd, DevWeek, PASS, and SQL Server Connections.

Lubor Kollar is group program manager with the SQL Server Customer Advisory Team at Microsoft, working on the most challenging SQL Server deployments worldwide. He has 13+ years of experience with SQL Server development.

Dejan Sarka is a mentor with SolidQ and focuses on development of database and business intelligence applications. He is a frequent speaker at international conferences such as TechEd, SqlDevCon, and PASS. He is the founder of the Slovenian SQL Server and .NET Users Group. As main author or coauthor, Dejan has written nine books about SQL Server. He has also developed three courses for SolidQ: Data Modeling Essentials, Data Quality and Master Data Management, and Data Mining.

Steve Kass, PhD, is an MVP for SQL Server and a professor of mathematics and computer science. He has written for SQL Server Magazine and spoken at SQL Server Magazine Connections events.

Product Details

• Paperback: 688 pages
• Publisher: Microsoft Press; 1 edition (March 25, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735626030
• ISBN-13: 978-0735626034
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 1.9 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,816 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #10 in Books > Computers & Technology > Microsoft > Development > SQL Server
  • #17 in Books > Computers & Technology > Databases > SQL
  • #37 in Books > Computers & Technology > Databases > Database Management Systems

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 58 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Too "in-depth". Not easy to read but packaged with good TSQL info. Not for the newbie. February 27, 2010

By Jose

Format:Paperback

I just went yesterday to a famous bookstore here in town to check this one before order it online and left a bit disappointed, with no desire at all to buy it. Don't get me wrong, Itzik is an awesome writer, a genius on his field, but I do not share the previous 5 start opinions and I will explain why.

I do not consider myself an TSQL expert but got some SQL DBA years on my belt and a MCTS cert too. Having said that and after almost finish reading Microsoft SQL Server 2008 T-SQL Fundamentals (PRO-Developer), same author, I found this one very difficult to follow, flooded with tons of theory and math that for a TSQL book is in my opinion too much. Yes, SQL language has strong logic and math background but that is not what DBAs or developers are looking on a technical book and this is not a college book either; people are looking for practical books which can be quickly be applied on daily job activities.

Chapter #2 for example is full of logic and math stuff that I honestly skipped immediately. Nice as bonus information but not "straight to the point" T-SQL stuff. You can easily take that chapter out and keep the book lighter in my honest opinion. Same for Chapter#3, more logic and math stuff, related to T-SQL, yes, but no the real stuff.

Chapter 1, 7 and 10 are taken of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 T-SQL Fundamentals (PRO-Developer), which by the way, is an outstanding book. Those chapters are about SELECT, JOINS and DML, information that like I said, can be found on the Fundamentals book but in an easy to read style, even with exercises so you can evaluate your own skills.

Chapter #4 is probably the more interesting chapter of the whole book, is about query performance.... I must accept Itzik dominates the material but introduces so many complex query concepts and statements that you will get lost in no time. He even mentions he wasn't so sure about where to put this chapter, end of beginning, because the way he's using complex DMVs. But I believe you still can explain query performance without being so technical. This chapter is just full of complex query techniques that make even more complex the explanation of performance tuning strategies. I prefer SQL Server 2008 Query Performance Tuning Distilled by Grant Fritchey; a book just dedicated for that topic but delightful and easy to follow, without being a "dummy book".

In order to be fair and make justice though, the book is really full of theory about logical query processing, set theory and algorithms, foundations of what SQL language is. If you have a really strong background of TSQL query (I mean, really strong TSQL skills), math and the enough time to digest and understand that, this book is for you.

But to me, this book can be out of your book shelve and be easily replaced by this combo instead: SQL Server 2008 Query Performance Tuning Distilled+Microsoft SQL Server 2008 T-SQL Fundamentals (same author) Both will teach the same in a better and easy to follow approach, skipping all the logic, math and boring sql language foundation which to me, are unnecessary on this kind of books especially if you are not in college anymore, but working as a full time DBA. Read more ›

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What else can we ask to have in one book about T-SQL Querying? July 19, 2009

By Alejandro Mesa

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have really enjoyed this book from the begining to the end.

The new chapters from Steve and Dejan:

- Set Theory and Predicate Logic
- Algorithms and Complexity
- The Relational Model

are a very good complement. Having these topics is handy and refreshing, not to mention a must in this discipline.

Itzik's cover about the new T-SQL features introduced with SQL Server 2008, is insightful and very well guided. No doubt that he is an educator by nature.

If you are new to T-SQL, I strongly recommend that you first read Itzik's book "Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 T-SQL Fundamentals", prior to diving into this series (T-SQL Querying and T-SQL Programming).

Thanks to all the authors for such wonderful book.

Alejandro Mesa
SQL Server MVP

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Very well done August 23, 2009

By K. Goodhew

Format:Paperback

I'm new to T-SQL, but not new to database programming. I found this to be an excellent reference for the advanced programmer. The examples are well thought out and well organized. He often gives several different examples of how to solve a problem along with the pros and cons of each solution.

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended June 12, 2013

By Amazilla

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is like an expanded version of T-SQL Fundamentals by Itzik Ben-Gan, which is my SQL bible. Very well organized, great examples and I love that it covers what SQL does in the background, not just what result set is returned.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book. April 5, 2013

By Wolfsvein

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a good book as a reference book for beginner to intermediate knowledge of SQL. If you are looking for a way to learn SQL this is a good book to learn from too.

4.0 out of 5 stars SQL Theory Empasized February 23, 2013

By R. R. Jacobsen

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

In general, this book is well written and conveys the material in logical and progressive order. But readers should be ready for a great deal of theory. I read it quite a while ago and will still turn to it for tips that I remember being covered but that I now need to apply to a current problem -- the book delivers just what I need with sufficient examples to get rolling on my problem. When I read it, my background was pretty basic for T SQL but I did come away with a deeper appreciation for the product (SQL Server) and how to leverage it better in the future.

Regrettably, this book is written by multiple authors and it seemed easy for me to see the different styles of writing (good and bad) depending upon which section was being read. From my pov, a stronger editing for style would have helped because one author goes over the deep end covering theory while another seems to be able to cover theory sufficiently and then delivers a great hands-on and real world example showing how this theory matters.

There are some gems in the book to be sure. My favorites were:
The coverage of Set theory -- it is mathematics but really helped me understand how the product is built a particular way and how to leverage T SQL better with a well-built DB. This section was, from my pov, well written.

Learning about ROWNUMBER and HIERARCHYID. Boy can you use those in the real world! Never knew about them before reading this book.

How to optimize Indexes and usage of PIVOT.

Graphs, Trees, Hierarchies and Recursive Queries -- good material but delivered with too much theory and, imho, too little example.

Using CTE's (Common Table Expressions). I had never read about such things till this book and found it quite enlightening....

Query optimization -- what a great write up as to how SQL Server works when performing queries/searches followed by some great hands-on examples applying the theory.

This book remains one of my best references. I would recommend it to someone that has already had some T SQL experience and wants to take a deeper dive at optimizing their use of T SQL. Read more ›

4.0 out of 5 stars Expert knowledge and outstanding organization. More lucid writing needed. January 20, 2013

By Jaewoo Kim TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Sometimes, the authors of technical books have the prerequisite expert knowledge and have an outstanding organization and game plan. But their writing is just too ambiguous. This is one of those books. The author should simply get to the point and not meander too much.

First, this book is not for the beginners. Indeed, you may not need all the knowledge contained in this book to be even intermediate DBA or DB Developer. But if you want to raise your knowledge of MS SQL to an expert level, a book like this sure helps. It is really too bad the author can't be more forthright in his writing.

Pros:
1)Expert in how MS SQL processes transactions.
2)Outstanding organization.
3)Comprehensive explanation of T-SQL.
4)If you want to understanding SQL performance tuning, this book is a must.

Cons:
1)Not for the beginners.
2)Writing could be far more lucid.