Customer Reviews

Inside Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 (Microsoft Programming Series)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book was awesome. It takes a very very deep and granular look at SQL server. I just got a job as a SQL DBA and I wanted to know everything there was about SQL server. For three months I read this book on the bus to and from work, and now, when an issue comes up at work, i am AMAZED by how much I know. He also really prepares you with the transition to SQL 7, hinting at possible new features as he goes along. If you had only read this book, you would know more about SQL 7 than you think!

Only 2 negative comments: Very pro-microsoft and anti-competition. Oracle has GOT to do some things better than SQL Server, but you would never know that by reading this book. Also, this book is NOT A REFERENCE book. It is a story about SQL Server, and if you get to the end, you will be a kick-butt DBA.

This is a must-have for any *serious* SQL 6.5 DBA or developer. It is not the only book you must have, it does NOT explain how to use SQL Server (hence the bad review given by someone who had never used it). It explains, very clearly, how it works, and what happens under the bonnet. Reading it really gave me a very clear understanding of what goes on, which means I can use it better, more efficeintly etc. There is a great section on Query optimisation, which I've just started, but so far so good.

If you want to learn how to use SQL Server, get Wynkoop's "Using SQL Server 6.5 Special Edition", if you've got that or similar, and want to know more, get this one.

If you are new to SQL server or TSQL, you should buy a TSQL reference or "teach yourself" type of book rather than this book. After you finish learning TSQL, then BUY THIS BOOK and STUDY EVERY PAGE. When I first started learning SQL this book was too advanced for me. But after getting a grip on SQL syntax, you will realize that this book is truly the BIBLE. I have bought 4 SQL books (plus I have all of the books on line) - and whenever I can't find an answer in all of those other books I know that it will be in Soukup's. And it always is.

This is not a "how to install" SQL server book - as some seem to have mistaken it for.

It is not often I give 5 stars (except when I eat Chinese food). I learned more about SQL Server from this single book than any other source. Concise and clear explainations. Detail where it needs to be. I used this in developing my first SQL Server 6.5 app. I am so confident now I can talk intelligently with DBA's and systems people. From VB to admin to BCP to T-SQL. If I had a reference like this for other products I would have very few books. Great!

This book MUST be on the shelf of anyone seriously using SQL Server. It has information not found anywhere else, and the author immediately establishes his credibility. The chapters on locking, cursors, architecture, and performance tuning provide information that is invaluable for developing high performance apps, and that information cannot be found anywhere in the rather mediocre documentation of the product itself, nor in the knowledgebase at microsoft.com. This book is not for the novice. I note there was one bad review here of the book - by someone who had difficulty installing SQL Server. This book is not for him for sure - and Soukup is pretty clear on that. In fact, that chapter is not at all about "Installing", but rather just planning for the right hardware and baseline configuration to go with. It has a great discussion of RAID configurations, and I realized that I had been running a suboptimal RAID-5 system (as my Proliant came configured). After a long weekend, I reconfigured everything in lines with the guidelines in this book, and saw an immediate, significant improvement.

I hope this book will be revisised quickly when version 7 ships !

Thank you Mr Soukup for this great work.

We have to admire people like Ron Soukup. He knows what he is talking about and he his very practical. I also recommend a look to SQL-Programmer for Windows from another bunch of good guys at Sylvain Faust. Keep that book with you... all the time if your life (and salary) depends of SQL Server!

If you're starting to develop SQL Server databases, this book is a must buy! Covers the basics such as triggers, procedures, good table design, and much more with some of the best examples that I have seen anywhere!

After taking the Accelerated SQL Course, and using practise exams, I was disappointed in my score on my first attempt to pass this exam. I had never failed and exam before! With this book, my score improved by 250 points. Material I couldn't find elsewhere was answered in abundance in this book. ( As an example, I failed to find material concerning an update in place elsewhere, yet there are 13 pages concerning that topic in this book). Very thorough, yet enjoyable. A must read for anyone preparing for the SQL Database Design exam.

I read the book carefully and found the topics of SQL Server Architecture and Locking to be very important. Especially, the book has covered architecture part in great details, which no other books mentions about. I look forward to Ron Soukup's next book (may be Inside SQL Server 7.0)

I used this book to study for the MCSD exam 70-127: Implementing a Database Design with SQL Server 6.5.

This book is excellent! It touches on EVERY aspect of SQL Server 6.5 that you want to know about, and is written in a very readable format. This is very important when the subject matter is technical. Let's face it - no-one relishes this stuff, so when a book such as this is written in a manner which MAKES you want to read on, that's a great thing!

Well done Mr Soukup.