Customer Reviews

Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 Unleashed

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have read 4 SQL Server 6.5 books to get up to speed for the MCSE exams. This is clearly the most thorough and well written. Deserves 5 stars overall. Here are my picks for SQL Server 6.5 books. 1) SQL Server Unleashed, 2) SQL Server DBA Survival Guide (btw you can download this at www.mcp.com), 3) Inside SQL Server (Soukup), then finally 4) SQL Server Programming Unleashed (I thought this one was not as good for DBA, and was pretty mediocre for a programming book.)

Not only is this an excellent SQL Server book, but it is one of the best technical books I've read on a subject.

I usually scour the review section at Amazon before making book purchases to avoid wasting time. Hope this helps you on your road to DBA-dom.

While I will not disagree with the comments of other reviews I have given the rating of one star because you can not even begin to use the DB on the CD of you are already not proficient at SQL Server. Here is what I have found wrong and what I did to fix it.

First Sams does not have any fixes posted at its web site for this book. Shame on Sams!

2nd: pages 6 & 7 of the book use the command line to install the database which is ok but Sql Server 6.5 is GUI. The instructions/commands given did install the db structure but would not let the data be put in via bcp commands. Database was locked because it was loading; loading what?? Also the log file is put in the data file. This is a huge no no. The log file should be seperate so you can recover the DB. Once I did that I could move data to the DB from the Bcp command line.

3rd: the pubdata.dmp file is missing so you cannot install the bigpubs database off the CD. You must copy the pubs database to bigpubs to obtain the table structure. This must be done before using the bcp command line.

4th: the names of the tables in pubs do not align with the names in bigpubs so when using the bcp command line you need to be aware of this. The cd uses the 8.3 format.

5th: the sales file has 168725 rows which is ridiculously large. It files the log files (at 168000, just 725 rows short) and aborts the install of the sales file. Finally did the following to get the sales data into the sales table:

bcp bigpubs..sales in sales.bcp -Usa -p -c -b1000

This forces commitment at every 1,000 rows so the darn thing will work. It won't file the log files either!!!!

6th: the note on page 7 refers to pubdata.bmp!! A bitmap?? Think what it should have been .dmp. Anyway the dmp file is NO Where on the CD.

7th: the book doesn't have a rating on the back cover for novice, beginner, intermediate, etc. If you are a beginner you probably did not understand the fixes I did. You may still obtain a lot out of the book but pages 6 & 7 will prove difficult. Hopefully you will have access to someone who can assist you with the above.

Sams usually does a better job than this. Since the book has been out since May of 98 it is inexcusable that there are not any fixes posted to the Sams web site for this problem.

I have emailed Sams and asked them to review this so they can get the fixes on their web site.

Regards and Best Wishes to all.

This was a great book because it covered a range of topics that in many other books I read were ignored. However there were many typos and mistakes in the code. All in all worth buying, it helped me a great deal with preparing for my certification.

I read the others Inside SQL Server , SQL Server DBA Survial Guide, Inside SQL Server; but this is heads above the rest. The detailed low level analysis of walking data pages, distribution stats, Query showplan breakdown and Query analysis with trace flags, is awesome ! I only hope that the authors do a true upgrade for SQL 7. (Some of the other books are only paying lip service to the new features and changes in SQL 7.) Easily the best Advanced SQL 6.5 book out there.

This book was extremely comprehensive and informative, however it wasn't always clearly written or well organized.

I was hired as a DBA with no experience in Microsoft SQL 6.5 server. This book was a godsend. The style is thorough, concise and understandable. I have found answers to messy problems which has saved thousands in consulting fees. (and my reputation). We are a small company with a small IT staff so resources are low. This book is truly helpful. I'm sure I'll get the SQL (get it ) for the SQL 7.0 version when we upgrade.

You MUST have this book if you are doing anything with SQL.

It may not be perfect. It is hands down the best reference out there.

Get Soukup's book too...you'll be ready to rumble.

I have a problem with computer books in general. I've been in the industry for 16 years, so I don't want a book that I have to read from cover to cover to find out how to do a simple operation. I know enough about databases to know what I want to do, but I use them just often enough to forget how to do it. This book is perfect for me. From new installs, to complex queries, this is the only book I need. Very well done.

This book is a good resource for finding trouble spots or common errors that arise with SQL Server 6.5. Even better, it tells you how to avoid certain problems in the first place. I wouldn't recommend this for the complete newbie.

it's a great book for my every-day work, i'm a DBA of a private bank and i use it all days, grat for administering and understand knowledge