Customer Reviews

Murach's SQL for SQL Server

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The most important feature of this book is that it provides good coverage of SQL Server topics with good comprehension.

I was skeptical when I heard of the 2 page format: explain a concept on the left page and show an example emphasizing important points on the right page. It turned out to be an excellent approach to teaching a subject area. Each concept is bite sized. Each example demonstrates the concept. The important points reinforce the key items and introduce subtleties you might not encounter until you've used SQL Server for a while.

I read the book as background to the 70-229 SQL Server Design exam. This book's scope provides only a subset of the exam's topics. It is a great SQL Server introduction book.

I picked up this book last week and I have to say
what an excellent book it is! I have been using SQL
syntax for ten years but have always been intimidated by SQL Server. Not
anymore! This book is the best book I have ever read on ANY computer topic.
The two-page format makes it easy to learn a new skill. The examples are
clear and easy to follow. I was especially impressed with the writers ability to
start with simple examples and expand on them from there. The CD that comes with he book includes an evaluaton copy of SQL Server so you have everything you need to start right away.
If you don't learn SQL Server from this book, then there is little hope you ever will!

This is a good book. However, if you are just beginning to learn SQL, then you should really slug through "SQL Queries for Mere Mortals" first. Having done that, I found Murach's 2 page presentation style on each topic a very good way to reinforce what I had learned in "SQL Queries for Mere Mortals". The Murach text also teaches you the SQL extensions specific to Microsoft SQL Server 2000, and covers the UPDATE, DELETE & INSERT keywords, plus Data Definition Language and the other advanced features of SQL Server.

This is the first Murach book i've read, and it's probably not going to be the last.

The quality of this book is well above the quality of most techie books that i've read, and second only to the Head First series. I like the two-page format that this book provides. You open the book and on the left page is all the details of what you are learning and on the right you get a broken down summary of what you just read on the left. This may seem like redundant info... and it is, but really, the info gets drilled deep into your brain. You might think that this format would bore one to tears, but it doesn't... well not too bad anyways.

Brian does a good job of explaining how things work. You get a decent overview of Microsoft SQL Server (such as using Enterprise Manager, Query Analyzer and such), but most of this book is about the SQL language. You will learn all about your basic SELECT, UPDATE, INSERT and DELETE statements and how to use them to your full potential. You also learn about stored procedures, subqueries, triggers...etc. In other words you get a pretty darn good overview of SQL for SQL Server.

If I could do half stars here on Amazon then this book would be more like a 4.5/5, only because of the redundancy (the whole two-page style I mentioned above). Like I said before, it is good because it gets drilled into your brain, but without that there could have been a lot more meat on these bones. But then again, learning was easier this way...

Murach's SQL For SQL Server is a comprehensive reference and professional training manual for computer programmers which offers both basic and advanced tutorials in such things as how to write SQL queries that retrieve and update the stored contents of a Microsoft SQL Server database; designing databases; and using features embraced by professions such as triggers, locking and security, stored procedures; and much, much more. A solid guide packed with examples, tips, tricks, and techniques, Murach's SQL For SQL Server also includes a CD-ROM containing the Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine, Microsoft SQL Server Enterprise Evaluation Edition, Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Books Online, five databases that can be used in conjunction with the text, examples from the book, and a great deal more. Murach's SQL For SQL Server is an invaluable and highly recommended addition to SQL oriented reference collections.

As a trainer, I look for books that communicate their content in an easily understood manner and that provide enough meat to answer people's questions. This books fits the bill so well that I'm considering using it instead of the Microsoft Official Curriculum in the courses I teach. Each right-hand page is a figure that illustrates or summarizes what the left-hand page explains in a narrative format. I went through this book alongside the Microsoft course 2071 manual and learned much more from this book. The CD includes sample databases, the Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE), an updated SQL Server Books Online and an evaluation copy of SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition. It has risen to the top of my recommended reading list I supply to students regarding SQL.

SQL for SQL Server is a book that should be on every developer's bookshelf. It would be a great tool to have in the Administrator's library as well, though it is more language-specific than adminstrative-task oriented. The book starts with language elements, then moves through database design and implementation issues and finally on to "advanced SQL skills" - much of which is oriented to working with a larger SQL Server implementation with pre-existing code, views, tables, etc.

There is good information on backups, restores, things like that, but my opinion is that the book is so much more a reference on the language and implementation than the administration of SQL Server - that's where the completeness of the coverage is really what makes it unique. For example, if you want to understand the CASE and COALESCE functions - it's covered with narrative and direct examples of the usage. CONVERT, CAST, UNIONs, are more examples.

This text is one that you can put on the shelf and refer to whenever you get stuck with a function/syntax issue. Combined with Books Online, you'll be set.

One thing I would like to see more of is an explanation of the gotchas, with some workaround ideas. It would be great to have a mix of SQL for SQL Server, SQL for Smarties and the tidbits from Sharon Dooley's Essential SQL Server 7 book.

I checked this book out from the library in order to get up to speed at work. I have a good grasp on programming (mostly scripting languages) so as long as you're not a total novice and can understand logic routines then I highly recommend this book for a those new to SQL.

It covers everything in a no fuss, here it is, this is what it means and here's an example (that actually works)! This book is a must for those who just want to get straight to the meat of it.

My IT manager saw it and asked me to purchase a copy for the office even though it's a bit old - it's that good!

This book should be required reading for any application developer using SQL Server. The layout of syntax, guidelines, and examples on one page with explanations on a matching page provide an easy and quick reference to SQL Server.

It is a straight-forward presentation of SQL Server information and a book that will stay on my bookshelf.

This is a fantastic guide to SQL for SQL Server. The only book you will need, it covers all the relevant areas in the well written clear style that I've come to expect from Murach's books. I would reccommend it to anyone, from the beginner to the expert.