Pro SQL Server 2005 Assemblies (Expert's Voice) [Paperback]

Robin Dewson (Author), Julian Skinner (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1590595661 | ISBN-13: 978-1590595664 | Publication Date: January 4, 2006 | Edition: 1

SQL Server 2005 is the forthcoming release of the Microsoft's SQL Server database. SQL Server is currently the most popular database on the Windows platform. In 2002 it had 45% of the Windows database market, compared to 27% for Oracle, and its market is growing. [Source: Gartner Report, May 2003]. In many people’s eyes, the biggest advancement in SQL Server 2005 is the inclusion of the Common Language Runtime, or CLR, within the database. As a result, developers are no longer restricted to use of Transact-SQL to write stored procedures, functions and triggers. They can now create these objects using any of the .NET languages (C#, VB.NET, C++…) and compile them into .NET assemblies in the database.

In theory, assemblies provide the "best of both worlds". The code can be hosted in the secure, environment of the database, delegating memory management, garbage collection and thread support to the robust database engine, while exploiting .NET’s computational power, advanced data type support, and rich array of built-in classes.

The book provides an in-depth tutorial on building and using assemblies. It will focus on building assemblies in C# code, but will provide the equivalent VB.NET code in the code download. Alongside this tutorial comes a detailed examination of exactly when assemblies should and should not be used. Assemblies are not a complete replacement for T-SQL stored procedures and triggers, but are enhancements, to be used at the right place at the right time. After reading this book, the reader will be able to build robust, useful and intelligent assemblies that are safe to execute and secure to the organization.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robin Dewson has been hooked on programming ever since he bought his first computer, a Sinclair ZX80, in 1980. His first main application of his own was a Visual FoxPro application that could be used to run a Fantasy League system. om Visual Foxpro he realized the importance of being not only GUI aware but also database aware and he continued his development quest, working hand-in-hand with Visual Basic from version 5 through to .NET. At the same time he started working with SQL Server 6.5 through to the current SQL Server 2005. He has actively participated in several betas of SQL Server. With this cross knowledge he has seen how well these two technologies will bring great expansion of SQL Server as a database.

Robin is a consultant mainly in the City of London where he has been for nearly 8 years but also has been developing a rugby related website as well as his own site at www.fat-belly.com . He is also an author and co-author of several books such as Beginning SQL Server 2000 Programming (Wrox, ISBN: 1-86100-523-7), SQL Server 2000 Stored Procedure Handbook (Wrox, ISBN: 1-86100-825-2), Visual Basic .Net Windows Services Handbook (Wrox, ISBN: 1-86100-772-8)

Julian Skinner studied Germanic etymology to PhD level before joining Wrox Press as an indexer in 1998 in order to get a real job. He became a technical editor shortly after that, later working as a technical architect and commissioning editor, before moving to Apress in 2003 when Apress bought most of Wrox. He has consequently spent most of the last six years reading books about programming, focusing in particular on Microsoft technologies and, since 2000, on C# and the .NET Framework. He recently left Apress to concentrate on writing code.

He contributed many sections and code samples, and often whole chapters, to the books he worked on at Wrox, mostly hiding behind the relative anonymity of an 'additional material' credit, but credited as a co-author of Professional ADO.NET(Wrox, ISBN: 1-86100-527-X) , Professional ASP Data Access (Wrox, ISBN: 1-86100-392-7), and Beginning SQL(Wrox, ISBN: 0-76457-732-8). He is also a co-author of A Programmer's Guide to SQL (Apress, ISBN: 1-59059-218-2)

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Apress; 1 edition (January 4, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590595661
• ISBN-13: 978-1590595664
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,045,155 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up in Symington in Lanarkshire where my mum and dad had a local post office and grocers. I went to school in the village being the only boy in my class for a number of years. Trust me, at 7 or so, it wasnt as cracked up as you may think. I then on to Biggar for my secondary education. I hated it like mad and was so glad when I could leave. Having gained sufficient qualifications and found interest in computers through the Sinclair ZX80 it was time to move on and thanks solely to my mother and father who trawled the papers looking for jobs and colleges, I ended up at Motherwell Technical College where I gained an SOND in Computer Data Processing. This was a one year course giving the basis of working with mainframes as well as programming them.
Having studied at Motherwell Technical College as it was then named, just across the road from Fir Park football ground home of Motherwell FC, including day release at Ravesncraig Steel woorks, I then moved to two years at the Scottish College of Textiles (S.C.O.T) in Galashiels. Although a textile college this was one of the best colleges for computing due to the small class sizes and the great facilities there. Again this was teaching programming on an IBM mainframe using COBOL. This was also where I met my first real computer game, Collossus Cave! An excellent adventure that kept most of the students engrossed for months! I also met some of the best people at this college, a few who I still keep in contact with. College is a great place to move in to adult hood

From S.C.O.T. I found my first job which was with Texas Instruments in Bedford. This is was a whole new set of thinking with working in a big organisation where you compiled your code on a mainframe in Dallas from your computer in England. It was hard work and I was so wet behind the ears at that time. I wish I knew then what I know now and it would have been such a more pleasant experience.

I stayed with Texas Instruments for just over a year having been under the wing of a big Brian Nicholson. I met some great people there as well but time moved on and I ended up in Hemel Hempstead with Atlas Copco. This was a bad move for me which soon became apparent for many reasons so just over a year later I ended up with Link Associates in Chesham, Bucks. A software house by trade, gave me great exposure and a confidence boost not only in work levels but in self motivation, all given by the great guiding hand of Val Dromgoole.

After just over 2 years it was time to break out on my own as a consultant. Being a consultant gives you the freedom of choice, the freedom to change jobs at will, the freedom to move around and the freedom of office politics. Well, when I say break out on my own and look for these freedoms, my first consultancy lasted just over 8 years with Save & Propser in Romford, Essex, England. Still on mainframes I used a Computer Associates product called Ideal, which was far from the name suggested. It was restrictive but did get me away from the mundane that COBOL had become in my life.

I then moved to FoxPro and FoxBase almost at the same time, using FoxPro to write a generic Fantasy game simulation and FoxBase to look after a postal football game I inherited called Sick Parrot. What a great game that was and at this present time play an internet based version found here.

I soon learned the restrictedness of having the programming language along side the database language and so moved in to Visual Basic (v5) and SQL Server (6.5). Very soon after version 7 of SQL Server came along so I moved straight to there and avoid some of the problems with 6.5 solutions.

Moving from this point I have moved through Visual Basic 6, ASP, SQL Server 2000 to SQL Server 2005, C#, Visual Basic .Net and now learning ASP.NET and Java.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book, March 16, 2006

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North Providence RI (North Providence RI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pro SQL Server 2005 Assemblies (Expert's Voice) (Paperback)

Do not be mistaken the book is NOT a light read but the knowlege that the author is able to impart is fantastic.
I found the first part of the book really informative especially the parts dealing with User Defined Functions and the User Defined Data types.
One must try out the examples in order to glean the most from the book. The last chapter's examples involve the use of Web Services. This is a must!!
Over all I would really recommend the book to the SQL Server Developer.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Packed with examples geared to common business problems and solutions, April 3, 2006

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pro SQL Server 2005 Assemblies (Expert's Voice) (Paperback)

The ability to run .NET code within the database makes SQL Server even more valuable - and the need for Pro SQL Server 2005 Assemblies even more obvious. Here's a guide to building each type of SQL Server assembly, packed with examples geared to common business problems and solutions, and tips on accessing external data sources and web services. Code projects in C# and Visual Basic are available from the Apress web site, making this expert's guide even more useful.