SQL Server 2005 Bible (Paperback)

by Paul Nielsen (Author)
Key Phrases: manipulating data, replicating data, enterprise data management, Management Studio, Visual Studio, Analysis Services (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Use this comprehensive tutorial and reference to increase productivity and write stored procedures using the language with which you're most familiar. The revised content covers new features such as XML integration, Web services, the .NET Common Language Runtime (CLR), and security updates, making this book a must for any developer or database administrator transitioning to the new version of SQL Server. You'll learn to develop SQL Server database and data connections, administer SQL Server, and keep databases performing at their peak. In addition, you'll find dozens of specific examples in both a graphical format and as SQL code as well as numerous best practices describing the most effective way to accomplish a given task. A companion Web site provides all of the code examples found in the book.

From the Back Cover
Develop and manage a SQL Server 2005 database like a pro

Seasoned database developers think inside the box, because that's where the cool code is. This comprehensive reference takes you inside the latest, coolest, and most powerful box, Microsoft's SQL Server 2005. Each of the book's seven sections focuses on key elements in a logical sequence, so you can easily find what you need—including all the basics, best practices, dozens of targeted examples, and sample code. If you develop, manage, or maintain SQL Server 2005 databases, this in-depth book is what you need to succeed!

• Master the fundamentals of SQL Server technology
• Write better logic queries for greater success
• Manage and secure a production database 24/7/365
• Integrate with .NET CLR and XML
• Understand SOA and emerging technologies
• Meet business intelligence goals with new tools
• Measure performance, lock transactions, and scale very large databases

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Product Details

• Paperback: 1344 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (November 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764542567
• ISBN-13: 978-0764542565
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 2.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #187,596 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book available for the strict DBA, September 7, 2007

By	Tom Carpenter "- www.sysedco.com" (Marysville, OH) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

There are really three kinds of database professionals:

-Administrators
-Architects/Designers
-Developers

Now, some people play all three roles or two of the three roles. This book is definitely not the best book for people who are strictly developers as is reflected by some of the reviews at this site. Of course, the book is not intended for that class of database professional (in fact, they are really not database professionals if they are strictly developers, but are more developers who have to have a database for their application).

For those who play the role of the Administrator only - and there are thousands of you out there because I teach many of you in my classes - or a combination of administrator/designer this is the best single book you will find. (That's right, the author of another book on SQL Server is suggesting that his book is not the best single book... my book helps you specifically in preparing for the 70-431 exam and is not intended to have the breadth of coverage of this book.) Some developers just don't realize that most small businesses with an IT staff of less than twenty do not have dedicated database people and this book is for those people in those businesses. They are not going to write a lot of applications, if any, from the ground up, but they must support SQL Server databases that have been developed by others.

They need to understand backups and restorations, data export, data import, data tranformation (ETL), security, performance issues and other administrative tasks. All if this is covered sufficiently in the SQL Server 2005 Bible.

I must say that I have not always been a fan of the "Bible" series, but this book has been great since the SQL Server 2000 level when I started recommending it.

I hope this helps you make your decision.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New features; new chapters, January 20, 2007

By	Phillip Senn (Hickory, NC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have the author's SQL Server 2000 book and this book, and it is definitely a major upgrade: 350 more pages, 23 more chapters.

OBXKites is still in here, and David still gets his drivers license on 11/30/2005, but there are as many new topics as there are new features in 2005.
I can imagine that a bible series book is responsible for taking the reader from their "genesis" of being a novice to their "revelation" of advanced topics.

This can be a daunting task for one volume, especially when the subject is as vast as SQL Server! To accomplish this, the book has 10 chapters dedicated to variations of the Select Command. [...]

Nielsen's chapter introductions give you the feel that you're sitting down with a real person, so you know he's going to explain things instead of listing the syntax.

And experienced insight is what I crave when learning a new language. For instance, instead of slogging through all the features of cursors and finding out for myself that they're inefficient, Nielsen explains that while MSDN says "[SQL Server] implements a performance optimization called a fast forward-only cursor", the reality is that SQL Server is a set-based language and cursors should be used as a last-resort. He then shows how to convert a complex cursor to set-based code.

The chapter on indexing explains how indexes work and offers sound advice on how to plan effective indexes - probably the most effective way to optimize an application before having to start changing table structures.

Business Intelligence is the latest requirement for potential employers, so any book that has a chapter on how to use the BI Suite in 2005 is a must-read. There are 3 chapters on Analysis services (including Data Mining and MDX), 2 on RS, 1 on IS, and even one on BI using Excel.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent universal SQL 2005 Reference, January 9, 2007

By	T. Gröhlich (Germany) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is an excellent SQL Server 2005 Reference. There are millions of Code snippets to be used immediatly. The author refers mainly to AdventureWorks, the sample included at SQL 2005. The style of writing is not too serious and the author takes time to introduce - when needed - some database fundamentals. I personally think that this book is ideal for those who don't need a step-by-step book, but an complete reference with not too specialized topics. Of course - if you are specialized in a specific area, there are obvious books around covers topics much more deeper. But 99.5% of everything you find in this book.