Pro SQL Server 2005 Database Design and Optimization [Paperback]

Kurt Windisch (Author), Kevin Kline (Author), Louis Davidson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2006 | ISBN-10: 1590595297 | ISBN-13: 978-1590595299

Pro SQL Server 2005 Database Design and Optimization will teach you effective strategies for designing proper databases. It covers everything from how to gather business requirements to logical data modeling and normalization. It then shows you how to implement your design on SQL Server 2005.

The authors also describe how to optimize and secure access to this data, covering indexing strategies, SQL design and optimization, and strategies for increased scalability to support large numbers of concurrent users. They provide in-depth advice on optimal code distribution in SQL Server 2005 applications, in the wake of innovations to be able to use .NET code in the database itself. This essential book will ensure that projects have a well-designed database and secure, optimized data access strategies right from the start.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kurt Windisch is a senior technical specialist with Levi, Ray & Shoup, Inc., a global provider of technology solutions with headquarters in Springfield, Illinois. He has more than 15 years of experience in IT, and is a database administrator and technical architect for the internal IT department at LRS. He spent five years serving on the board of directors for PASS, has written for several SQL Server magazines, and has presented at conferences internationally on the topic of database programming with SQL Server.

Kevin Kline is the technical strategy manager for SQL Server solutions at Quest Software, a leading provider of award-winning tools for database management and application monitoring on the SQL Server platform. Kevin is the president of the international Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS). He has been a Microsoft SQL Server "Most Valuable Professional" since 2004. Kevin is the lead author of SQL in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference (O'Reilly, 2004) and Transact-SQL Programming (O'Reilly, 1999). Kevin writes the monthly SQL Server Drilldown column for Database Trends & Applications, blogs at SQLMag.com, and is a resident expert at SearchSQLServer.com. Kevin is a top-rated speaker, appearing at international conferences such as Microsoft TechEd, DevTeach, PASS, Microsoft IT Forum, and SQL Connections. When he's not pulling his hair out over work, he loves to spend time with his four kids and in his flower and vegetable gardens.

Louis Davidson has been in the IT industry for more than 15 years as a corporate database developer and architect. He has spent the majority of his career working with Microsoft SQL Server, beginning from the early days of version 1.0. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in computer science, with a minor in mathematics. Louis is the data architect for Compass Technology (Compass.net) in Chesapeake, Virginia, leading database development on their suite of nonprofit–oriented CRM products, built on the Microsoft CRM platform and SQL Server technologies.

Product Details

• Paperback: 672 pages
• Publisher: Apress (May 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590595297
• ISBN-13: 978-1590595299
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 1.5 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,270,665 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An essential guide for SQL Server database designers June 1, 2006

By Adam Machanic

Format:Paperback

If you need to learn how to design a SQL Server database the right way, from the bottom up (or top down, depending on your persective), you can do no better than this book.

The book starts with a solid introduction/refersher on basic database concepts, which brings the reader up to the required level to start thinking about issues such as normalization and data integrity -- extremely important issues if you value your data!

Past there, the book gets deep (very deep) into data modeling, including discussions of such important concepts as when to use surrogate keys, what kind of data constraints should be defined, and the increasingly important question of how best to secure your data.

The book closes with a few specialized, more advanced chapters, which I found to be especially interesting. These include a chapter on concurrency, "code-level architectural decisions" (really, best practices for writing great T-SQL), and finally a VERY useful chapter on database interoperability -- a must for those who have to make SQL Server talk to other DBMSs.

In short, I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn to be a great SQL Server database designer.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have June 19, 2006

By James A. Luetkehoelter

Format:Paperback

I have the 2000 version of this book, which I thought was outstanding. Not only does it have excellent content, but it's written as if you were sitting at a table talking to Mr. Davidson directly.

This updated version should be a staple on any database developer or administrator's bookshelf. There is a solid discussion of design, securing the database (new encryption capabilities of 2005) and much more. But these aren't the reasons why you should own this book. It is as much a "how-to" book as it is a "what-to" book. You get real advice, not just screenshots and step-by-step examples. I wish more books were written this way, as technical knowledge without a procedural "framework" is a recipe for disaster.

Do yourself a favor and make the investment. Personally I know that any custom database design course I teach from this point on will include this book as reference for my students.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Database Design and Optimization "must-have".... August 13, 2006

By JMess

Format:Paperback

I highly recommend this book to anyone working with SQL Server 2005. The material presented is made more understandable (not to mention entertaining!) by the examples used by the author throughout the book. The new features for SQL Server 2005 that the author covers are very relevant to my job, especially Chapter 7, Securing Access to the Data. The continuity of the material presented is excellent. Each chapter serves as a reference guide to complex topics that the author successfully explains through a combination of expertise, experience and a sense of humor.