Inside Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 (Mps) (Hardcover)

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Key Phrases: Server Profiler, Query Analyzer, Server Enterprise Manager (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

As the title implies, Inside Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 examines SQL Server from the inside out, investigating the technical workings of this complex database product. Author Kalen Delaney has updated this popular title, penned originally by Ron Soukup. Both authors emphasize that Inside Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 does not work well as an introductory tutorial but is designed to elevate existing SQL Server knowledge to the next level.

The initial 31-page overview describes the colorful history of SQL Server with an excellent rundown of composite technologies and important features of the database. A very insightful analysis of SQL Server's engine internals follows, which breaks down all of the various manager components and explains how they work.

The remainder of the book focuses on the intelligent implementation of SQL Server in a number of areas. A chapter on planning and installation gives an unusually detailed look at hardware and software strategies for high performance and reliability. The book then covers how to effectively work with databases, tables, queries, transactions, triggers, and cursors.

Each subject receives highly detailed coverage with the goal of enhancing your decision making skills with knowledge of the inner workings of the product. Inside Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 is a database administrator's (DBA) gold mine--a rare treasury of in-depth product knowledge from true masters. --Stephen Plain

Product Description

A must-read for developers and IT professionals who need to understand Microsoft SQL Server from the inside out. Written by a Microsoft SQL Server guru, this comprehensive guide provides updated, authoritative advice for installing, administering, and programming with version 7.0. The CD contains product evaluation documentation, sample code and scripts, white papers, and a benchmarking kit.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 948 pages
• Publisher: Microsoft Press (April 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735605173
• ISBN-13: 978-0735605176
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.5 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,366,941 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good. Darned good. But is this IT?, February 19, 2000

By	Fernand Raynaud (California USA) - See all my reviews

I don't get it. Every book I pick up on SQL 7 is filled with words, lotsa pages (and this one is even quite useful), and yet something is missing. What's missing is what I can never get enough of: practical examples. Hey, if I knew SQL really well, maybe I wouldn't mind, but I'm often having trouble with things like fancy JOINs, how to send back error strings, and which @@global variables can't be passed as output parameters in stored procedures. There's a lot I don't know real gud. But I gotta get the coding done.

So I keep looking for one of these goldmines that doesn't try to explain what a database is, but gives me lots of examples, and a great index, so I can stumble into instances of things done right and wrong, and try to find some help with my many specific problems.

This is a wonderful book to read if you have the time, it does give you a better insight into SQL7, it's well written. But if you're like me, we're still looking for that book that we can keep on our desks, next to the aspirin.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome!, December 17, 1999

By	David A (Queens NY) - See all my reviews

Inside Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 is simply the best SQL Server, and possible the best database book I've ever read. If you are a SQL Server developer, this is the only book you will need. It provides a clear, comprehensive, and thorough discussion of all fundamental concepts a developer must know. Other books I've read fail to cover or lack depth on so many topics, such as database locks, query and performance optimization, and SQL Server functions and syntax constructs. This book however was not only extremely informative, but was well organized and easy to understand. I enjoyed every page.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Architectural insight, but only moderately useful, May 14, 1999

By A Customer

Inside SQL Server provides a lot of architectural detail (much of which is also in the on-line documentation) and serves well to describe the product feature set to anyone considering purchasing SQL Server. There are also some technical insights, including material on performance, that might help a developer. But the book falls short of helping you get anything *done* with SQL Server.

From the administration side, the material on installation and performance is good, but advice on security is almost nonexistent and backup and recovery advice is minimal.

For developers, there's almost no VB or C++ code, and not all of the SQL code is stellar. For example, on page 331, a convoluted IF statement using four separate SELECT statements is used to handle possible null parameters when the following simple statement would be a better solution in most actual situations:

SELECT * FROM employee WHERE isnull(employee.dept,'')=isnull(@dept,'') AND isnull(employee.class,'')=isnull(@class,'')

The example was accompanied by a discussion that could lead developers to use nonstandard T-SQL extensions that reduce portability (and which aren't really necessary). The book has a few other SQL Server-centric biases, which isn't such a terrible thing, as long as you don't get led astray by them.

Of the SQL Server 7 books I've read so far, I think SQL Server 7.0 DBA Survival Guide is probably the best book for DBAs. And to actually write code, I'd highly recommend SQL Server 7 Developer's Guide. For a "quick intro" to SQL Server 7, I think SQL Server 7 for Dummies is a good choice. I was impressed with how much information I found in Dummies, even though it's a small book by comparison (just 360 pages).