Microsoft SQL Server 2000 DTS Step by Step (Step By Step (Microsoft)) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "One of the challenges business executives face today is the integration of data from disparate sources and formats into a single data store to assist..." (more)
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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Teach yourself how to use SQL Server 2000 Data Transformation Services (DTS)—and begin writing your own data movement applications—one step at a time. This practical, hands-on tutorial expertly guides you through the development of a DTS application that extracts and transforms data from a database into a data warehouse. Work at your own pace through the easy-to-follow lessons and hands-on exercises to master essential techniques. And accelerate your productivity by working with instructive code examples and best practices for SQL Server 2000 DTS.

Discover how to:

• Create simple data movement packages with the DTS Import/Export Wizard
• Create a complex data movement application with the DTS Designer that configures pre-built DTS tasks
• Exploit the flexibility of the Data Driven Query (DDQ) task without sacrificing performance
• Incorporate execution logic, flow control, branching, transaction control, and parallel execution into DTS packages and tasks
• Dynamically configure DTS packages and tasks at run time
• Save DTS packages in SQL Server, Meta Data Services, Structured Storage, and Microsoft Visual Basic® file formats
• Extract and transform heterogeneous data using ActiveX® Scripts
• Integrate customized logging, error handling, and batch control into your application
• Deploy and operate a data movement application

About DTS in SQL Server 2000:

Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Data Transformation Services (DTS) provides a set of graphical tools and programmable objects to extract, transform, and consolidate data from disparate sources into single or multiple destinations. By using DTS tools, you can create custom data movement solutions to support decision-making, improve system performance, upgrade existing systems, and more.

CD features:

• Practice files for all the book’s procedures

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Microsoft Press (August 27, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735619166
• ISBN-13: 978-0735619166
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #721,304 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lab Guide for Beginners, November 18, 2003

By	David Roach (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

PROS:
Well written, no grammatical errors found. Exercises have been well thought out and all worked flawlessly. Scripts provided to let the user "reset the world" at the beginning of any chapter. Lots of points covered and demonstrated. I have a bunch of folks on my warehouse team who know nothing about ETL. I'm going to recommend they all read this book to get started.

CONS:
This is a lab guide. Every chapter introduces a new problem to solve and demonstrates <bold>a</bold> way to solve it. Concepts are not described in much detail. Basically it's a "do this, then do this, then shazam! It Worked! Next topic..." type of book. The reader can't get lost. It is filled with many, many screen shots and redundant text. Even in the second to last chapter, after going thru the process of opening a DTS package about 50 times, the author still burns an inch and a half of paper to explain how to open a DTS package. If I made any mistakes it was due to missing a step as I try to breeze past text I've already read many, many times before. In the author's defense, I think a reader would be able to jump into any chapter without reading any introductory information. This still makes the book about twice as thick as it could be.

Read the back cover to learn exactly what is covered. In the end, you'll know how to do these things and have a good framework to continue building your own data movement application. However your knowledge will be pretty shallow. I'm now going to buy a book that explains WHY packages should be designed one way vs. another.

CONCLUSION:
I'm giving this book four stars because it's well written and true to its title. If the redundant text and supurflueus pictures were removed that make it so think, I'd have given it five. It's a great book for beginners.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The best practical coverage of SQL Server 2000 DTS, October 15, 2003

By	Adrian Downes - See all my reviews

Unlike "Professional SQL Server 2000 DTS" by WROX Press, this particular book does not cover (nearly) every topic under the umbrella of Data Transformation Services. It does, however, address as many relevant aspects to DTS functionality as possible throughout the development of a 'data movement application'. Having worked with SQL Server since 1998, I can vouch for the concise teaching approach this book follows. It certainly stands out as the best book I've seen to both help introduce SQL Server professionals (especially juniors) to DTS as well as serve as a quick reference for more seasoned veterans. I can only hope future SQL Server Step-By-Step titles closely follow the great model of practical real-world relevance and clear instruction demonstrated by Mr. Rabeler's book.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for a Quick Introduction, February 3, 2005

By	John Baker (Columbus, OH USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book makes for a well-written and relevant introduction for a beginner to DTS, which is what I was when I picked it up.

However, as a decade+ computer professional I was through it and the building of the sample application in a short time.

I have given 4 stars because the book is great for what it is; it does not get 5 stars because it makes for a lousy reference book. Not only is it not comprehensive, but the information is always tied in with the sample application you build throughout the book. So you almost have to stay familiar with the sample app (and where it is in the development process) to get what they're telling you about the subject.

I find myself turning to the Wrox DTS book over and over, and I probably won't open this book again. That said, I'm glad I started with this one.