Programming Microsoft SQL Server 2005 [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

by Andrew J Brust (Author), Stephen Forte (Author) "This book is all about Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and specifically how to program it..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Learn the essentials for developing mobile applications for any device. Focusing on proven techniques and practices, this guide addresses the real-world needs of experienced Microsoft Windows® mobile developers. Users are growing increasingly dependent on mobile devices, and with innovations such as the Windows Vista(tm) Sync Center that make it easy to manage data synchronization, this proliferation will continue. Developers need to respond to this evolution with more than simple adaptations of the user interface--they need to implement mobile solutions for most of their applications. From expert authors with years of real-world experience, this book addresses this evolution, covering key mobile-development topics, including design, debugging, deployment, performance optimization, security, and globalization. It also covers mobile applications that use Microsoft .NET Compact Framework 2.0, Microsoft SQL Server(tm) 2005 Everywhere Edition, and Microsoft Windows Mobile® 5.0, running on devices such as Pocket PCs and Windows Mobile Smartphones. In addition, it includes extensive code samples in Microsoft Visual C#®, with additional code sample in Microsoft Visual Basic® on the book's companion Web site.

From the Publisher
Key Book Benefits:

-Features essential coverage of key mobile-development topics -Covers application development for .NET Compact Framework 2.0, in addition to SQL Server 2005 Everywhere Edition and Microsoft Windows Mobile® 5.0, running on devices such as Pocket PCs and Windows Mobile Smartphones -Delivers practical guidance based on the authors' extensive, real-world experience -Includes code samples in C#, with additional code samples in Visual Basic on the Web

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Product Details

• Paperback: 950 pages
• Publisher: Microsoft Press (July 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735619239
• ISBN-13: 978-0735619234
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #375,695 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book on programming new features, September 11, 2006

By	Christophe Besant (Minnetrista, MN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is clearly written and I feel it does a good job of covering the major new features of SQL Server 2005 well enough so you can get up to speed quickly and save enough time versus puzzling things out using just the online materials that come with SQL Server 2005 to easily justify the purchase price and reading time. A number of people with expertise in various aspects of SQL Server collaborated on this book, and the value of the information in each area reflects the depth of expertise.

The book is thick, but it's not bloat -- there is just a heck of a lot of stuff to cover in SQL Server 2005. If anything, I'd be happy to buy the book again if another edition comes out with 300 more pages full of more details and more complex examples in several areas. In the mean time, there is plenty to get one going and fill out specific details with the online doco and the 'net.

I think this book is too advanced for programmers who aren't already up to speed with .NET and relational database server programming. For those of us for which MS SQL 2005 is mostly just another iteration of good ol' Squirrel Server (albeit a big whopping upgrade architecturally and feature-wise), and who've already moved to C# + VS 2005 + .NET 2.0, this is the best book I've found so far.

I addition to covering the new features of SQL Server 2005, this book also provides deeper coverage of several advanced relational database techniques than just the enhancements specific to the 2005 edition of SQL Server. OLAP and XML operations being prime examples. I think the authors made a good choice by providing more than just an overview of the 2005 enhancements as without the broader coverage, presentation of the enhancements themselves wouldn't have made much sense to me.

I also think the book is pretty well organized so you don't have to waste time hunting down what you need. I do warn you however, that you may have to read some parts of the book first before plunging into the specific topic you need first. It's not a fault: SQL Server 2005 includes the CLR, and much of the rest of the book sensibly uses C# on the SQL Server CLR examples, so you kinda have to get up to speed programming in the SQL server CLR first, don't you?

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New Favorite Reference Book, November 5, 2006

By	Chris Anderson (Bellevue, NE United States) - See all my reviews

I've had this book for a little over a week, looking for time to give it some proper due. Now I only wished I had delved into it right away. Or gotten it sooner. It's now moved to the front of the line as my favorite reference book.

Clearly written and organized, it took me all of 15 minutes to follow a new concept (to me). It was logical, building upon itself and fully explained what was going on, and HOW it works too. It's been my experience in the past that developer books fall into one of two categories: Tutorial and Reference. This is the first one that I have seen sucessfully split the two and combine the best of both. The author right up front explains what the book does and does not cover.

This book isn't for DBAs or people who want to know how to use SQL Server 2005. The book is for developers who want to know how to use the new features of SQLServer 2005, and how to use them in .NET 2.0.

I'm not sure how I've gone so long with out this book. Just in the last hour, it's been a life savor. I'm learning about capabilities that I'd never seen documented anywhere else.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice Intro but Little Content., February 8, 2007

By	M. Loftus - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is your typical intro book, good for a tour through the highlights. But it is not a reference book, and because it covers so many topics it can spend very little time on any one subject. You will find all the material at the MS web site. You will still need to find more thorough reference material in order to be successful.