Professional SQL Server 2000 Programming [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Rob Vieira (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When it comes to selecting computer books, deciding which book to buy can sometimes be even more confusing than the software it is written about. However, if you are looking for a book to instruct you on the use of SQL Server 2000, Professional SQL Server 2000 Programming is an excellent choice.

In addition to providing a thorough treatment of SQL Server 2000 development, Rob Vieira's extensive reference also devotes quite a lot of space to covering SQL in general and issues relating to database design. Included is a complete introduction to Transact-SQL and an excellent chapter on normalization that will help demystify an over-referenced but much misunderstood database design concept. There is also in-depth information on the new features of SQL Server 2000, including indexed views, user-defined functions, and support of XML. Sadly, there's no accompanying CD-ROM, but source code for the book can be downloaded from the Wrox Web site.

While you don't need any knowledge of SQL Server or database administration to make the most of this book, you will need a reasonable understanding of programming fundamentals. That said, the author's down-to-earth style makes it possible for anyone with some programming background, and the will to learn, to really get comfortable with SQL Server 2000 development. If you are looking for a book that combines rich content with clear explanation, look no further. --Peter Lunn, Amazon.co.uk

Product Description

Microsoft SQL Server 2000 will be a significant new revision of the fastest rising player in the RDBMS marketplace. Microsoft is actively encouraging a growing number of users onto the SQL platform, by making it cheaply available. The new release, SQL 2000, is tightly integrated with Windows 2000, offering more support for XML and much improved OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) services.

SQL Server is very strong in the market place, supporting both small and large Internet sites. Large users include Merryl Lynch, DELL Computer and HarperCollins Publishers. Commercial applications running on SQL Server range in size from small databases such as Sales Logix, to large ERP systems such as SAP, where it is now the SAP "preferred" database for NT based installations. SQL Server is now first choice for the developer wanting a powerful, reliable and sophisticated database.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 1390 pages
• Publisher: Peer Information; 1st edition (December 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1861004486
• ISBN-13: 978-1861004482
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.2 x 2.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,308,335 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I passed Microsoft's 70-229 test with this book., August 22, 2001

By	William Cely (Seal Rock, OR USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Professional SQL Server 2000 Programming (Paperback)

I just passed Microsoft's "Designing and Implementing Databases with Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition" for by 4th and final test to obtain my MCSD certification. This book was almost all I needed. I was glad Viera was comprehensive (1000+ pages); it was needed. This is also a great reference book. If you need to find a specific SQL programming detail in an area that you might not use everday this is the perfect book.

I did not want to buy a number of texts for this test and I researched which book to buy very carefully. There are some really poor ones on the market. I assure you this book is far out in front of the rest.

Microsoft's Training Kit book on SQL 2000 Database Design and Devlopment was somewhat useful but really almost an outline and incomplete in some areas. "Professional SQL Server 2000 Programming" and the "Transcender" tests are all you need (with maybe a little help from "Books On Line").

134 of 149 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The SQL book I couldn't put down., January 1, 2001

By	Alan Samet (Raleigh, NC - USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Professional SQL Server 2000 Programming (Paperback)

Rob Vieira's work is the one of the most enjoyable technical references in my collection. Read the author's comments, also posted on Amazon.com, for a sample of his writing style. This book is worth every penny of the retail price.

Rob does an excellent job explaining highly technical processes without losing the reader or skipping important details. The author covers many of SQL's features that are not well-documented by Microsoft, and he ties them in when important. At some point in the book I remember him explaining why BLOBs are so much slower when stored within a database than the computer's file system, and ways to handle the performance issue. He also gives the reader a heads up on how much overhead alternative processes use and saves us from some trial-and-error.

Below is a summary of the book's TOC. I hope I didn't butcher any information here. (number of pages in each chapter is approximate):

1) Particulars and History - N-Tier architecture, Certification, .NET (Now Visual Studio compiled to an interpreted language, like Java. Is Linux in Microsoft's future?)

2) RDBMS Basics: What makes up a SQL Server database?

3) Tools of the trade -- No, not your boss! Explains the usefulness of Books Online, Client/Server utils. Enterprise Mgr, Query Analyzer, etc.

4) The Foundation Statements or T-SQL -- 38 pages of the basics, starting with SELECT Statements and progressing through INSERT and DELETE statements

5) Joining Tables -- (~30 pages) INNER and OUTER JOINs, UNION, FULL and CROSS JOINs

6) Creating and Altering Tables -- explains both the SQL syntax and how to do it using the GUI tools

7) Constraints -- (~30 pages)

8) Normalization and Other Basic Design Issues -- (~50 pages) Reviews normal form, basic relationships, diagramming, Data types, and de-normalization

9) SQL Server Storage and index Structures -- (~40 pages) SQL's evolution. Indexes, B-Trees, WHEN and HOW to use indexes to improve performance, maintenance

10) Views (~30 pages) -- Creating views, using views to change data (Updating multi-table views are covered in ch. 15), Schema binding and Index Views.

11) Writing Scripts and Batches -- Starts with the basics; covers some of the @@ functions (It's most important that you understand these to efficiently use MSSQL Server).

12) Stored Procedures -- (~75 pages) This chapter is a monster. Covers SQL 2000's debugger as well as anything you can think of for stored procedures, including recursive use. Explains the importance of WITH RECOMPILE, among other things

13) User Defined Functions -- (~20 pages) UDFs, UDFs that return tables, Determinism, Creating "System" Functions.

14) Transactions and Locks -- (~35 pages) Covers fundamental database design issues for multi-user, complex-transaction environments

15) Triggers -- (~50 pages) Excellent chapter. Covers new Trigger features of SQL 2000 like Firing Order and INSTEAD OF Triggers for multi-table View changes.

16) Advanced Queries -- (~26 pages) Nested Subqueries, Correlated Subqueries, Derived Tables, Performance Considerations

17) Distributed Queries and Transactions -- (~30 pages) cross-server transactions

18) SQL Cursors -- (~36 pages) Why I bought this book. Covers a cursor's lifetime, scope, types of, performance considerations, et cetera. Must-know information.

19) A Brief XML Primer -- (~22 pages) I haven't yet read this chapter; hopefully it's as easy-to-follow as the rest. Covers XML Basics, Namespaces, Valid vs. Well-formed DTDs and Schemas, Transformations XSLT

20) Integration of XML in SQL Server -- (~70 pages) The FOR XML Clause, HTTP Access, Streaming XML

21) The Bulk Copy Program (bcp)

22) Introduction to Data Transformation Services -- (~50 pages) DTS Package Editor, Import/Export Wizard, Creating a simple transformation package, using DTS in place of bcp

23) Replication -- (~75 pages)

24) Advanced Design -- (~25 pages) Here Rob goes back to database design and arms us with the idea that you can bend the rules a little bit, and even tells us when it might be a good idea. He also goes into a little more detail on database diagramming.

25) Analysis Services -- (~50 pages) OLAP, OLTP, Data Mining, and which to use. Dimensional Databases, OLAP Storage Types, Data Warehouse concepts, DTS (Validation, Scrubbing, Migration, Validation), meta-data and teh Repository, Data Mining, Analysis Manager

26) Full-Text Search -- (~25 pages)

27) English Query -- (~55 pages)

28) Security -- (~40 pages)

29) Performance Tuning -- (~35 pages)

30) Administration Overview -- (~40 pages)

31) Advanced DTS -- (~35 pages) DTS Object Model, The Package Object, Dynamic Properties Task, The MultiPhase Data Pump, Optimizing Data Loads in DTS

32) Scripting Administrative Functions with WMI -- (~50 pages) I've only briefly gone through this chapter, but from my experience in working with WMI, it's a bear to teach yourself. WMI is one of the most powerful features of Windows. It has its own Query Language, WQL, similar to SQL, which programmers can use to remotely draw information and automate core features and settings within windows as well as administer an SQL server. The syntax of WMI scripts is similar to that of ADO/SQL, only with a more complex object model and deeper hierarchy than ADO.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I also passed MCP exam 70-229 with this book., December 2, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Professional SQL Server 2000 Programming (Paperback)

This book is great if you want to learn how USE SQL Server 2000. Be prepared to read, though. It's not really meant to be a reference. If you don't like to read, you'll hate it. (I use it as a reference, but only because I've read it cover to cover and I know where to look for answers). This book was really all I needed to pass the MCP exam. When I took the exam, I was right out of college with no IT experience other than computer science coursework. I think that says a lot about this book (I'm not sure what that says about the MCP exam).

Here are some things to remember about SQL Server 2000:
1) Your best REFERENCE manual is Books Online... hands down.
Another reviewer complained that if, for example, you wanted to
find out the order of the arguments for a SQL Server function, this book does not allow you to do that quickly. That's true, but so what... use Books Online.

2) Your best bet for learning SQL Server 2000 as a whole is to
read this book cover to cover.

3) Don't expect to learn advanced topics from a book that provides an overview (like this one). If you want to learn DTS, buy a book on DTS... same with XML... same with WMI.

Also in this book is a great chapter on Stored Procedures and examples of how to most effectively use what little error handling options you have in T-SQL.