Advanced Transact-SQL for SQL Server 2000 (Paperback)

~ (Author), Tom Moreau (Author)
Key Phrases: index scan, join syntax, empid mgrid empname salary, Order Details, Writing Code, Order Year (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Whether you are an experienced SQL Server developer or just starting, this is a must-have." -- British Computer Society, September 2001

Product Description

<p>In <i>Advanced Transact-SQL for SQL Server 2000</i>, authors Itzik Ben-Gan and Thomas Moreau explore the powerful capabilities of Transact-SQL (T-SQL). Ben-Gan and Moreau offer solutions to common problems encountered using all versions of SQL Server, with a focus on the latest version, SQL Server 2000. </p>

<p>Expert tips and real code examples teach advanced database programmers to write more efficient and better-performing code that takes full advantage of T-SQL. The authors offer practical solutions to the everyday problems programmers face and include in-depth information on advanced T-SQL topics such as joins, subqueries, stored procedures, triggers, user-defined functions (UDFs), indexed views, cascading actions, federated views, hierarchical structures, cursors, and more.</p>

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Product Details

• Paperback: 814 pages
• Publisher: Apress; 1st edition (October 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1893115828
• ISBN-13: 978-1893115828
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #859,863 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Desktop Reference for Transact-SQL, April 1, 2002

By	Kevin Daugherty (Marysville, PA USA) - See all my reviews

I was a little surprised when I read some of the negative reviews on this book. It has become the most used book in my library of late and I find it very helpful and easy to use. The code examples are short, clear and to the point. The topics are well indexed and logically grouped, making it very easy to find examples of what I need to know. So many other books in this category are designed for either Database Administration or Developers embedding SQL in applications. This book is aimed at people who code SQL in MS SQL Server. It focuses on how to write the most optimized queries and gives practical tips that make it easier to write and debug SQL.

I am somewhere in between a Beginner and an Advanced user. I have been coding simple embedded SQL for 5 years as a VB developer and recently writing more complex stored procedures. This book has been the most practical SQL reference I have found, much more helpful than the online help. It is has not been a "waste of time" or "beginner level at best" for me. I have learned quite a bit about SQL from this book and I thought I was fairly knowledgeable before I read it.

Others in my department have also purchased this book and it has become the standard reference many of us use to answer SQL questions. If you are looking for a practical reference to common and advanced questions, you will find this book very useful.

36 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Shallow to a fault, December 20, 2000

By A Customer

One of the problems with a lot of computer books these days is that they try to cover a wide range of topics without _really_ delving into anything. This is one such book. It will tell you what a stored procedure is, how to code it, what some of the syntax is - the basics - without really going into the details. In other words, you won't learn anything from this book that you couldn't learn on your own in an afternoon with the Books Online and Query Analyzer. The SQL presented in this book is neither advanced nor SQL Server 2K specific, and I think you'd be wasting your money to buy it.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the better ones I have seen, July 2, 2002

By	"sql3642" (Canada) - See all my reviews

I have been writing SQL for a few years, and I have almost every book on TSQL. When I glanced over this book, I thought it was pretty good, but I waited until I saw the reviews on Amazon.com to get a second opinion. As the reviews were mostly negative, I did not buy the book back then.

Then some time later and with some spare money in hand, I got to the bookstore and this was the ONLY book on TSQL that I did not already own. So I caved in and bought it. This was a very wise move! The help given to me by this book has made it a more than worthwhile investement. I have over 10 SQL servers and have to maintain and write code for all of them. This books has been extraordinary help.

I you know very little of SQL, do not buy this book, get an intro book instead. But if you have "some" experience with SQL, then this is a great book to get deeper into TSQL. I will change the way you write code and make you a better TSQL developer.

Which leads me to wonder about the SQL capabilities of the writers of those negative reviews.... hum ;-)