A First Look at SQL Server 2005 for Developers

SQL Server 2005 will be a big release for SQL Server, on the scale of the 6.5 to 7.0 upgrade. With that kind of shift, it is critical to have a head start in planning. How are the decisions I am making today fit into SQL Server 2005? How will CLR integration help me build solutions? What can I do with the new XML datatype? These are all common questions answered in this book, along with many others. The book is very readable with good context and background. It makes a great guide to using the SQL Server 2005 previews available to MSDN subscribers.

Ten years ago I bought a book called "Introducing Java". It was basically some warmed over magazine articles that was filled with...... well ... filler. Poorly written, many key sentences were vague and they stayed vague even after a close reading. So, I became suspicious of any sort of Introducing, First Look etc. But on the basis that Bob Beauchemin is one of the authors I gave this book a try. And I am five star happy that I did. Firstly it must be said that SQL Sever 2005 is a massive piece of software. It not just a gazillion new bells and whistles, but there are some foundational shifts in how we will program. There is a lot of material in the book. But it is anything but filler. If there is something I didn't understand, rereading helped me out! I consider myself an XML wonk of sorts and it is painful to read database writers discussing XML all the while not "getting it". Rest assured these guys get it. In short Extremely worthwhile. This book is not for newbies. The will not be your last book on XQuery, but the discussion on XQuery is dense and accurate. You will need your hi-lighter and post-it's at hand when reading this. There is a lot to SQL Server 2005, and this book will be a great way to get a handle on it. In fact, I am guessing this "First Look" will be on my desktop for a couple of years from now.

The first place I look for anything data related is Bob Beauchemin. His 30 years of industry database experience gives him total mastery in all things data. I met Bob at a Win-Dev speakers dinner last year and he as humble as he is knowldegeable. I am totally jazzed to see him team up with DM collegue and my friend Neils Berglund, as well as Dan Sullivan to ship the book Microsoft SQL Server 2005 for Developers. The first Yukon book out there, it's so great (I have been reading it the last 4 days) that its bound to become the definitive Yukon book to understand all the vital concepts. Highly Recomended!!