Microsoft SQL Server™ 2005 Administrator's Pocket Consultant (Pro-Administrator's Pocket Consultant)

I only recently got involved with SQL Server, when work required that I shift gears after our department downsized. Therefore I was not familiar with all of the nuances of SQL Server. In true William Stanek fashion, however, this book smoothly got this newbie very familiar with the features of SQL Server, which I am finding to be a lot more than I ever thought there would be, quite truthfully, I was not expecting it to be so complicated. The book starts out explaining the SQL Server administrations, and teaches some special characteristics for selecting hardware, choosing editions, and using the GUI and CLI tools. There is a lengthy explanation on SQL Server roles and integrating roles, planning for deploying, and setting up SQL Server. I really liked how the author drew the distinction between all the nuances of security, access and configuration. The massive chapter on tuning and optimizing goes into great depth. I never really appreciated the power of SQL Server until I read this chapters on data transformation, replications, transactions. I never knew before I read this book that SQL Server had features for log shipping and mirroring. Part Three and Part Four are where I've spent so much time reading lately. Since this book is 550 information packed pages, I can't review all of it for you. However, I find it an INDISPENSIBLE SQL Server tool. I always find the answers I need in Stanek's books!

I picked up Stanek's SQL Server 2005 Administrator's Pocket Consultant and Windows Server 2003 Inside Out at the same time, and have found them both to be excellent. If there's one SQL Server book every developer, programmer and administrator should have, it's this one--I haven't found a better one and I've read half a dozen so far. Stanek has a gift for getting to the point, explaining the most complex concepts in ways that are easy to understand. He seems to pack a 1,000 pages of info into 550 pages. SQL Server 2005 Administrator's Pocket Consultant has a strong focus on security, configuration, optimization, and troubleshooting. Throughout the book, there's excellent coverage of T-SQL and I prefer the way T-SQL is covered in context in this book to the way it's covered in the separate T-SQL book I bought (and no longer use). Beyond core database administration, which this book covers better than any other book, it also covers full-text search, indexes, integration services (creating packages), linked servers, distributed transactions, replication, publications, etc. The maintenance chapters are some of the strongest with complete coverage of profiling, monitoring, optimizing, backup, recovery, log shipping, database mirroring, automation, etc. Thank you Mr. Stanek for an excellent book.

I knew nothing about SQL Server 2000 before picking this up. It took me from knowing nothing to knowing a lot. The author has an easy writing style which made it easier for me to learn this subject. I looked at a lot of SQL Server 2000 books and at least from my perspective, this is the one to own. Great information makes it well worth the money. If you're anything like me, you may be considering this book as a study guide for 70-228. I recently took this exam and passed. This book is without doubt a text you can buy to prepare for the exam. Sure it doesn't cover everything in the exam, but it comes close.Great chapters on replication and DTS. Very few screen shots. Packs in a lot of material in 450 pages. Absolutely useful for admining. Here's my exam study sheet... Hope it helps you like it helped me.Exam objectives not covered:InstallationUpgradesIIS virtual directories for XMLExam objectives covered:Create a linked server. Configure SQL Mail and SQLAgentMail. Configure network libraries. Configure database options for performance. Considerations include capacity, network connectivity, physical drive configurations, and storage locations. Attach and detach databases. Create and alter databases. Add filegroups. Configure filegroup usage. Expand and shrink a database. Set database options by using the ALTER DATABASE or CREATE DATABASE statements. Size and place the transaction log. Managing, Monitoring, and Troubleshooting SQL Server 2000 Databases Optimize database performance. Considerations include indexing, locking, and recompiling. Optimize data storage. Optimize files and filegroups. Manage database fragmentation. Modify the database schema. Perform disaster recovery operations. Perform backups. Recover the system state and restore data. Configure, maintain, and troubleshoot log shipping. Perform integrity checks.Troubleshoot transactions and lockingExtracting and Transforming Data with SQL Server 2000 Import and export data.Develop and manage DTS packages. Manage linked servers. Manage OLE DB Providers. Configure security mapping. Convert data types. Configure, maintain, and troubleshoot replication services. Managing and Monitoring SQL Server 2000 Security Configure mixed security modes or Windows Authentication.Create and manage log ons. Create and manage database users. Create and manage security roles. Add and remove users from roles. Create roles to manage database security. Enforce and manage securitySet permissions in a database.Manage security auditing.Managing, Monitoring, and Troubleshooting SQL Server 2000 Create, manage, and troubleshoot SQL Server Agent jobs. Configure alerts and operators by using SQL Server Agent. Optimize hardware resource usage. Monitor hardware resource usage by using System Monitor. Resolve system bottlenecks by using System Monitor. Optimize and troubleshoot SQL Server system activity.Monitor SQL Se

As a web/dba I use sql server, IIS and windows 2000 server extensively. Last year when I was just getting started I discovered this little gem and it was what set me on the right path. I found this book to be utterly indispensible. I actually have two copies that one I use at home when I work in my own projects and one I use at work.Again in this book as with others in the series I have found single chapters that alone were worth the price of the book, and in a book filled with such chapters you cannot go wrong. The chapter I use the most is 2. In this chapter covers configuring and tuning the sql server database. The chapter starts by looking at guidelines you can use to choose server hardware covering memory, CPU, drives, and more then goes into tools, services and more that you can use to optimize the sql server. In addition to covering the graphical interface, the book covers command-line tools extensive and I found this to be invaluable. Mr. Stanek includes a best practice tip on page 35 that caused a light bulb to go off in my head and helped me resolve a problem with our databases. This tip covers memory usage in various situations and how you can optimize the memory configuration. The chapter goes on and on like this giving out secrets that other admins didn't want to share with someone like me who was just getting started. In short I think the chapter gave me the equivalent of several years worht of in the field knowledge and since I didn't have years to prove myself this was incredibly helpful.

Hats off to author William Stanek for another fine Pocket Consultant. I have 5 of these books in my library now (Windows NT 4, Windows 2000, Exchange 2000, SQL Server 7 and SQL Server 2000.) Since I picked up the first Pockete Consultant a yaer ago I haven't found a daily administration question that wasn't answered. You'll find that SQL Server 2000 Pocket Consultant is more of the same. The attention to detail and the focus on day to day administration tasks is fantastic! Mr. Stanek always starts with an overview of the subject of discussion and then digs right in. I've found that this book (and the rest in the series) answer 100% of my questions quickly and meanwhile the 1,000 page luggables used by my colleagues just get them frustrasted. I've made quite a few converts in the office.The nice thing about these books is the day to day focus. You get what you need to accomplish your task spelled out clearly and concisely in a style that I've found that only Mr. Stanek can deliver. It is refreshing. Now I'm not saying the books are pefrect. If you need to learn from scratch this isn't the answer. Look elsewhere. If you need to brush up and extend your skills to new stuff (like going from SQL 6.5 or SQL 7 to SQL 2000), is a good choice. If you need a book to help with day to day, is a good choice. If you need a book to put in your backpack and carry with you, is a good choice.Last I want to say thank you to Mr. Stanek. Thank you, I'm looking forward to more. --JW