Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Programming for Dummies

this book did a pretty good dummy down explanation of the essentials. It did exactly what I needed it for, at a matching price too.

Let me say this: My needs were VERY simple at the time of purchase. I needed to learn to write some SQL queries, and understand (decipher) some that were already written. This was a good book for the purpose, especially for $2 used. It is NOT a good book for any serious in-depth understanding of SQL.

I have a few months experience with SQL Server but was able to glean enough from this book to put together the stored procedures, views and security measures I needed for my ASP.NET application in about 2 days. This definitely opens up the door for going in many different directions for someone who doesn't have any experience with T-SQL. Some of the latter chapters assume a moderate familiarity with SQL Server and don't presume to explain any of these concepts. Having come with minimal experience on SQL Server to T-SQL I got somewhat lost in this area. I recommend you at least have read about or used SQL Server enough to make sense of these sections before delving into the final chapters.

This book is excellent. I have not worked actively with databases in many years and was trying to learn more about SQL 2005 commands. The book is written in a very logical step-by-step way so you don't get lost or clobbered with a whole lot of lingo that makes you feel inept. Recommend this to anyone who is trying to get a good grip on the subject.