SQL Server 2005 T-SQL Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach

This book review was submitted by a Roanoke Valley SQL Server Users Group member as part of the Book Review Program. Reviewed by Paul Glassbrenner I found the book to be an easy read - containing insightful solutions to practical everyday problems that DBA or Developer may encounter. The solutions or recipes, as the author calls them, are well written. He explains, for example, what each SQL Server function will do and how and why it works. The author also goes into detail on Indexing, Triggers, and Stored Procedures, and frankly after reading this book, it has improved my usage of them. This is a book that will make a great reference book for anyone just beginning or with advanced experience in Microsoft SQL Server 2005. I would give this book two thumbs up! Paul Glassbrenner

This book is a very good book for updating skills from sql server 2000 to 2005. There is a lot of information in this book and it is incredible that the author makes it so easy to go through unlike some of the other books. This should be everyones first sql server 2005 since it tackles alot of new features with working examples. There is very little bad I can say about this and probably a while before another good book like this will come out. This book covers not only tsql but new features as well as the major sql server 2005administrative techniques. It also coveres some reporting. You still need a book for ssis, sql assembiles ,udf, reporting, olap.

It took me and amazing 5 minutes on day at Borders to decide that it was a good one to buy and one that I'd use. It has real-life SQL here, not a 1000 page SQL book like others which just give you a million bits and pieces... the whole language but then really doesn't explain how to use it realistically in common on-the-job situations. One example of this is how to use UNIONS and in what situations and Selects from Selects. Eventually you will use UNIONS if you haven't already in your career and much more. The examples are how to code complex SQL. SQL suddenly becomes a challenging language during the senior levels of your career and many don't realize this until their SQL skills are challenged with very complex project requirements later on in their careers.

This book's "recipe" format makes it great for quickly figuring out how to do something. The examples are straight to the point--so don't expect really deep insights. Rather, this is the kind of book you'll want to keep on your desk for those times you might get stuck on a task. Flip to the right page and there you have it. There's also a "how it works" section for every recipe that briefly describes what's going on. If you're in more of a cover-to-cover reading mode, that should help enhance the book's readability.