Transact-SQL Desk Reference: For Microsoft SQL Server

Just the kind of book a person needs in their reference library. Well indexed. A complete explanation of each SQL command with examples. 20 pages covering XML, 781 pages in all. It is also made of quality material so it can be handled frequently without falling apart.

The back of this book claims that "This is the SQL reference you'll reach for first!" and I can personally support their claim. It is easily the best organized SQL reference that I have encountered. It contains alphabetical listings of all SQL data types and their related functions, in-depth instruction on data definition (create, alter, drop, etc.) and comprehensive descriptions and examples of all data manipulation methods (insert, update, delete, etc.). The only possible drawback of this book is that it is not, nor is it intended to be, an instruction manual for SQL. The book cuts right to the point, and only tells you exactly what you need to know. For beginners, this book would not be a good starting point, but for people with at least some exposure to SQL, this book will probably never leave your desk.

This book is exactly what it's title says, it's a reference book. If you need brief descriptions and syntax for T-SQL statements and functions, this is a great book to have on your book shelf. However, the index is very weak. It is essentially an alphabetical listing of functions, so you need to know the name of a function to find it. For example, if you wanted to add an INDEX to a table, you would probably look under "I" for "INDEX.". But, you wouldn't find what you were looking for. You would need to look under "C" because the function is "CREATE INDEX." But, if you know what you are looking for, you'll find it in this book.

Excellent examples and clear explanations. 12/22/2003This book is exactly what I was looking for, an extension of Books Online with extra clear examples and explanations. Books Online is often still my first reference because it is convenient and does an excellent job. But when I need a second source for more information I now turn to Transact-SQL Desk Reference. If I still don't find what I need then I have to go to user groups or other external sources, but so far that has only happened once. The tutorial in the first chapter is a nice overview for those who need it, but an advanced user can skip past it and go straight to the reference material starting in Chapter 2. The index is excellent and so far has never failed to put me in the right place to find what I want. I particularly like the extra examples of how to use different features. And the explanation of how to do disk layout to help restorability and performance is well beyond what I expected in a reference book. I plan to use the layout presented as a starting point for configuring my production database. It could be argued that the syntax definitions taken from Books Online could be omitted, though in some cases the book has a better explanation of some of the items. All in all, it is definitely worth the price.