USEFUL SITES :
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Instant SQL Server 2000 Applicationsby Greg BuczekCopyright 2001Osborne/McGraw-Hill
I don't know about you, but the way I have learned how to develop applications for the real world is to learn by example. I don't see any point in trying to reinvent the wheel. If someone has already figured out how to do something, then I want to take advantage of that, not having to spend my time figuring the same thing out myself.
Unfortunately, the hard part is finding good examples, especially when it comes to writing SQL Server-based applications. Fortunately, there is a good book available, chock full of meaty examples on how to code for SQL Server. The book is called Instant SQL Server 2000 Applications. The book is filled with pre-build projects for SQL Server. While you may or may not want to use these projects as is, the biggest benefit of this book is that is provides a multitude of examples. It is those examples that I find most useful.
Each project is fully explained, from database design to the actual code, and source code is included with the accompanying CD. The book offers much detail, running a total of 932 pages.
Here's what the book covers:
Database Tables and Fields
Views, Stored Procedures, and Triggers
Visual Basic as a Front End to SQL Server
Money Manager
Personal Information Manager
Help Desk
Network Management
Code Library
Access as a Front End to SQL Server
Managing Employees
Working with Customers
Working with Events
Project Management
Managing Collections
ASP as a Front End to SQL Server
Online Store
Online School
Web Site Enhancements
Company Site Tools
E-Books and E-Help Files
As you can see, the book discusses using SQL Server as a back-end for VB, Access, and ASP, which covers almost all common uses of SQL Server as a back-end.
One thing the book doesn't do well is discuss the performance-related aspects of the projects. I think, as you might expect from me, that performance issues are important for all applications, and that it should be much better covered than it is in the book.
I recommend this book for all people who are learning to develop SQL Server-based applications, as it provides examples that you can't find anywhere else. This book is not a primer for VB, Access, ASP, or Transact-SQL developers, you already need to know a little about these if you want to get the most good out of this book. But if you already know the basics, then this book should help you become a better developer.
