SQL Server 2000 Fast Answers for DBAs and Developers

SQL Server 2000 Fast Answers for DBAs and Developers
by Joseph Sack
Copyright 2003
Curlingstone Publishing

Find out more about this book, or purchase it, from Amazon.com

If you have ever used SQL Server, then you are familiar with the SQL Server Books Online. This is Microsoft's "help" file for SQL Server, and if you are looking for the syntax of a particular system stored procedure or of a Transact-SQL statement, it can be a handy tool. But if your goal is to find out "how to do" a specific task, you may or may not be able to find the information you are looking for. The Books Online fall short when it comes to much "how to do" information about SQL Server.

To help remedy this problem, DBA Joseph Sack decided that there should be a better way of quickly finding out how to perform critical SQL Server tasks, so we wrote a book called SQL Server 2000 Fast Answers for DBAs and Developers. This is not a tutorial book, it is designed to help DBAs and developers to quickly find out "how to do" common SQL Server tasks. In effect, it is a comprehensive reference (980 pages) book on SQL Server. Instead of reading it from beginning to end, you look up the topic of immediate interest to you, and then learn about that specific task. This is the kind of book that you will want on your bookshelf to quickly show you "how to do" something, or to help refresh your memory on how to perform some specific SQL Server task.

Here's the topics the book covers:

• Installation, Upgrades, Service Packs, and Database Migration

• Configuring SQL Server

• Creating and Configuring Databases

• SQL Server Agent and SQL Logs

• Transactions. Locking, Blocking, and Deadlocking

• Backup, Recovery, and Maintenance

• Security

• Replication

• Linked Servers

• Failover Clustering

• DTS

• Log Shipping

• Other Utilities

• DDL

• DML

• Transact-SQL Techniques

• Performance Tuning

• XML

As you can see, virtually every area of SQL Server is covered. Under each of the above major topics are dozens of smaller, specific "how to do" topics. There is useful information for both the DBA and developer.

As you can see, there are sections devoted to failover clustering and to performance tuning, two of my specialty areas. Both sections provides valuable "how to do" information, although don't expect to learn everything there is to know about these subjects.

If you are a new SQL Server DBA or developer, this is a good "second" book for you. As a beginner, you will want to read a good comprehensive tutorial-style book first. Then once you have mastered the basics, this book will help you along with your education, helping you to master essential DBA and developer skills.

Even if you are an experienced DBA or developer, you may find that this book is a very useful reference. As you know, there is no way that anyone can remember everything there is to know about SQL Server, and this book makes it very easy to find and refresh yourself about things you know about, but just can't quite remember the details.