Professional SQL Server 2000 Programming
by Robert Vieira
Copyright 2000
Wrox Press
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Find out more about this book, or purchase it, from Amazon.com |
In my review of the previous edition of this book, I recommended this book as a “must-have” for every SQL Server DBA and developer. And this goes again for this newly updated edition. This is a “must-have” book, even if you already own the previous edition.
The book is an introduction to SQL Server 2000 application development (Transact-SQL). It starts out with the basics, gradually getting more advanced as more difficult topics are covered. It also covers a lot of SQL Server administrative material, but not so much as the typical developer will get bored. Although this book would be considered by most people to be an “introduction”, it includes much detail. In fact, the book is nearly 1,400 pages long.
Why am I such a fan of this book? Because it is the easiest to read and understand book I have ever read on SQL Server development. It also offers a good balance between theory and the real-world. I come from a DBA, not a developer background. But like many DBAs, I need to understand Transact-SQL, especially when it comes to performance tuning. Whenever I need help on something, this book is the first one I reach for. I keep both the new and older copies on the bookshelf next to my computer and refer to both of them regularly (I still maintain both SQL Server 7.0 and 2000 servers).
From a performance tuning perspective, the book is very good. It includes many performance tuning tips throughout the book. In addition, there is an entire chapter devoted to the topic. I even picked up a few new tips that I has not aware of when reading this book.
The book covers these topics:
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SQL Server 2000 — Particulars and History
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RDBMS Basics: What Makes Up a SQL Server Database
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Tools of the Trade
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The Foundation Statements of T-SQL
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Joining Tables
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Creating and Altering Tables
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Constraints
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Normalization and Other Basic Design Issues
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SQL Server Storage and Index Structures
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Views
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Writing Scripts and Batches
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Stored Procedures
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User Defined Functions
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Transactions and Locks
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Triggers
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Advanced Queries
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Distributed Queries and Transactions
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SQL Cursors
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A Brief XML Primer
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Integration of XML into SQL Server
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The Bulk Copy Program
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Introduction to Data Transformation Services
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Replication
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Advanced Design
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Analysis Services
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Full-Text Search
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English Query
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Security
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Performance Tuning
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Administration Overview
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Advanced DTS
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Scripting Administrative Functions with WMI
While I highly recommend this book, the book is not designed for the novice DBA or developer. It can be quite technical and you should have a fundamental grasp of SQL Server before you begin reading this book. But once you have mastered the basics of SQL Server 2000, then this book should be added to your book shelf.
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