Product Description

Take a detailed look at the internal architecture of T-SQL—and unveil the power of set-based querying—with comprehensive reference and advice from the experts. Database developers and administrators get best practices, sample databases, and code to master the intricacies of the programming language—solving complex problems with real-world solutions. Discover how to: •Understand logical and physical query processing •Apply a methodology to optimize query tuning •Solve relational division problems •Use CTEs and ranking functions to simplify and optimize solutions •Aggregate data with various techniques, including tiebreakers, pivoting, histograms, and grouping factors •Use the TOP option in a query to modify data •Query specialized data structures with recursive logic, materialized path, or nested sets solutions •PLUS—Improve your logic and get to the heart of querying problems with logic puzzles Get code and database samples on the Web 

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43547 in Books
• Brand: Microsoft
• Published on: 2006-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 640 pages

Customer Reviews

Are you a SQL Server database developer? Buy this book!
Having been bored stiff by many a technical book in the past I found this a refreshing read. Having developed for a number of years using T-SQL I would say I was more of a parrot-fashion database developer until I read this book. The knowledge imparted is invaluable and I would definitely recommend it. This is a book mainly for SQL Server 2005 but there are many 2000 samples for replicating the functionality.

Whilst it has a number of early chapters focusing on querying fundamentals I would still suggest this book is for people who have some experience of SQL Server 2000\2005 T-SQL and not beginners. As the chapters progress Itzik starts giving examples of common development problems and then solves them. Two that spring to mind are creating server-side data paging or dealing with hierarchies. The chapters on query tuning really are a treasure trove. I have seen many a developer look at a graphical query plan with an "oooh that looks pretty" face without any knowledge as to its meaning. This will give a good foundation explaining why the little pictures change and what all the cool figures mean!

Itzik also goes into detail about the most important T-SQL language changes and when to use them and when not to. He shows the performance implications of each choice and critically explains them for the mere mortals amongst us (including me).

I find myself reading a paragraph, asking myself a question only to find he has answered it in the next paragraph. A well written book on a difficult subject matter. It is clear that Itzik has a passion for SQL Server and set-based logic and this is apparent in the writing style throughout the book making it an easy read (if your a database guy/gal).

A great reference
The book is written in an informal manner and very easy to read. There is quite a lot of SQL 2000 matter within, though in most places it's trumped by the new capabilities of 2005. Like he does in his lectures, he takes you through a lot of scenarios and shows you how to make code faster and faster and faster... I'm glad I bought this book and will definitely be referring back to it (because I forget things!).

An Essential Text
This book is destined to become a classic. Benefiting from the main author's close relationship with the product team, this text provides a distilled insight into the machinations of SQL Server that are hard to garner from elsewhere. Managing to be both a reference text and a step-by-step tutorial, this book will furnish you with all tools you need to effectively author and tune T-SQL to highest standards. I particularly commend the chapter detailing a tuning methodology.

Having said all this, bewarned that this text is not for the novice or beginner. While it is excellently written, it is an advanced text pitched at those with plenty of prior T-SQL experience, and will require careful study. That being said, for those who put in the effort, the rewards will be plentiful.

My only criticism is that a book on T-SQL this good didn't come sooner. A fanatastic work I will be returning to again and again.