Product Description

Beginning Transact–SQL with SQL Server 2000 and 2005

Transact–SQL is a powerful implementation of the ANSI standard SQL database query language. In order to build effective database applications, you must gain a thorough understanding of these features. This book provides you with a comprehensive introduction to the T–SQL language and shows you how it can be used to work with both the SQL Server 2000 and 2005 releases.

Beginning with an overview of the SQL Server query operations and tools that are used with T–SQL, the author goes on to explain how to design and build applications of increasing complexity. By gaining an understanding of the power of the T–SQL language, you′ll be prepared to meet the ever–increasing demands of programming.

What you will learn from this book

• How T–SQL provides you with the means to create tools for managing hundreds of databases
• Various programming techniques that use views and stored procedures
• Ways to optimize query performance
• How to create databases that will be an essential foundation to applications you develop later

Who this book is for

This book is for database developers and administrators who have not yet programmed with Transact–SQL. Some familiarity with relational databases and basic SQL is helpful, and some programming experience is helpful.

Wrox Beginning guides are crafted to make learning programming languages and technologies easier than you think, providing a structured, tutorial format that will guide you through all the techniques involved.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #414882 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 600 pages

From the Back Cover
Beginning Transact–SQL with SQL Server 2000 and 2005

Transact–SQL is a powerful implementation of the ANSI standard SQL database query language. In order to build effective database applications, you must gain a thorough understanding of these features. This book provides you with a comprehensive introduction to the T–SQL language and shows you how it can be used to work with both the SQL Server 2000 and 2005 releases.

Beginning with an overview of the SQL Server query operations and tools that are used with T–SQL, the author goes on to explain how to design and build applications of increasing complexity. By gaining an understanding of the power of the T–SQL language, you′ll be prepared to meet the ever–increasing demands of programming.

What you will learn from this book

• How T–SQL provides you with the means to create tools for managing hundreds of databases
• Various programming techniques that use views and stored procedures
• Ways to optimize query performance
• How to create databases that will be an essential foundation to applications you develop later

Who this book is for

This book is for database developers and administrators who have not yet programmed with Transact–SQL. Some familiarity with relational databases and basic SQL is helpful, and some programming experience is helpful.

Wrox Beginning guides are crafted to make learning programming languages and technologies easier than you think, providing a structured, tutorial format that will guide you through all the techniques involved.

About the Author
Paul Turley (Seattle, WA) is a Senior Consultant for Hitachi Consulting, where he architects and develops business reporting solutions and database systems for many high–profile business clients. He has been developing database solutions since 1991 for companies such as Hewlett–Packard, Boise Cascade, Disney, and Microsoft. He has been a Microsoft Certified Professional and Trainer since 1996 and currently holds his MCDBA, MCSD, MSF Practitioner, IT Project+, and A+ certifications.
Paul designed and maintains www.Scout–Master.com, a web–based service that enables Boy Scouts and their leaders to manage their own unit web sites, membership, and advancement records on–line using SQL Server and ASP.NET. Paul has been a contributing or lead author on Professional SQL Server Reporting Services (1st and 2nd editions), Beginning Access 2002 VBA, Professional SQL Server 2000 Data Warehousing with Analysis Services, and Professional Access 2000 Programming from WROX Press.

Dan Wood (Silverdale, WA) is the Operations Manager, Database Administrator, and SQL Server Trainer for Netdesk Corporation, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner for Learning Solutions in Seattle where he manages and develops database solutions as well as trains database professionals from organizations throughout the Northwest. He has been a Microsoft Certified Professional and Trainer since 1999 and currently holds his MCDBA, MCSD, and MCSE certifications.

Customer Reviews

Serviceable...not great, just OK
Transact-SQL is the SQL Server dialect of the SQL language so if you are an Oracle or MySQL body (or any other DBMS except SQL Server), this book is not for you.

If you are looking for a book on SQL Server administration, please look elsewhere. This is not the book for you, as it covers the Transact-SQL language and nothing else.

Phew...now that we've gotten that out of the way, we can discuss the actual book. If you're new to SQL and use SQL Server exclusively, then this book is pretty darn good. I don't agree with the author that programming experience is helpful, though if all you need to do is write simple queries, this book is more than you need; check out Sam's Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes. If you need to go beyond simple SELECT and INSERT and tap into aggregates, stored procedures, cursors, triggers, and views, then this book is certainly a serviceable tutorial, though I feel that the author focused too much on the HOW of Transact-SQL and not enough on the WHY. It's all well and good to teach us how to program a stored procedure, but in my opinion the book lacked practical advice on how to implement these new skills. Maybe that's where the 'programming experience helpful' part comes in, but I've found that I use the book far less than I thought I would.

If you're already fairly comfortable with SQL and need to do serious programming using SQL Server, Robert Vieira's Professional Programming in SQL Server 2000 is a better bet, and it includes a brief Transact-SQL tutorial. If you are looking for a Transact-SQL reference, this book will not fit the bill; I found it to be a poor reference (because it's an instruction manual), though it is well-indexed. I also found that it did not cover certain functions (namely CAST() and CONVERT()) clearly enough.

However, if you're a programmer who is new to the Transact-SQL language and don't know anything about writing queries and don't need to know much about SQL Server's administrative features, then this may very well be the book for you.