Reviews (4)

Pretty good kit
I've been working with SQL2000 for a few years (but no MS Cert), but really interested in getting my MSTS cert in SQL2005. I've started this kit/book, and so far seems to be a pretty good system overall. Good hands-on excercises, and if you have the resources to do so, be sure to set up a good test/play system to work with during this course. I don't really care for the practice test software that is in this kit (and no, not just because I missed a couple questions!), and have always used Transcender exams for material like this. Just seems a little awkward, and even though I've tried a couple of times, I've found it difficult to test just on certain subjects, such as Chapters 1 & 3 for example. The software would generate a test with a few items covered in later material - - but then again, this testing software was new to me. With that said, I'll will probably get the Transcender to suppliment this kit.

Good for reference and for the exam
This is one of the best Microsoft Press Training kits that I have seen. It has good overall coverage of the administrative features of SQL Server 2005 in addition to covering the exam objectives. It also has some useful dynamic management view (DMV) queries. It has a good lesson on how table partitioning works, which is very useful. Overall, a very valuable book.

Good book
Taking the test which this study guide is focus to is a very important step before give any content's feedback (i'm still preparing myself for the test) But i will give my 1st impression about the book anyway.
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Subjects:  1. Certification Guides - General    2. Computer Books: Database    3. Computers    4. Computers - General Information    5. Database Engineering    6. Database Management - General    7. General    8. Programming Languages - SQL    9. Computers / General    10. Databases & data structures    11. SQL   

Reviews (3)

best book to pass the oca 10g exam
i buy this book together with sybex's book and have passed the oca exam with 87% score (less than what i expected though). i found this book easier to read and understand compared to sybex's book, and the many-but-short chapters works better for me. if you could only choose one book to pass the 1Z0-042 exam then this is definitely the best choice. but don't forget to practise what you read (although the book makes it looks so simple), you'll remember more by trying each exercise in this book.

Good OCP Preparation
I used this book to (sucessfully) prepare for the OCA exam. It is well structured and important points for the exam are specially highlighted. This makes the content memorable and easy to learn.
Best Book for Exam Preparation
I m really thankful to amazon.com to supply book, which is really good for exam preparation
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Subjects:  1. Certification Guides - General    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computers    4. Computers - Data Base Management    5. Database Management - Oracle    6. Computer Software Packages    7. Computers / Technical Skills    8. Systems management   

Reviews (5)

A really Solid Quality Book
This book and its companion "T-SQL Programming" are two great books, they are not for beginners and in some part requires a full immersion, they are not an easy reading... but at the end you you will have a really deep understanding of the topics they covers. I've found really useful to read it two times, the second one I've noticed that a lot of sentences takes a new light after you've a whole overview of all the topics. A definitively must have. Both !

If you are only going to buy one SQL Server book...
There are occassions when I like to believe that I can write really smart SQL queries. Then I see the stuff that Itzik Ben-Gan and Steve Kass (the Tecknial Rewiwer of this book) come up with, and I crawl back under my rock.
Learn to speak T-SQL from a master
More so than any other language I can think of SQL is so approachable because it is so logical.Most people can grasp the basics within hours if not minutes.Unfortunately this approachability is often confused with simplicity.Learning SQL may be easy but becoming proficient takes time and guidance.Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2005: TSQL Querying, part 1 of the 2 part series (Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2005: TSQL Programming) is so much more than examples of what to do and what not to do.Itzik Ben-Gan takes you behind the editor and inside the engine to teach you the how's and why's.I recently had the good fortune to attend a course given by Itzik Ben-Gan who is a passionate instructor and a recognized expert.Whether it is listening to him speak, reading his articles in SQL Server magazine or reading this fantastic book there is no one more capable to help you hone your SQL skills. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Languages    2. Computers    3. Computers - Data Base Management    4. Database Management - SQL Server    5. Operating Systems - NT    6. Programming Languages - SQL    7. Computers / General    8. Database software    9. SQL   

Reviews (4)

A really Solid Quality Book
This book and its companion "T-SQL Querying" are two great books, they are not for beginners and in some part requires a full immersion, they are not an easy reading... but at the end you you will have a really deep understanding of the topics they covers. I've found really useful to read it two times, the second one I've noticed that a lot of sentences takes a new light after you've a whole overview of all the topics. A definitively must have. Both !

This is an excellent book
This is an excellent book that should be in the library of every serious database developer.It is by far the most detailed book that I have ever read on T-SQL programming.There are many cookbooks or sql recipes books but IMHO this book is many steps ahead of the rest of the books.It is well written, with realistic examples and extremely precise.The one thing that I really loved in this book was that for every problem it provides many alternative solutions and explains the advantages of one solution over the other.Again congratulations to the authors for their great job.

What a book
As someone who has followed Itzik for a while, I expected quite a bit with this book. In every way, shape, manner and form, it delivered.
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Subjects:  1. Client/server computing    2. Computer Books: Languages    3. Computers    4. Computers - Data Base Management    5. Database Engineering    6. Database Management - General    7. Microsoft .NET    8. Programming Languages - SQL    9. Relational databases    10. Sql (Programming Language)    11. Computers / General   

Reviews (8)

A good and robust all-around book to SSIS
Even if you did not read some of Kirk's posts at his SQLJunkies Blog or articles at WinITpro you will realize that he knows the stuff he was writing about very well. It is a good book to keep around for your SQL Server support team, because it is kind of a reference and training style book at the same time.
excellent resource
Overall the book is an excellent resource for information on SSIS.The book is laid out well, having seperate parts for describing the how tos and the reference catalog.I especially liked the way that the author identified the "key settings" for each task first.
Exceptionally valuable and detailed book
Having used DTS for many years, the transition to serious use of SSIS has
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Database    2. Computers    3. Computers - Data Base Management    4. Database Management - General    5. Database Management - SQL Server    6. Relational Databases    7. Computers / Database Management / General    8. Database software    9. SQL   

Reviews (2)

Excellent book on Oracle 10g RAC!
I consider this book and the other new book on Oracle 10g RAC,
Extensive 10g RAC information. Impressive topic coverage!
Really good book. I found it very useful as it covers almost all topics from DBA prospective. Information is technical enough for an experienced DBA or Developer. Book is well structured and it is easy to follow the material cover to cover. Up to date information in all aspects (Oracle binary set up, OS , networking and development).
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Database    2. Computers    3. Computers - Data Base Management    4. Database Management - Data Warehousing    5. Computers / Database Management / Data Warehousing    6. Oracle   

Reviews (5)

Great book !
I used Reporting Services since its first release. Have a couple of books on RS 2000 but this one is the first I bought on SSRS. Great book for everyone, detailed, easy to read, deep and rich in examples. Something very valuable is the complete code online available to everyone to download. I can conclude that this book is a must for someone who's starting with SSRS or wants to enhance the knowledge. It's a must in every bookshelf.

I just say it is excellent
This book is an excellent way to begin understanding this technology Microsoft released. Step by step explains the most important concepts about SSRS with tips and recomendations to do the things better. You can buy this book without any problem.

Deep dive into SRS 2005
I have read all the SRS2005 books out there so far. This is one of the best. Very well done. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Client/server computing    2. Computer Books: Languages    3. Computers    4. Computers - Data Base Management    5. Database Management - SQL Server    6. Programming Languages - SQL    7. SQL server    8. Computer Hardware & Operating Systems    9. Computer Software Packages    10. Computers / Database Management / General   

Reviews (16)

Expert Oracle Database Architecture Book review
This is the first book I have read from Tom Kyte.I use his web site often and appreciate all the work he does to maintain the "AskTom" site.
Bridges gap between DBA and Developer- Tom's Best yet
I have all of Tom's earlier books and while he does recap some things I like the new features he mentions in 10g. Hands down the best overall reference for becoming an Oracle DBA and developer- I like the sections on partioning, indexes, tables and development. I also like the included CD that has the older editions which is nice for bringing to work or on the road.

Good book
This is a good book on ORACLE. For those who already have the previous 8i edition this is one of the two parts with some 9i/10g coverage. It is a shame that the Indian edition doesn't carry the CD. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Database    2. Computers    3. Computers - Data Base Management    4. Database Management - General    5. Database Management - Oracle    6. Database management    7. Relational databases    8. Oracle   

Reviews (15)

Larson is the Best
Great, easy to follow.Mr. Larson is the best SQL 2005 RS/BI author in my opinion.Also, I attended some of his sessions at DevCon 2006 in Orlando.He is very knowledgable and approachable.He takes the time during and after sessions to answer all questions.

Zen and the art of Reporting Services
SQL Server Reporting Services is a comprehensive, server-based reporting solution which provides support to develop, manage, and deliver reports on different mediums and platforms. Brian Larson in his latest book, "SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services" has done an excellent job in making the case for SQL Server Reporting Services (SRSS) by providing comprehensive knowledge to jump start with SQL server reporting services.
Excellent Book for Learning Reporting Services
How many times have you read a book that explains a technology, only to find out that you can't really be productive with it until you learn the tool that delivers it?Without a doubt, knowing how a technology works is important. But, these days, so is being productive right out of the box. This book gives the reader the best of both worlds.
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Subjects:  1. Client/server computing    2. Computer Books: Languages    3. Computers    4. Computers - Data Base Management    5. Computers - Languages / Programming    6. Database Management - SQL Server    7. Database management    8. Programming Languages - SQL    9. Computers / Programming Languages / SQL    10. Databases & data structures    11. SQL   

Editorial Review

If you're doing database application development in the Oracle environment, you're going to have to know PL/SQL, the company's extended query and update language. If you want your programs to exploit the special capabilities of Oracle software, you'll need to know the language well. That's where the third edition of Read more

Features

• Illustrated

Reviews (76)

Very good
This is an easy to read book. Feuerstein presents a goodoverview and in-depth analysis of the PL/SQL language with practical examples. He includes several examples and recommendations that make this a solid book for PL/SQL programmers. Some print errors are commons in books of this type, they are obviously a problem for a newbie, but there is no perfect book at this world. For this reason I give only 4 stars.
A major programmer's reference
Steven Feuerstein and Bill Pribyl's ORACLE PL/SQL is a major reference for any already programming: it provides references to syntax, codes, and forms for developers and database administrators, adds new content to extend coverage for the latest Oracle Database 10g Release 2, and adds new chapters covering security encryption, email, and globalization. This isn't just an A-Z coverage: it provides questions, application issue analysis, details on whether usage is appropriate or worth the effort, and how to avoid common coding problems such as hardcoding literals.

THE ULTIMATE PL/SQL PROGRAMMING BOOK!!
Are you an application developer or database administrator? Well, you're in luck! Authors Steven Feuerstein and Bill Pribyl, have done an outstanding job of writing a 4th edition of a book that provides comprehensive useful coverage of the PL/SQL language.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Languages    2. Computers    3. Computers - Data Base Management    4. Database Management - General    5. Database Management - Oracle    6. General    7. PL/SQL (Computer program language)    8. Programming Languages - SQL    9. Relational databases    10. Computer Programming    11. Computers / Data Base Management    12. Computers / Database Management / General    13. Computers / Programming Languages / SQL    14. Computers/Programming Languages - SQL    15. Oracle    16. Oracle, database, programmer, developer, software engineering   

Reviews (12)

Great Book but needs a few things added.
I won't bore you with another rendition of the books praises, enough other people have already written them below.What I will tell you is what is not enough or missing:The word toolkit to me implies that there are tools included (i.e. a cd or dvd) - there is none.Many things are discussed and examples given where a CD with code, sample questionaires, sample project plans ( in standard tool formats such as MS Project) and such would have been welcome.This downgrades the books usefullness for me.
Not a "How To", it's a methodology
Excellent book for middle to upper management to learn the 10,000 foot overview of data warehousing.Reading this book can give you all the jargon you'll need to smooze your fellow IT personnel across a conference room table about data warehousing.
The Microsoft Data Warehouse Toolkit - Good book, but not an excellent book.
Basically, the kimball group , joined the book The Data Warehouse Lifecycle Toolkit (TDWLT) + MS BI Toolset.
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Subjects:  1. Computers - Data Base Management    2. Data warehousing    3. Database Management - Data Warehousing    4. Database Management - General    5. Database Management - SQL Server    6. General    7. SQL server    8. Science    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Computer Software Packages    11. Computers / Database Management / General   

Reviews (13)

Good content overall
I used this book in graduate school while taking the Database Management System course. The book has usefull information. It help me understand and practice normalization. Some unfamiliar concepts also were learnt from the book. I can recommend this book to anyonegetting into the database world.

Very practical.
Indeed, a brilliant rendition of practical information. I am currently working as a chief technical designer in a financial data warehouse project for a fortune 100 company. Chapter 11 (Data Warehousing) unfolded some time-critical points.

IT'S POORLY ORGANIZED AND DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW; NOT INTRO BK
This is a required textbook for an Intro to DB course. Once again, the University of Texas at Dallas has followed a constant pattern of requiring textbooks that are 1) Poorly organized/written books, 2) expensive and 3)The professor haven't read the book themselves AND are not using/following a required book when teaching their course! This said, my review of this book.Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Database    2. Computers    3. Computers - General Information    4. Database Engineering    5. Database Management - General    6. Database management    7. Information Management    8. Information Storage & Retrieval    9. Office Automation    10. Business & Economics / Information Management    11. Databases & data structures   

Reviews (11)

Oracle is Oracle
The book speaks on most of the database issues that can come up when using Oracle. It is more of a Reference manual instead of going to each topic in detail. This can be useful when one wanted to quickly get the relevent information.
Not so complete...
With a 1200+ page book, entitled "The Complete Reference", I would have expected much more information about proper configuration. Properly configuring Oracle (I'm running it on Unix) is no trivial matter and I found this book to be severely lacking. While it seems like a good reference to have (hence 3 / 5 stars), it looks like I'm going to have to look for other resources.

Disappointed--tries to cover too much
This sounded like a good book, judging by the reviews here, but being relatively new to the Oracle world, I haven't found this book terribly useful so far.Oracle's docs have been much more helpful and detailed. I was hoping for a book that shared the author's experience and tips and helped the reader make decisions, but this seems to be largely a command reference, covering many topics superficially. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Database    2. Computers    3. Computers - Data Base Management    4. Database Management - General    5. Database Management - Oracle    6. Database management    7. Oracle (Computer file)    8. Relational Databases    9. Computers / Database Management / General    10. Oracle   

Reviews (3)

It is an excellent DBA Handbook
The book is excellent in the sense that it went straight to the essential and important topics. I am surprised that they did cover a lot of topic in a few pages. The book does help if you have some experience with oracle and especially with 10g. If you are new to oracle I am pretty sure you pick up the wrong book and you will be shaken by the concepts in the book. Overall I recommend this book if you are already familiar with 10g.

Great Book. Not for Beginners
This book is definitely not for beginners. If you already have a working knowledge of how to operate an Oracle database, this book will provide a more solid foundation for your knowledge. I particularly found its chapters on RAC and High Availability helpful. The best part of this book is that it covers the most essential knowledge to becoming a highly competent Oracle DBA without trying to be a reference for every Oracle topic. I highly recommend this book.

Bumpy Ride
I'm learning database administration for the first time, so I've been sequentially working through this book.I've made it past 200 pages running all of the commands and scripts; however, I've had to do a lot of outside research in the product documentation and internet forums to get the stuff to work.I've marked up the margins of this book like crazy.Key pieces of the examples are omitted, and some information is just plain wrong (e.g. names of AWR SQL scripts).Being forced to do outside research can help you learn the material better I guess, but the time could probably be better spent if all you want is your certification.One of their commands to move EM from SYSAUX to another tablespace totally corrupted my database console service and forced me to install a new database instance.Buy this book if you're into pain and self-torment. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Database    2. Computers    3. Computers - Data Base Management    4. Database Management - General    5. Database Management - Oracle    6. Database management    7. Relational Databases    8. Computers / Database Management / General    9. Oracle   

Reviews (29)

Neatly written guide for Sql Developers
O'Reilly's SQL Cookbook is the reference I've seen forSQL developers and personally suggest all developers intrested in SQL to must read it. Modeled after a true cookbook, it offers many short snippets of SQL code designed to solve specific problems. You can pick and choose the components you need to help complete your SQL project.Each item in the cookbook is clearly explained in a well defined format. High recommendation for Sql Dev's. A must read.
Go get this book
It really helps when you need to find SQL query tips in your real projects

Good Book
This is the wonderful SQL book. When I read in Borders, I was suprised to see that this book covers so many useful topics and it covers 4 databases.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Languages    2. Computers    3. Computers - Languages / Programming    4. Programming Languages - SQL    5. Relational databases    6. SQL (Computer program language)    7. Sql (Programming Language)    8. Computers / Languages / Programming    9. Computers / Programming Languages / SQL    10. Database management    11. Programming languages (Electronic computers)    12. SQL    13. SQL, Oracle, DB2, SQL Server, MySQL   

Editorial Review

To the people who are accomplished in its use, Structured Query Language(SQL) is a highly capable, eminently flexible, even beautiful way of describingthe data that you want from a database, or the changes that you want to make toa database. For the rest of us, however, SQL is a first-class nuisance that wedo our best to avoid by relying on relatively user-friendly--but usually lesspowerful--tools. Read more

Reviews (43)

Mere mortals is a great source of information
I enjoyed this book as well as learned alot from it. I wouldn't say it's for a complete beginner but for those who have played with access or another database program. it's a wonderful resource to learn the ins and outs as well as some "theory" of queries. I will recommond this for others to read and will be getting the companion book.. databases for mere mortals.
gradually build up to writing complex queries
SQL by now has acquired many elaborations in syntax. It can be a formidable barrier to a new user. But the authors explain well how to take a query, expressed in plain English, and arrive at an actual SQL query which will work. Hopefully, anyway!
SQL Queries for Mere Mortals
The book was brand new. Just as described. Very fast shipping too. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computers    3. Computers - Languages / Programming    4. Database Management - General    5. Database searching    6. Programming Languages - SQL    7. Relational Databases    8. SQL (Computer program language    9. SQL (Computer program language)    10. Sql (Programming Language)    11. Computers / Programming Languages / SQL    12. Database software    13. SQL   

Reviews (14)

Not recommanded
This book is hard to read.The samples are difficult to follow. There is no coherent between chapters. It was a rush. Not recommanded.

SQL Server 2005 Integration Services
Over the years I have come to rely on my wrox books.Here is another good one outlining a new technology in an easy to follow and easy to find structure.One of the best things about this book is that you do not need to have any prior DTS experience as the new SSIS engine from SQL has been totally rebuilt and has very little in common with it's precursor.
Okay, but a little bit disappointing too
I bought this book and had a lot of expectations. 10 Writers were involved to write this book which covers a complete new software tool from Microsoft, introduced with the newly released SQL Server 2005 replacing the DTS Service of SQL Server 2000 and earlier Versions plus adding tons of new features to the enterprise Database Solution which were previously unavailable.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Database    2. Computers    3. Computers - Data Base Management    4. Database Management - General    5. Database Management - SQL Server    6. Database management    7. Programming - Software Development    8. SQL server    9. Computer Software Packages    10. Computers / Database Management / General   

Reviews (3)

Great book on programming new features
This book is clearly written and I feel it does a good job of covering the major new features of SQL Server 2005 well enough so you can get up to speed quickly and save enough time versus puzzling things out using just the online materials that come with SQL Server 2005 to easily justify the purchase price and reading time.A number of people with expertise in various aspects of SQL Server collaborated on this book, and the value of the information in each area reflects the depth of expertise.
great way to explore new features of sql server 2005 for professionals
i was looking forward for this title recently and i am happy to have read it finally. this title digs in deep in most of the subjects that i was not able to find out by myself with my sql server 2000 knowledge and helped me a lot while getting into the details of advanced olap and reporting services.
Great book!
Well, I have been digging into Andrew and Stephen's latest work for a few days now and have been very happy with the results. This book is comprehensive and covers the gambit of topics, including some favorites of mine such as T-SQL, XML, CLR integration, Service Broker, Integration Services, Reporting Services, SMO, and OLAP. Sure, I may be a geek for saying this, but I am looking forward to reading it cover to cover. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Client/server computing    2. Computer Books: Languages    3. Computers    4. Computers - Data Base Management    5. Database Management - General    6. Database management    7. Programming Languages - SQL    8. Relational Databases    9. Sql (Programming Language)    10. Computers / General   

Reviews (21)

Do read this book !!
This is very helpful, if you want to learn how to design a performance efficient system. I have suggestion for the readers of this book, that they should read concept guide to get know how to use the SQL tunning tools.

A good reference of db design
Another great Kyte's book which is for database designer to learn how to design and build high performance db application. The guidlines are useful and easily understood for one who have certain Oracle development experience. Intermediate level.

Truly remarkable book
Thank you Mr.Kyte for taking the time to write this book.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Database    2. Computers    3. Computers - Data Base Management    4. Database Management - General    5. Database Management - Oracle    6. Relational Databases    7. Computers / Database Management / General    8. Oracle   

Reviews (3)

Great Book
I needed to know quickly how to implement a BI solution and ordered three books:Delivering Business Intelligence with Microsoft SQL Server 2005 by Brian Larsen, Applied Microsoft Analysis Services by Teo Lachev, and this book.Of the tree books, this is the only one I really needed.This book had everything I wanted to know about Analysis Services.I was also impressed with the knowledge and information regarding how to design dimensions and cubes especially when it comes to tough situations such as how to apply security.If you need to implement a BI solution, I highly recommend this book.

An absolute must for business intelligence....
I have over 9 years of database experience, with about 4 years in MS Data Warehousing experience which included Reporting Services and DTS.
The Definitive Book on Analysis Services
Microsoft has been extending the capabilities of their SQL Server product to make it more useful in enterprise environments. As is often the case, the first version of the product to make it to market isn't everything that the customer might want.In fact the authors make the comment that the user interface was about as complex as driving a nuclear submarine.