SQL Server for Dummies Series

ISBN: 978-0-470-17954-3
by Robert D. Schneider, Darril Gibson
CodeProject
This book is old, but the reason I wanted to write a review is to have you on the lookout for any future For Dummies book on SQL Server since this was the last one written.

This book is incredibly well laid out and exceptionally easy to read and follow.  Whereas other books seem to try to make the author sound smart and are hard to read, this had to be a tough one to write.  Complex topics are described with great care, which is a breath of fresh air compared to other tech books. Authors of books on Microsoft technologies have become lazy, in my view.  They end up reiterating whatever Microsoft had documented when the product they’re writing about was released in preview, just so that the book is published by the product’s release date.  Clearly, that didn’t happen here.

Plus, believe it or not, we’re running SQL Server 2008 RC2 at work.  This book should be considered applicable to SQL Server 2012 as well since it isn’t exactly a quantum leap forward from 2008 RC2.  I outline the differences between the two versions of SQL Server below.

Applying this Book to SQL Server 2012

Here’s a list of constructs and features that are not in this book because they were introduced in SQL Server 2012.  If you look up these things separately, this book is just as applicable to 2012 as it is 2008.

1. A few error, logical, and string functions (ones I rarely use)
2. DateTime FROMPARTS Functions
3. OVER clause enhancements (several new clauses added in 2012)
4. Recordset paging
5. Spatial data enhancements (only a couple)
6. FileTable storage (new in 2012)
7. Extended events monitoring (only used by advanced users)
8. AlwaysOn availability (advanced topic)

Summary

If you’re new to SQL Server and want to learn the basics, this is a great option for you.  You’ll find that while other books try to cover everything, SQL Server 2008 For Dummies gently guides the reader from topic to topic.

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