IT programming books related reviews
Product: Book Hardcover
Title: MCSE Training Kit : Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Database Design and Implementation (Exam 70-229)
Publisher: Microsoft Press
Authors: Microsoft Corporation
Rating: 5/5
Title: MCSE Training Kit : Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Database Design and Implementation (Exam 70-229)
Publisher: Microsoft Press
Authors: Microsoft Corporation
Rating: 5/5
In response to the other reviews, I do not believe that any one book is going to prepare you for the exam. And this book itself does not claim to. Throughout the text, there are ample references to Kalen Delany's "Inside SQL Server 2000" (A must have for any serious DB Designer/Admin) and to the BOL. If you use the book as it instructs, and you have the requisite experience (as outlined in the "About" section) then you will have learned a great deal and be prepared to pass the exam. If you are just looking for quick exam prep then buy the Troytech or Testkiller cheatsheets, but if you actually want to learn something then get this book and the aformentioned title by Ms. Delany.
Also, the other reviews are correct regarding the "generic" nature of the examples. The idea being to provide the prospective examinee with the fountations of good design and implementation practices. If you've been designing MS SQL solutions than it is an excellent way to review these principles. And if you've never designed MS SQL solutions then it's not a bad place to start.
Follow the instructions and you can't go wrong.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Hitchhiker's Guide to SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services (Microsoft Windows Server System)
Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
Authors: Peter Blackburn, William R. Vaughn
Rating: 4/5
Title: Hitchhiker's Guide to SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services (Microsoft Windows Server System)
Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
Authors: Peter Blackburn, William R. Vaughn
Rating: 4/5
SQL Server 2000 has impressive relational database capabilities, built up by Microsoft in its long struggle with Oracle and IBM. But the size of a real life database and the complexity of a SQL query and of understanding the server's reply are daunting. Thus, Microsoft provides an easier Reporting Services layer, so that you do not need to have expert knowledge of SQL to make intelligent use of SQL Server.
Hence, as an example, the text devotes considerable space to showing the usage of Report Designer Wizards. Quite pretty front end GUIs that hide a lot of complexity. Then there is the Report Manager, to help get summary output understandable to a nontechnical manager.
But while the book shows how these software gadgets do indeed make usage easier, they do not make it easy. This is still a programming book. The heft of which bears testimony to the amount of effort you have to invest in mastering Reporting Services. The programming complexity here tends to be greater than in books on writing macros for Microsoft Word, to cite just one example. (Just in case you are familiar with the latter.)
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Microsoft SQL Server(TM) 2000 DTS Step by Step
Publisher: Microsoft Press
Authors: Carl Rabeler
Rating: 3/5
Title: Microsoft SQL Server(TM) 2000 DTS Step by Step
Publisher: Microsoft Press
Authors: Carl Rabeler
Rating: 3/5
I have gone through half the book.The good part:
Walks you through many areas step-by-step. Repeats steps in other excerises. You will learn a lot.The bad part:
The book doesn't teach you a process from the making of a connection to processing a cube. I need to Extact, Transform, & Load, and then process a cube. The book teaches ETL. Try another book.TC
Product: Book Paperback
Title: The Rational Guide to: SQL Server Reporting Services (Rational Guides)
Publisher: Rational Press
Authors: Anthony T. Mann
Rating: 5/5
Title: The Rational Guide to: SQL Server Reporting Services (Rational Guides)
Publisher: Rational Press
Authors: Anthony T. Mann
Rating: 5/5
This book was a great buy. I was looking for a quick way to get up-to-speed on SQL Reporting Services, and this book really did the job. I'm a consultant, so I need to stay up on the latest technologies, but I don't have time to read a 500 page book. Now I have a good idea of the capabilities of SQL Reporting Services and can speak intelligently about it with my clients. Aside from a ticket to see The Matrix on opening night, this was the best $10 I have spent in a long time. I look forward to reading other books from this series.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: MCDBA, MCSE, MCSD, MCAD Training Guide (70-229): SQL Server 2000 Database Design and Implementation
Publisher: Que
Authors: Thomas Moore, Ed Tittel
Rating: 4/5
Title: MCDBA, MCSE, MCSD, MCAD Training Guide (70-229): SQL Server 2000 Database Design and Implementation
Publisher: Que
Authors: Thomas Moore, Ed Tittel
Rating: 4/5
- This is a great book for studying and for reference around the office. I used it for the exam (and passed); my co-workers use it as a general reference at work.
- As usual, Que did a great job editing. I found two mistakes, but they were very minor.
- The sample questions / practice exam could use some re-working, but if you read this book through, the exam should not be too much hassle.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: MCSE Database Design on SQL Server 7 Exam Cram (Exam: 70-029)
Publisher: Coriolis Group Books
Authors: Jeffrey Garbus, David Pacuzzi, Alvin Chang, David Pascuzzi
Rating: 4/5
Title: MCSE Database Design on SQL Server 7 Exam Cram (Exam: 70-029)
Publisher: Coriolis Group Books
Authors: Jeffrey Garbus, David Pacuzzi, Alvin Chang, David Pascuzzi
Rating: 4/5
First, I read the New Riders book, then read the Exam Cram to fill in the (many) holes. I sailed through the [3-hour!] test with flying colors. Since I have found numerous typos in each of the 9 MCSD books that I've read (from New Riders, Syngress, and ExamCram), I can rate this one among the better edited of the lot. Since this series is not intended to be your sole resource, you should be able to spot the occasional errors with little difficulty. I guess the deadlines on these exam books preclude all but the most cursory proof-reading.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Beginning PHP 5 and MySQL: From Novice to Professional
Publisher: Apress
Authors: W. J. Gilmore
Rating: 4/5
Title: Beginning PHP 5 and MySQL: From Novice to Professional
Publisher: Apress
Authors: W. J. Gilmore
Rating: 4/5
The book is very well written but it almost assumes that you have had some type of programming experience. Reading the book I had to refer back to other programming languages I have learned like Java and C++ that have similar syntax in order to fully understand the concepts that he was trying to get across. Most of the book is understandable, but certain areas of the book (for example when he covered the printf() function) are a little bit vague. Overall it's a pretty good book, if he ever comes out with a second edition I'm sure it'll be extremely popular.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Google Hacks
Publisher: O'Reilly
Authors: Tara Calishain, Rael Dornfest
Rating: 2/5
Title: Google Hacks
Publisher: O'Reilly
Authors: Tara Calishain, Rael Dornfest
Rating: 2/5
The bulk of this book deals with applications created using the Google API. Even the discussion of the API itself is limited. All of the hacks relevant to the search engine itself are contained in the Google Pocket Guide.If you are looking for ideas on what can be done with the Google API, or how to use the applications that others have written, then this book might be for you. However, if you are looking for tips and things to tinker with - hacks, regarding the search engine, do not bother with this book.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: The Guru's Guide to SQL Server Stored Procedures, XML, and HTML (With CD-ROM)
Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
Authors: Ken Henderson
Rating: 5/5
Title: The Guru's Guide to SQL Server Stored Procedures, XML, and HTML (With CD-ROM)
Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
Authors: Ken Henderson
Rating: 5/5
There is certainly an enormous amount of value packed into this title. It is one of the best development titles I have ever seen. You won't be at all disappointed. Now if only more authors could write and present information as well as Henderson...
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Joe Celko's SQL for Smarties: Advanced SQL Programming (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Data Management Systems)
Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann
Authors: Joe Celko
Rating: 3/5
Title: Joe Celko's SQL for Smarties: Advanced SQL Programming (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Data Management Systems)
Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann
Authors: Joe Celko
Rating: 3/5
I have browsed at this book in bookstores for years, always wondering if the info in it would be of use to me.
I write queries all day, in SQL Server, Sybase 5.5, ASA 7, Oracle 9i, MS Access, and SQL/400. I like writing queries and find it fun and rewarding.
But I did not get alot out of this book. Less than halfway through it I stopped reading and started browsing for useful things. Unfortunately, the book is dated, and a bit too theoretical for me. He devotes pages to SQL-92 standards that he admits are not implemented in many dB engines, if any! That's not very useful.
The book is old. It does not cover SQL Server 2000, nor any other recent database versions. Although I'll keep it on my shelf in the off chance that one day I'll need to use Cenko's Third Median, I doubt that I'll get much more use out of it.
