IT programming books related reviews
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Oracle PL/SQL by Example, Third Edition
Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR
Authors: Benjamin Rosenzweig, Elena Silvestrova
Rating: 5/5
Title: Oracle PL/SQL by Example, Third Edition
Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR
Authors: Benjamin Rosenzweig, Elena Silvestrova
Rating: 5/5
I'm a really big fan of the Oracle Series books and often wonder why other book authors do not take the same approach. I purchased the 1st editions of Oracle SQL and Oracle PL/SQL back in the day and read both of them. I really loved the format of these books and so I purchased the 3rd edition. They have helped me in passing the SQL and PL/SQL test for the Oracle certification. I just purchased the 3rd edition and really appreciate the fact that they expand on details and have fixed most of the typos from the previous editions. The format of the book is that you read a little and do hands-on activities afterward. This book is probably the best book you could ever buy for yourself because you truly learn PL/SQL. The hands-on labs reinforce the information very well and it's also a great reference tool. This book is definately a must buy for any person wishing to become an Oracle Developer or Oracle DBA. This book will provide you the foundations for your career. THis is the same book they use for the students at Columbia University in New York City.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Hitchhiker's Guide to Visual Basic and SQL Server
Publisher: Microsoft Press
Authors: William R. Vaughn
Rating: 4/5
Title: Hitchhiker's Guide to Visual Basic and SQL Server
Publisher: Microsoft Press
Authors: William R. Vaughn
Rating: 4/5
I purchased the book (Hitchhikers Guide), but I don't use it as a primary reference and would not recommend it for someone just starting out using ADO/VB/SQl Server. If you want something thats more of a reference I liked ADO 2.0 Programmers Guide by Wrox Press.Its devoted to ADO and documents fairly cleanly many of the properties and methods although there are typos in some of the code. I *would* recommend Hitchhikers Guide when you want to find out just why such and such operation is taking so gosh darn long. Thats where that book *shines*. I also would recommend it for the little IMHO's that appear in the sidebars. My only complaint about it was that there were to many references to RDO in the ADO section reflecting the authors slight bias towards RDO, I get the feeling he had something to do with the internals of RDO. (I say "the author's" becuase I really don't don't know Bill and feel odd calling him by his first name as if I did.)My biggest problem as a developer, and not an NT Network wizard, is dealing with the compelxities of setting up a decent network, administering a SQL Server etc....There are sometimes just to many hats to wear and I only have one head.As is always the case in our field, you cant have to many books to look at. I also like the idea of hunkering down in a Barnes and Noble or Borders and just spend the time to pick one.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: The Practical SQL Handbook: Using Structured Query Language (3rd Edition)
Publisher: Pearson Education
Authors: Judith S. Bowman, Sandra L. Emerson, Marcy Darnovsky
Rating: 4/5
Title: The Practical SQL Handbook: Using Structured Query Language (3rd Edition)
Publisher: Pearson Education
Authors: Judith S. Bowman, Sandra L. Emerson, Marcy Darnovsky
Rating: 4/5
The book's approach and explanations are fantastic. I haveextensive experience with Access but none at all with real programmingand this book was exactly what I needed. However the cd containing the sample database and runtime version of SQL Anywhere is a huge mistake. Some of the first commands in the book will not work with this version (despite the author's "guarantees"). You must download a newer version from sybase before you can proceed. Thanks to GypsyPilot for that info!
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: 3/5
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: 3/5
Today I passed the exam and this book was my main instrument during preparation.The book gives right directions and touches all the topics that you may encounter on exam. No unnecessary topics, and no topics missed. It is of a comparatively moderate volume and allows to focus on exam preparation.Of course, nothing is ideal in this world, this book isn't too. Not everything is covered with a depth necessary for exam. Sample test in the book is noticeably easier than a real exam. I also noticed some minor errors.BTW, it was my 8th MS exam (previous were 4 MCSE core exams, TCP/IP, IIS 4, Proxy 2) and I found it the most difficult. Before reading this book, I had read Special Edition Using SQL 7 (QUE) and played with MS SQL 7 for a couple of months (but I had an experience with other DBMS).SUMMARY: I recommend this book for the exam preparation but I don't recommend to rely on it as the only source of information, use at least SQL Books Online as a supplement, and of course play with SQL Server, trying and checking all unclear moments on a test database.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Instant SQL Server 2000 Applications
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies
Authors: Greg Buczek
Rating: 5/5
Title: Instant SQL Server 2000 Applications
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies
Authors: Greg Buczek
Rating: 5/5
I now posess five (5) of Mr. Buczek's books. In this book, as in all the rest, it remains evident that Greg has a genuine concern that the reader learn from his printed material and urges further learning by manipulating solutions that he has presented. Chapter 1 does a great job of reviewing the basics of working with SQL Server and the SQL Server Enterprise Manager. As a programmer, I have designed an application using VB as the front end to SQL Server. Chapter 3 provided invaluable information.I found the Solutions provided by Mr. Buczek as real-world, and code examples were easily transposed to meet my programming needs. The Visual Basic Quick Reference in Appendix A and the T-SQL Language Reference in Appendix B are more than worth the price of this book. I will be eagerly waiting for the next release from Mr. Buczek.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: SQL Server 2000: A Beginner's Guide (Book/CD-ROM)
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media
Authors: Dusan Petkovic
Rating: 2/5
Title: SQL Server 2000: A Beginner's Guide (Book/CD-ROM)
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media
Authors: Dusan Petkovic
Rating: 2/5
I'm sure this book was well written to the right audience. But, whoa, not to a real beginner. It may take a few college level IT courses and some experience to begin to grasp the material (IMHO). But, it did come with a CD...
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Google Pocket Guide
Publisher: O'Reilly
Authors: Tara Calishain, Rael Dornfest, DJ Adams
Rating: 1/5
Title: Google Pocket Guide
Publisher: O'Reilly
Authors: Tara Calishain, Rael Dornfest, DJ Adams
Rating: 1/5
You've got to be kidding. I saw this and numerous other volumes at the bookstore about using Google and I laughed out loud. I had to pull this one off the shelf and see if it was a joke. After spending about 30 minutes flipping through it (that's about all it takes to get from front to back) I realized just how jealous I was becoming for not having thought of writing such a book first. The formula is simple - cull through readily available information on the Internet and repackage it in a friendly format for all the rubes with disposable income burning a hole in their pocket (come to think of it - isn't that the O'Reilly business plan?). What is so ironic is that Google was developed to be EXTREMELY easy - a true search engine for the masses. Its fundamental appeal is its ease of use, making guidebooks such as these silly at best, sad at the very worst. Take my advice, save your money and go treat yourself to a pizza.
Product: Book
Title: How to Use Google : The 30 Most Important Tips, Hacks and Tricks
Publisher:
Authors: Tod Sacerdoti
Rating: 5/5
Title: How to Use Google : The 30 Most Important Tips, Hacks and Tricks
Publisher:
Authors: Tod Sacerdoti
Rating: 5/5
This is a great, inexpensive, and easy to understand Google summary. It covers not only the basics of good search practices (useful for any search engine), but also the additional categories that make Google such a powerful resource. Well worth the investment!
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Php Fast & Easy Web Development (Fast & Easy Web Development)
Publisher: Premier Press
Authors: Julie C. Meloni
Rating: 5/5
Title: Php Fast & Easy Web Development (Fast & Easy Web Development)
Publisher: Premier Press
Authors: Julie C. Meloni
Rating: 5/5
I began a search for a good starter PHP book quite a while ago. The first book I bought on the subject, although marketed toward beginners, did not cover the basics of the language. First off I need to say that I have experience with HTML but not any other languages. I would recommend a little experience with HTML but thats easy. The best part about this book over other books was that Julie Meloni went over a step by step installation of the software, which is also included! I am not that deep into the book I am really enjoying myself.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: SQL Server 2000 Stored Procedure Programming
Publisher: Osborne/McGraw-Hill
Authors: Dejan Sunderic, Tom Woodhead
Rating: 2/5
Title: SQL Server 2000 Stored Procedure Programming
Publisher: Osborne/McGraw-Hill
Authors: Dejan Sunderic, Tom Woodhead
Rating: 2/5
I'm not sure whether this book was a good purchase. Most of the stuff it contains is already in the product documentation. There are a few bright spots, however, so I wouldn't say the book is a complete waste of time. The thing that really surprised me about it was how thick the paper was - I thought the book was really more substantial than it is. I guess I'd rank this as a beginner's guide. If you're new to TranactSQL procedural programming, it might be useful to you.
