IT programming books related reviews
Product:
Title:
Publisher: Rating: 5/5
Title:
Publisher: Rating: 5/5
I had been developing in PL/SQL for over four years before I got my hands on a copy of this book. This has since provided me with so many useful hints and techniques that have begun to use to great effect in my applications. I would recommend this book to anyone whether they are beginning in PL/SQL or are an accomplished PL/SQL developer.
Product: Book Textbook Binding
Title: McSe: SQL Server 7 Database Design (The Training Guide Series)
Publisher: New Riders Publishing
Authors: David Besch, Sean Baird, Chris Miller, Denis Darveau, Wayne Smith, Deanna Townsend
Rating: 5/5
Title: McSe: SQL Server 7 Database Design (The Training Guide Series)
Publisher: New Riders Publishing
Authors: David Besch, Sean Baird, Chris Miller, Denis Darveau, Wayne Smith, Deanna Townsend
Rating: 5/5
Like a visit to the Wizard of Oz, every exam candidate sees a different 70-029 exam. The main thrust of my 3 hour exam was (pretend there is no SQL 7 Server GUI) recognizing how various tasks and procedures are accomplished in T-SQL, and their uses and consequences. This is in sharp contrast to 70-028, which tests your facility with the GUI. And there are data structures to interpret, and maybe some ugly BCP and more practical DTS questions.Besch, et al. do a good job of focusing on T-SQL approaches, while mentioning the alternative GUI tools. I found the text comfortable and readable. Their treatments of data modeling and creating physical storage are excellent. Physical design is a little tougher reading, but the material is covered fairly well. The chapter on indexing is comprehensive, except for the discussion of Full-Text searches.While the BCP (Bulk Copy Program) is a powerful, but horrid thing to learn and use, with its dozens of optional parameters and flags, the book's explanation of it is about as lucid as you are likely to find. It will make you grateful for the new DTS (the GUI Data Transformation Services), which is not covered in sufficient detail, though just as likely to show up on the exam.The several chapters on structures of the SQL language cover a vast amount of territory, and cover it fairly well. Database maintenance is addressed in a cursory way.WEAKNESSES: The SQL language chapters (and some other areas) rely too heavily on formal syntax diagrams -- the kind that show all the possible choices of required and optional parameters of a given statement. While these are great for future reference, they make some pretty difficult reading when you are first learning SLQ. You'll have to expend some calories to translate the diagrams into reality. In some areas the subsequent examples provide adequate clarification. In others, the reader is left with the vague malaise of fuzzy theory. Replication and security are significantly slighted. The details of the workings of DTS are inadequate. The "Review Questions" (different from the "Exam Questions") often expect knowledge that has not yet been (and sometimes never will be) covered. But the info is usually useful in the answers provided.The examples contrasting Full-Text predicates vs Full-Text functions are not sufficient. The important series of steps required to set up and use Full-Text search are left unclear. A numbered list of essential steps would have been useful.Coverage of optimization of execution plans and Server Profiler is only marginally adequate.IF YOU ARE NEW to SQL Server, the condensed nature of any exam book will leave gaps in your understanding. I would strongly encourage you to read a second, smaller book, like Exam Cram, after completing this one. It will clarify the fuzzy spots and provide a different perspective on the material. Regardless, you will need to take notes and maybe do some flash cards (home made) to congeal all the knowledge. But take heart in the certainty that you'll be able to apply much of the data structure knowledge to exam 70-100 (Solutions Architectures).STRENGTHS: In addition to the good things mentioned above, the Fast Facts final review chapter is wonderful. The end of chapter exam questions do a good (though slightly buggy) job of reviewing the types of information that will be tested, though the format is not quite right.CONCLUSION: Despite its shortcomings, I really liked this book. Consider a "small" book as an adjunct. Take notes. Look up fuzzy syntax in the Books On Line. And, by all means, run the SQL exercises in Query Analyzer.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 Database Implementation Training Kit (Training Kit)
Publisher: Microsoft Press Rating: 5/5
Title: Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 Database Implementation Training Kit (Training Kit)
Publisher: Microsoft Press Rating: 5/5
I used this as my main resource for studying for 70-028 (along with practice tests by STSWare and the online books). This was my last test for my MCSE and I passed first time, but only just. The test requires much more detail than this study guide (or STSWare) supplies. You really need to get down to the mechanics of how the various features of SQL Server work. This book just didn't supply it.My advice is either to use this and spend a lot of time reading the online books or wait until there are better third party study guides that are based on the release version of SQL Server (not the beta as most of them are at present) and the actual tests.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Beginning Php 4 (Programmer to Programmer)
Publisher: Peer Information
Authors: Chris Lea, Allan Kent, Ganesh Prasad, Chris Ullman
Rating: 3/5
Title: Beginning Php 4 (Programmer to Programmer)
Publisher: Peer Information
Authors: Chris Lea, Allan Kent, Ganesh Prasad, Chris Ullman
Rating: 3/5
If you've been programming for a while, the pace of this book is too slow to read cover to cover. The best thing to do is read the first half of the book (through chapter 9) and then skip around to what interests you. As others have mentioned, you will have to modify the code in the examples to get them to work because of the use of globals. This is not impossible to overcome if you write the message board for the book at http://p2p.wrox.com. However, it is annoying. There are other errors too, but it doesn't take much in the way of trial and error to get around them. The three chapters on MySQL are the most useful. If you've worked with databases in other scripting languages, e.g. Perl, Python, or Ruby, it's simply a matter of looking up what you want to do. There are some good style examples on structuring PHP code - use of an "$action" variable to drive the behavior of the site from a single page. The book also stresses putting reusable code in include files. The author dismisses classes/objects as not really being useful in PHP, but the use of classes elimates the need for the "global" declarations in many of the common include files. All in all, this is an adequate book, but noting profound. If you have programming experience, this book will get you up and running quickly.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: MCSE Database Design on SQL Server 7 Exam Prep (Exam: 70-029)
Publisher: Coriolis Group Books
Authors: Brad Schulz, Greg Woody, Jose Amado-Blanco, Pam Barker, Christopher Leonard, Christopher A. Leonard, Pamela Barker
Rating: 3/5
Title: MCSE Database Design on SQL Server 7 Exam Prep (Exam: 70-029)
Publisher: Coriolis Group Books
Authors: Brad Schulz, Greg Woody, Jose Amado-Blanco, Pam Barker, Christopher Leonard, Christopher A. Leonard, Pamela Barker
Rating: 3/5
Each chapter was about 30 pages, so I was able to read one or two chapters each night. I passed the exam in about 2 months of studying using this book, Books Online that comes with SQL, and Transcender. I had very little knowledge of SQL Server when I started (I am an experienced VB programmer).My only criticism is that the chapter summary quiz questions were only on the CD, instead of in the book, so I just printed them out. Also, explanations of the answers on the quizes were seldom provided - other than reviewing the chapter again. (I prefer New Riders Publishing's approach in this regard). I didn't use the practice tests on the CD, so I can't comment on that.(climbing on soapbox) I'm a big fan of Transcender - but don't send me e-mail looking for my copy. If you're aiming to be a software professional, don't rationalize some excuse for ripping off some other software developer. (climbing off soapbox)
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Oracle PL/SQL Interactive Workbook (2nd Edition)
Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR
Authors: Benjamin Rosenzweig, Elena Silvestrova
Rating: 5/5
Title: Oracle PL/SQL Interactive Workbook (2nd Edition)
Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR
Authors: Benjamin Rosenzweig, Elena Silvestrova
Rating: 5/5
The book isn't bad as an introduction to PL/SQL. It's straight forward and gives nice examples and test-your-knowledge that make you think about what you just read (which is a good way to learn when you can immediately apply somethin you read, unlike other books that just present the information).Now the bad. 1) They introduce something but don't necessarily explain it - like "SELECT x INTO y FROM dual". I've been using SQL for several years now and never saw "dual" used before, what is it and why is it used? (There was no table named "Dual").2) The self review questions don't sequence their answers right so you get: Question: A) Answer A B) Answer B C) Answer C C) Answer DOne is answered wrong in the back where the question is: Q:When a commit has been issued, which is true..? A) Blah B) Blah C) You have to get Married C) BlahThe answers in the back list A & C as correct!3) Answers don't really explain the "Why" like they say you can't do noncongrous sequences but they don't explain why..I am left to interpret that it's because you can't gaurantee a congrous number..is that the reason or is there something else?If it wasn't for wanting to do the examples I would drop this book, but the hands-on examples and questions do kind of help (though I'd prefer the questions were less simplistic & more like a college level text).
Product: Book
Title: PHP and MySQL For Dummies, 2nd Edition
Publisher:
Authors: Janet Valade
Rating: 5/5
Title: PHP and MySQL For Dummies, 2nd Edition
Publisher:
Authors: Janet Valade
Rating: 5/5
Ms. Valade's book is a solid intro to the dynamic duo of PHP & MySQL, with an excellent running example throughout the book to bring it all together. Although it's difficult to write a book that's both readable cover-to-cover AND accessible for quick-lookup references when you need them, this one does well at both. After reading the book, I converted one of my web sites from static HTML to PHP and MySQL, and collapsed the number of pages from around 450 to under 50 ( http://www.historicelizabethcity.org ).
I've read the other reviews of this book, and it's unfair to beat up on the book for Amazon's quirks. Make sure you order the current edition (the 2002 edition is, as you'd expect, woefully out of date, but Amazon will gladly sell it to you if you let them). And it's not Ms. Valade's fault if download of the e-book doesn't work.
It's been my experience that Ms. Valade is responsive to e-mails, so if you have a beef with Amazon, complain to Amazon. If you have questions about the book, Ms. Valade has a good track record for helpful responses.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: The Guru's Guide to Transact-SQL
Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
Authors: Ken Henderson
Rating: 5/5
Title: The Guru's Guide to Transact-SQL
Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
Authors: Ken Henderson
Rating: 5/5
In a time of rush to market hacks, it's nice to come across a computer book that doesn't offend the aesthetic senses - the literary taste people should have when they read things.I've seen good computer books in my time, but this one is very easily the best one I've ever read. It is concise, loaded with useful info, and engaging. I felt I'd just come upon that "undiscovered country" when I began reading this one. It is one groundbreaking piece of work.The thing I like the most about it is that it takes no shortcuts. The example code had to be a bear to put together. By my count, there's at least 10,000 lines of it. A lesser book would have had simpler, strawman examples. A lesser book would have avoided going into detailed discussions about things like transaction management and cursor use. Not this one, though. It is everything I could have hoped for and more.For the money, this is the best SQL Server book in print, bar none.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Sams Teach Yourself SQL in 24 Hours (3rd Edition)
Publisher: Sams
Authors: Ryan Stephens, Ron Plew
Rating: 2/5
Title: Sams Teach Yourself SQL in 24 Hours (3rd Edition)
Publisher: Sams
Authors: Ryan Stephens, Ron Plew
Rating: 2/5
I loved this book. The book is clear, easy to understand, no errors, provides good sample code. You can use code examples with any SQL based database with some modifications to fit your implementation. I used MS Access with this book. The largest portion of the book is devoted to Select statements, which is what the majority of users really need.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Understanding Relational Databases with Examples in SQL-92
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Authors: Fabian Pascal
Rating: 1/5
Title: Understanding Relational Databases with Examples in SQL-92
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Authors: Fabian Pascal
Rating: 1/5
If you need to know something about relational databases, it is possible to pick out some things. If you want to read on every page about how nobody is doing it right, this is for you. His monomania about the shortcomings of database vendors verges on the insane.
