Product Description

The one book you absolutely need to get up and running with Windows Server 2008 R2.

One of the world's leading Windows authorities and top-selling author Mark Minasi explores every nook and cranny of the latest version of Microsoft's flagship network operating system, Windows Server 2008 R2, giving you the most in-depth coverage in any book on the market.

• Focuses on Windows Windows Server 2008 R2, the newest version of Microsoft's Windows' server line of operating system, and the ideal server for new Windows 7 clients
• Author Mark Minasi is one of the world's leading Windows authorities and has taught tens of thousands of people to design and run Windows networks
• Covers Windows storage concepts and skills, Windows Server 2008 IP, WINS, NetBIOS, LMHosts, DNS, creating the simple Active Directory, and creating and managing user accounts
• Explains Group Policy in Active Directory; files, folders and shares; Sysvol, old and new; sharing printers on the network; remote server administration; connecting Windows clients to your network; working the Web with IIS 7.0; and AD maintenance and recovery
• Provides workarounds for things that don't quite work as they should and how-tos for many undocumented features

Find out everything you want to know-and then some! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Great book as always
I am following Mark Minasi and the Mastering Windows Series of books since 2000. I am very pleased with the content spectrum and the way it is delivered. It is a great source of information for IT professionals who want to cover most of Windows 2008 R2 with a single publication and for those who want to use it as a reference book.

It covers many of Windows 2008 R2 technologies including Networking Services, AD, IIS, VPN, etc and is full of configuration examples. Authors also summarize the theory behind the technologies in order to better understand why and how to use them

Not very good
This book assumes you already know win2k server well. I never seems to have the info I need so I end up on the web. I think the other reviewers must work for the publisher.

Excellent resource for yourServer R2 studies
I purchased this book mainly because I neede a resource that included Server 2008 R2. I'm studying for the MCTS Applications Infrastructure 70-643 exam.This book has proved to be an excellent resource for this.
Some things that the authors missed in the book though. This is probably due to the timing of their publication and such. MS now has Sharepoint Foundation 2010 and they only cover Sharepoint 3.0. They also totally neglected to cover media services. Overall they did an excellent job
The chapters written by coauthor Darril Gibson I found to be concise, informative, and covered the material very well. I would have liked if he had covered Remote Desktop Virtualization Host more as that is one area in RDS where I have a lot of interest. I perused the other areas he wrote and found those chapters to be an easy read.
Overall a good book for those with real world server experience who need to learn Server 2008 R2. For me personally, I also got the Server 2008 R2 Unleashed book to help fill in the gray areas.

Highly recommend for Intermediate level administrators
This book is very well written and highly readable.A great way to learn about Windows 2008 R2.Mark Minasi and his co-authors have a great writing style making it much more readable than the Microsoft books.This is the last book in a series of books that has run since the days of Windows NT 3.51.Windows has grown over that time and it is a struggle to get compressive coverage into a single book so it ends up being a bit light on many topics.

Advanced Systems Engineers will need more specialist books but I highly recommend this to Intermediate level administrators or Desktop support people wanting to move to Level 3 server support.

Best Book for Server 2008
Looked at a couple of other books on Server 2008 and this is by far the best that I have seen.Straight forward and easy to read. ... Read more

Product Description

Windows Server 2008 R2 Unleashed is the most comprehensive and realistic guide to planning, design, prototyping, implementation, migration, administration, and support. Based on the authors’ unsurpassed experience working with Windows Server 2008 R2 since its earliest alpha releases, it offers indispensable guidance drawn from hundreds of production environments.

Microsoft MVP Rand Morimoto and his colleagues systematically introduce Windows Server 2008 R2 to IT professionals, identifying R2’s most crucial enhancements and walking through every step of installation and configuration. Next, they present comprehensive coverage of every area of Windows Server 2008 R2, including Active Directory, networking services, security, R2 migration from Windows Server 2003 and 2008, administration, fault tolerance, optimization and troubleshooting, core application services, and more. 

The authors thoroughly address major Windows Server 2008 R2 enhancements and present extensive coverage of R2 innovations ranging from Hyper-V virtualization to DirectAccess and the enhancements in Failover Clustering. Every chapter contains tips, tricks, and best practices learned from actual deployments: practical information for using Windows Server 2008 R2 to solve real business problems.

Detailed information on how to...

• Plan and migrate from Windows Server 2003/2008 to Windows Server 2008 R2 and use R2’s new server migration tools
• Manage Active Directory with Active Directory Administrative Center, Best Practice Analyzer, and PowerShell scripts
• Use R2’s updated security tools and templates to lock down servers, clients, and networks
• Maximize availability with Windows Server 2008 R2 clustering, fault tolerance, and replication
• Streamline client management with new Group Policy ADMX settings and management tools
• Improve remote access using DirectAccess, Remote Desktop Services (formerly Terminal Services), and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
• Implement Hyper-V virtualization including the built-in Live Migration technology
• Leverage add-ons such as Windows SharePoint Services, Windows Media Services, and IIS 7.5

Customer Reviews (8)

Packed Packed Full
I've always been a fan of the Unleashed series of books and this one ranks right up there in the Quality and presentation of the information.Like many techs I tend to use these as reference books and their clear layout and table of contents is extremely helpful.

Don't let the thickness of the book fool you either.Somehow they packed a couple hundred more pages in a book no thicker than others and still have quality paper in it.I was concerned it wouldn't hold up to the constant marking and thumbing, but it has.

Excellent General Reference for Windows Server 2008 R2
In the past, I have used the Mark Minasi "Mastering" series of books for general reference material on the various Windows Server versions (going back to NT4).This is the first "Unleashed" book I have picked up, and it has been every bit as good as any of the "Mastering" books.I will honestly say that I was a bit concerned with a book having five different authors.However, there is no difference in the quality of the material that I could find, as well as the clarity of the information presented.

As previously indicated in other reviews, the section on migrating from previous versions of Active Directory to 2008 R2 is excellent.The book covers a lot of Active Directory material overall, and provides good real-world examples that apply to both large and small site designs.The only thing that was missing was some expanded coverage of the Active Directory Administrative Center, which is a great tool for new admins (and can make common tasks much easier for the more experienced).

There is also plenty of coverage of material new to 2008 R2, including DNSSEC and Remote Desktop Services.The sections on IIS and Hyper-V are rather short, and if you are planning on relying heavily on either one, you are going to need additional materials.I'd love to see some expansion on these sections if they do future editions of the book.The Active Directory coverage, along with the sections on security options (at the server, domain, and network levels) and system management are all far more comprehensive, and this book is probably the only reference you will need.

Each chapter in the book concludes with a "Best Practices" section which serves as a terrific set of guidelines and general overview.Even if you only plan on using certain parts of the book, reading through each of the "Best Practices" could prove invaluable to your overall knowledge of Windows Server 2008 R2.

This is One Impressive Book!
Windows Server 2008 R2 Unleashed is a superior, comprehensive reference book making it a true must have for every system administrator. First, the book itself is huge, totaling 1680 pages. I also appreciate the hardcover and obvious quality; I know my investment will last for years.

The content is even more amazing. It didn't find one subject not explored. Where other books only touch on certain topics, such as direct access, this reference book dives into each topic in great detail. Additionally I found all the material to be current and accurate. Unleashed gives some highly detailed coverage to migration, so if you are looking to migrate your 2k or 2003 servers, you will want to read the first few chapters at minimum.

Due to the large size, you will also probably want to select the chapters that apply to your specific environment and focus on those. One thing nice about this book is it does permit the reader to skip around among the chapters. Like I said, it is an impressive book and for the price, you are not going to find a book with a higher quality of content.

Migration Success!
I'm glad I bought this book, we just completed our migration to Active Directory 2008 R2 (as well as Exchange 2010) this weekend using this book (and the Exchange Server 2010 Unleashed book) and by mid-day Saturday here, we are successfully done and heading home!

We used this Windows Server 2008 R2 Unleashed book in our planning process to get our Active Directory (2003 native mode) environment upgraded to 2008 R2.We wanted to take advantage of fine grain password policies as well as some of the new group policy functions.We knew that we needed need to go to AD 2008 R2 for our Exchange 2010 upgrade, we could have left AD on 2003 Native Mode, but we had the opportunity to buy new hardware, so we slipped into our Exchange migration budget funds to cover new servers for our AD migration as well.

The migration went smoothly, no problems at all, and in fact it went smoother than we ever anticipated. Very pleased with this book and the guidance it provided us!

A must have resource for the working administrator.
As usual we are always expected to know the new stuff and support it but no one wants to ever pay for training so what to do? I did a lot of scouring for a good server 08R2 book and it was slim pickings. Most books were out of date (R1) or simply geared toward studying for a test which does me little good in defining an AD upgrade road map and figuring out what to define for app server standards. I finally found this on amazon and relying on reviews and the TOC i opted to get it. Its a fantastic resource but huge so expect to be doing some serious reading. What I loved is that right off they talk about what is new in R2. This is a big help. Lets get features out of the way immediately. The rest of the book is structured logically but is easy to jump around in since life does not follow a table of contents. I strongly recommed this if you support windows servers in a real world environment. If you are looking to take an MCSE test, then stick to the exam cram for those since this will be way over kill for you more than likely. A+ to the authors. ... Read more

Product Description

Microsoft® SQL Server 2008 R2 Unleashed

Ray Rankins

Paul Bertucci

Chris Gallelli

Alex T. Silverstein

Includes full coverage of SQL Server 2008 in addition to R2 coverage

This is the industry’s most comprehensive and useful guide to SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2. It presents start-to-finish coverage of SQL Server’s core database server and management capabilities, plus complete introductions to Integration, Reporting, and Analysis Services, application development, and much more.

Four expert SQL Server administrators, developers, and consultants have packed this book with real-world information, tips, guidelines, and samples drawn from their own extensive experience creating and managing complex database solutions. Writing for intermediate-to-advanced-level SQL Server professionals, they focus on the product’s most complex and powerful capabilities, and its newest tools and features. For example, you’ll find invaluable information on administering SQL Server more efficiently, analyzing and optimizing queries, implementing data warehouses, ensuring high availability, and tuning performance.

The accompanying CD-ROM contains an extraordinary library of practical tools and information including sample databases and all code examples. Whether you’re responsible for SQL Server 2008 analysis, design, implementation, support, administration, or troubleshooting, no other book offers you this much value.

• Understand the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 environment, R2’s newest features, and each edition’s capabilities
• Manage SQL Server 2008 more effectively with SQL Server Management Studio, the SQLCMD command-line query tool, and Powershell
• Efficiently manage security, users, backup/restore, replication, Database Mail, and database objects–from tables and indexes to stored procedures and triggers
• Increase availability with clustering, database mirroring, and other features
• Use new Policy-Based Management to centrally configure and operate SQL Server throughout the organization
• Use SQL Server Profiler to capture queries and identify bottlenecks
• Improve performance by optimizing queries, design more effective databases, and manage workloads with the new Resource Governor
• Develop applications using SQL Server 2008’s enhancements to T-SQL and SQLCLR, .NET integration, LINQ to SQL, XML, and XQuery
• Make the most of Analysis Services, Integration Services, and Reporting Services–especially Microsoft’s new R2 reporting improvements
• Improve data security using Column-level and Transparent Data Encryption

 Ray Rankins, president of Gotham Consulting Services, has worked with Sybase and Microsoft SQL Server for more than 23 years and is coauthor of Sybase SQL Server Unleashed, Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Unleashed, and Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Unleashed. Paul Bertucci, founder of Database Architechs, has more than 30 years of experience in database design, architecture, replication, tuning, integration, and high availability. Chris Gallelli, president of CGAL Consulting Services, specializes in database administration, tuning, and programming. Alex T. Silverstein is managing principal and chief architect of Unified Digital Group, LLC, a developer of custom SQL Server and Microsoft .NET solutions.

CD-ROM includes:

• 15 additional chapters
• Code samples, scripts, and databases utilized within the book
• Free version of SQL Shot (performance & tuning software)

Category: Database / Microsoft SQL Server

Covers: Microsoft® SQL Server 2008 R2

User Level: Intermediate—Advanced

Customer Reviews (1)

Content is excellent
To update the knowledge to the latest software is a must for all software folks of the SQL Server related field. This book has been written with more experience and is well organized. And there are many tips and notes those will be useful.

I bought this book at a nearby Borders store and thought print ink is light (especially images). But it is readable (I just finished one reading and need to read again more intensively) and with tons of information. I believe this book is comprehensive and a must read. And companion CD contains more useful information such as bonus chapters and test databases, those should not be missed. Overall it is worth the price and time to spend on this book.
... Read more

Product Description
Learn how to conquer Windows Server 2008 from the inside out! Designed for system administrators, this definitive resource features hundreds of timesaving solutions, expert insights, troubleshooting tips, and workarounds for administering Windows Server 2008 all in concise, fast-answer format. You will learn how to perform upgrades and migrations, automate deployments, implement security features, manage software updates and patches, administer users and accounts, manage Active Directory® directory services, and more. With INSIDE OUT, you ll discover the best and fastest ways to perform core administrative tasks, with an award-winning format that makes it easy to find exactly the tips, troubleshooting solutions, and workarounds you need. Plus, the companion CD comes packed with a fully searchable eBook and more than 100 timesaving tools and scripts. With INSIDE OUT, you get all muscle and no fluff!

Key Book Benefits

Drills into the features and functions in Microsoft Office Word, delivering comprehensive details but no fluff in a single volume

Includes a companion CD packed with tools, scripts, and a fully searchable eBook ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Not R2! Not nearly enough detail.
If you're looking for detail and up-to-date information on R2, skip this book.
Inside-out is a misnomer. The layout is not work-flow friendly.
There's not much in here you can't find on the internet or the man/help.
I don't like purchasing multiple books or combining books with internet research to get all the answers.
Much of it is recycled man pages and a few nuggets of valuable information.
I'm currently looking through the sybex mastering 2008 R2 book and it looks promising so far.

fast
fast delivery
faster then my over night book i got and im still waiting for it

Everything you need to get you started
What more is there to say that hasn't already been said. If you are new to Windows Server, this is a great place to start.

Worth the money
Perfect book for all levels of IT. The amount of information the author placed on this book will justify any price tag, making it one of the first books I recommend for those who want to deploy, refresh, or learn the new platform that is Windows Server 2008.

Good so far...
I have only had this book for a couple of weeks and have already used this book a couple of times for my job, and so far, so good.I needed some information on hyper v and it got me through just fine.If you are looking for a great Windows Server 2008 guide, this one should fit the bill just fine. ... Read more

Product Description

If you need to deploy, manage, or secure Microsoft SQL Server 2008, this is the complete, fast-paced, task-based reference you’ve been searching for. Authored by a world-class expert on SQL Server in the enterprise, this book goes far beyond the basics, taking on the complex tasks that DBAs need to make the most of Microsoft’s flagship database platform. SQL Server MVP, Ross Mistry presents proven techniques for SQL Server 2008 installation, upgrades, backup/restore, data transfer, indexing, high availability, security, and much more. He draws on extensive testing in high-profile production environments to offer step-by-step solutions and powerful tips you won’t find anywhere else. Every chapter begins with a section identifying SQL Server 2008’s most significant new improvements, and concludes with a convenient summary of best practices. Each chapter also outlines the benefits of leveraging Windows Server 2008.

Customer Reviews (10)

Good book for DBA
This book is one of the best. It covers all grounds. Just what a DBA need. This is not a beginner's book. Prior knowlege with DBA work would certainly help.

I strongly recommend it.

Mediocre book
This book did not add any practical knowledge or techniques at least to me.
For the most part it re-prints books on line general parts.
I did not find any good book for sql 2008 yet. SQL Server Unleashed for 2005 is a good one.

A Rich All-In-One SQL Server Book
I think this book is one of the better all-in-one SQL Server 2008 books in the market right now. It's covering almost all administration areas with sufficient content. It's as deep as a 820 page book can get. If you are a senior DBA, this book should be accompanied by other books on specific ares like clustering, internals etc. I found "Best Practices" sections, at the end of each chapter, useful. The bonus HyperV chapter could be thicker, though.

An Incomplete Reference
Every chapter I read in this book raises more questions. This book is vague and incomplete in every respect. Not at the same level of excellence as SQL Server 2005 Unleashed or even the books online included with SQL 2008. This book leaves out a lot of important details for administrators planning a SQL 2008 deployment. The differences between Standard and Enterprise editions are outlined in a short, vague paragraph in the introductory chapter. From there on out the book refers to the Enterprise feature set without ever indicating that a given feature is only available in Enterprise. Policy Based Management? There is an embarrassment of a chapter which says click here then there to create a policy but not even a single word is said about the actual real world configuration options available via Policy Based Management. It's like explaining Moby Dick by telling you how to turn the pages of the book and never mentioning the whale. Surface Area Tool no longer exists and they don't explain how to perform equivalent the configuration using the new Policy tools. I was hoping for a resource to help me feel more confident about SQL 2008 but this isn't it.

Favorite Book of My Shelf - A Great Concise Book for All DBAs - Review by Founder of SQLAuthority.com
Short Summary:
SQL SERVER 2008 is a trusted database platform that provides organizations a competitive edge by allowing them to obtain faster results and thus make improved business decisions. This book covers all the topics that can make Database Administrators efficient and successful.

Detail summary:

This information-rich book aims to enhance the experience of professionals working with SQL Server. It covers a wide array of topics and modules of the SQL Server 2008, for instance, database engine, Analysis Services, Integration Services, replication, Reporting Services, Notification Services, services broker, and full text search. The book provides elaborated guidance on management, administration, and monitoring. Besides, new features such as Policy-Based Management, Compressed Backup, and Fail-over Clustered are covered in depth. The book even has a few chapters dedicated to some of the newly introduced concepts including Powershell, Resource Governor, and Virtualization.

The latest version of SQL Server 2008 is a significant improvement on the previous version. People who have purchased the previous version know that it contains only 300 pages and does not provide comprehensive information. I had criticized the author Ross Mistry for the same. The author took my criticism positively and promised me that the next version of the book will be complete. I am extremely glad that the latest version lives up to my expectations! It is a complete book with over 850 pages and covers every topic related to SQL Server under the sun. So, there is no need to refer anything online. Not to forget that there is an online version this book available for free.

The latest edition of SQL Server 2008 includes some of the great features from the previous edition apart from the various new features to improve a DBA's life. The later chapters of the book focus on some interesting and practical information on improving your efficiency, the scale of your server, and performance. It contains some key new features that will help you manage multiple servers at one time using Policy-Based Management, scale your I/O load using compression, and collect valuable information about your environment using data collectors. This information will certainly make a huge positive difference in your experience of working with SQL Server.

This book assumes that the reader has no experience with installing SQL Server 2008, so it starts with explanation of the basic installation and setup methods and then provides further information. One thing I really appreciate about this book is that it focuses on day-to-day administration, best practices, and industry case scenarios, which is relevant for all SQL Server users. Another attractive fact about this book is that all the topics and examples are based on the new features and functionalities.

One of the most interesting chapters I found in this book is chapter 21 - Consolidating and Vitalizing SQL Server 2008 with Hyper-V. I have not seen any other author presenting this concept in such a simple way. I think the author has done great job in organizing the ideas in a coherent manner. I recommend this useful book to everyone; in particular those interested in learning SQL Server 2008 should start with this book.

Every chapter of the book ends with Best Practices related to that chapter. Let us go over few of them.

"All database users belong to the public database role by default. Avoid using the public database role when assigning permissions unless absolutely necessary."

"Make your key index as narrow as possible - preferably an integer column with nonclustered index on it. "

Rating: 5 Stars

In summary, this is a great concise book for all DBAs. They should definitely adorn their desk with this book for frequent reference, as I have done mine.

Pinal Dave
Founder - blog.SQLAuthority.com ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (11)

Great Resource for Understanding SQL Server's Inner Workings
I have quite a few SQL Server 2008 references, but this is my favorite for better understanding the Query Optimizer, engine, indexing, and all sorts of tuning.Basically this is my first stop for questions beyond T-SQL development.I've been able to optimize performance far better than before.Highly recommended.

Absolute Requirement
If you're the person that runs backups and does nothing else with SQL Server, maybe, this book isn't for you. If you have any other level of responsibility with programming or maintaining databases within SQL Server, you absolutely have to have this book. There is no other resource as powerful as this one for understanding what is occurring within SQL Server. If you write queries or create indexes, you have to know how SQL Server is storing and retrieving your data, how it maintains it's memory, everything. It's all here in this book. What's more, the writing is so good, and clear, you can really use the book to learn. I can't sing the praises loud enough of long enough. This book is simply a requirement if you work with SQL Server.

aweful none delivery
This book is excellent. I found it at Barnes and Noble, read at the store, decided to buy one. I ordered one here, money was taken on March 6th, 2010, promised delivery by March 29th, 2010. It never arrived. It is a scam. In USA, city-to-city standard delivery will not take more than 3 days. I highly recommend this book but beware where you buy from. I am going to bn.com to buy another one.

Great book
Interesting, but some times for advanced sql server users and some times for beginners :)

Great Book!
Kalen Delaney has written another thorough reference that is a joy to possess for any senior DBA! ... Read more

Product Description
The only Apple-certified book on Mac OS X Server v10.6, this comprehensive reference takes support technicians and ardent Mac users deep inside this server operating system, covering everything from networking technologies to service administration, customizing users and groups, command-line service equivalents, and more. Keyed to the learning objectives of the Apple Certified Technical Coordinator certification exam, the lessons in this self-paced volume serve as a perfect supplement to Apple’s own training class and a first-rate primer for computer support personnel who need to support and maintain Mac OS X Server as part of their jobs. Self-quizzes reinforce lessons.

The Apple Training Series serves as both a self-paced learning tool and the official curriculum for the Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server certification programs.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Good for installation and initial setup; Less so on concepts
I purchased this book to prepare for Apple's ACTC certification. I was also hoping that it would provide a useful introduction to some of the general concepts about server administration. However, I was ultimately disappointed about the book's usefulness in the later regard.

The book covers most of the major functionality that is included in Mac OS X Server 10.6. It provides useful descriptions of available features and incredibly detailed setup guides that take you through the setup and configuration of each service with extra detail for directory services and authentication/permissions setup.

The author uses both screen shots and text instructions to illustrate each procedure. These make the book easy enough to follow along even if you don't have access to a non-production server to play around with.

My only major complaint was that the author doesn't always go into detail about why you would want to select a certain option over another, especially in areas where the computing environment needs to be taken into account (All Mac clients, All Win clients, etc.). This kind of detail would have made the book more useful as reference for real-world applications.

That said, if you're needing study material to help prepare to take Apple's Certified Technical Coordinator certification tests, this is the book that you need.

Delivery packaging
THe way the ordered goods were packaged should be improved, since all the ordered books, containing CD's, were delivered in a post bag. This caused the books to get damaged, luckily the CD's didn't got damaged.

Maybe not a bad newbie book. It regurgitates the online help.
I bought this book because I was having problems setting up my 10.6 server (after having last done such work with 10.3). All together I was disappointed with the book. I could not learn anything from it that was not in the help and hints on the server itself (or in the Apple support pages). It's very basic. Beyond that, for real problems, Google searches and blogs offer much more.

It could well be helpful to people who are preparing for a certification test or just don't know much about servers. There are introductions to each section which attempt to explain what the server does in each respect (AFP, mail, chat, etc.). I hope it helps some people.

I bought the book as a medium-advanced server admin who inherited a server in a bad state and needed to clean it up. This book offers no help for working out of bad configurations. (In the end I simply reinstalled the OS). So if you are anything but a beginner take a look around at the books on the market and Apple's own online documentation. (Apple offers a near 300-page pdf file for administering OS X Snow Leopard and it's quite detailed and high-quality.)

Just what it says: a guide to the essentials
"Apple Training Series: Mac OS X Server Essentials v. 10.6" is just what it says it is: a book on how to get Mac OS X 10.6 Server up and running, and how to configure it to support different types of environments and users. It is organized into major topics according to server services(mail services, file services, Web services, etc.), and richly illustrated with screen shots.

As the book is frequently used in classroom settings, every chapter has a classroom-style review section. But the book is not written as a textbook; you can skip around from topic to topic and use it as a "how to" guide.

The book assumes you are familiar with the concept of server services and have either a Mac OS X or Unix/Linux background. None of the topics is covered exhaustively, and some services -- the firewall, for example -- are essentially not covered at all. The emphasis is on getting Mac OS X 10.6 Server up and running quickly and supporting users.

On the whole, it is an excellent introductory volume. I would have preferred a better index, and almost every chapter could easily be expanded into a whole book. But judging the book on its intended audience and purpose, it is a winner.

Great Test Prep
Passed the test in December. Took a class that was instructed by one of the authors but even without that, the book was very helpful. Very easy to grasp the content. ... Read more

Product Description

SQL Server 2008 Query Performance Tuning Distilled presents a direct trouble–shooting methodology for identifying poorly performing stored procedures and queries, isolating the causes of that poor performance, and fixing the underlying problems. Each chapter is dedicated to one of the top causes of poorly performing queries and shows methods for identifying and dealing with the problems in that chapter’s domain. Emphasis is always put upon or placed upon practical methods that you can put to immediate use in your day–to–day work. SQL Server 2008 functionality, tips, and tricks are emphasized in each subject area.

• Emphasizes the practical. Does not bury readers in theory.
• Gives readers practical techniques to immediately apply in their daily work.
• Dedicates a chapter to each of the most common, performance–related problem areas.

Customer Reviews (15)

SQL Server DBA Rave Review
From a Simple-Talk article to eBook on Query Plans help create a great book from Grant Fritchey. I met Grant at SQL PASS in 2008 and then at SQLSaturday in New York, where he demonstrated addictive enthusiasm about SQL Server. I bought this book as soon as it went on sell. This was a missing piece of information for the SQL Server community until Grant and Sajal brought this book to the market. Please buy and read this book if you are a DBA or developer that has to tune queries in your job.

Thanks,
Thomas LeBlanc, MCDBA & MCITP

SQL Server 2008 Query Performance Tuning Distilled
Book delivered quickly and in new condition.
The book is a clearly written book with detailed information.

Smarter for reading this book
One of the best things for me about this book was that I was able to read most of it while riding the bus to work. Grant did such a good job of explaining the results of each step, I was able to understand each point without trying it out for myself on a computer. I think I am pretty good with T-SQL and query tuning, but, by reading this book, I now have a methodical way to address performance problems.

A consummate approach to performance tuning with SQL Server
I found this book extremely valuable to me as a means of learning how to effectively tune SQL Server systems and workloads. I also expect it to continue providing value as a trusted reference resource. The insight provided regarding how the multitude of system processes interact and affect performance was clearly and concisely presented. Anyone developing for or administering a SQL Server based system will find significant value in reading this book. Overall it is a superb source of information providing tools, techniques, and an analysis framework to help address performance in a systematic and holistic manner. I would recommend this book to anyone dealing directly, or otherwise, with performance of a SQL Server instance or application. The introduction stated "With the right tools, you can tackle performance problems with a calmness and reliability..." and the book absolutely delivers in providing those tools. If you work with SQL Server you should have this book in your library and kept close at hand.

Performance Tuning actually distilled
A very good reference book on SQL server performance tuning on diverse directions.

On the initial chapters, you can find a good introduction on Performance tuning, Performance analysis and on the Database Engine Tuning Advisor. There are various analysis and optimization techniques explained in later chapters. There is comprehensive information about most common performance issues that occurs due to Query designs and deadlocks.

We can find more information on tuning indexes like when and where to apply what type of index.Later, the workload optimization techniques explains ways to identify and research expensive queries and jobs and "What not" to do to avoid performance issues. This book helps not only to write individual queries without any performance flaws, it also helps to find where the flaws are in existing queries. I would like to mention that there are good of examples of queries (which everyone look for) which make the reader to understand where performance issues or bottlenecks occur and what to do with it.

One good sense I had when I started reading the book is it isn't that hard to read through the book even you are new to performance tuning in SQL server. I would strongly recommend this book for all database performance professionals (Even the beginners in Performance Tuning).
... Read more

Product Description
A hands-on resource for SQL Server 2008 troubleshooting methods and tools

SQL Server administrators need to ensure that SQL Server remains running 24/7. Authored by leading SQL Server experts and MVPs, this book provides in-depth coverage of best practices based on a deep understanding of the internals of both SQL Server and the Windows operating system.

You'll get a thorough look at the SQL Server database architecture and internals as well as Windows OS internals so that you can approach troubleshooting with a solid grasp of the total processing environment. Armed with this comprehensive understanding, readers will then learn how to use a suite of tools for troubleshooting performance problems whether they originate on the database server or operating system side.

Topics Covered:

• SQL Server Architecture
• Understanding Memory
• SQL Server Waits and Extended Events
• Working with Storage
• CPU and Query Processing
• Locking and Latches
• Knowing Tempdb
• Defining Your Approach To Troubleshooting
• Viewing Server Performance with PerfMon and the PAL Tool
• Tracing SQL Server with SQL Trace and Profiler
• Consolidating Data Collection with SQLDiag and the PerfStats Script
• Introducing RML Utilities for Stress Testing and Trace File Analysis
• Bringing It All Together with SQL Nexus
• Using Management Studio Reports and the Performance Dashboard
• Using SQL Server Management Data Warehouse
• Shortcuts to Efficient Data Collection and Quick Analysis

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Must have DBA Guide
Brent Ozar is great at what he does and he suggested this volume to me.It is excellent reading,but is imperative as a reference.

Great Book - DBA's dont miss it
It is a wonderful book to learn about SQL internals and inner workings. I read both Inside SQL Server and this book. Both of them are awesome. I had minor difficulty in understanding few concepts in Inside SQL Server. But this one is really cool with good pictures and queries which will assist a lot during reading and also at work. DBA's dont miss it.

Touched on a wide array of performance topics
I recently finished reading "Professional SQL Server 2008 Internals and Troubleshooting" and wanted to write a quick review about it.As a Production SQL DBA who is required to works with a variety of technologies like SANs, networking etc...I found this book to be a wonderful resource.All too often with SQL books the content seems to be geared towards development DBAs and the in-depth discussion of Storage seems to be some sort of black arts to a lot of DBA's.This book seems to fill in the gap in the market where a lot of SQL books fall short for the "Production DBA".I'm glad to see a book that touched on such a wide array of performance topics including disk sub-systems.

@Toshana

This book will make you flip its page instead of going to search engine online.
Brief Review: Having a book on internal and associating that with real life is "almost" an impossible task. The reason for using the word "almost" is because this book has accomplished this very well. This internals book is written by keeping real life scenarios as top focus. The highlight of the book is that it teaches how to use internals to troubleshoot the real life issues of performance, storage, query processing and all the other important aspects of SQL Server - A must-have book for everybody who is a hands-on DBA/Developer.

Detail Review: I planned to finish reading this book within a week. Very soon, I realized that I was going over very interesting subjects of SQL Server very quickly and understanding them very well. In fact, I finished reading this book in less than a week, and I have to accept that it offers an interesting journey for its readers. This book is also quite easy to read. This book has addressed some of the complex subjects in such a simple manner that any SQL user can understand it very easily.

The three very important components for any server are CPU, Memory and IO. This book effectively elucidates these three components. The topics usually begin by covering internals which shift to practical implementations after proper amount of internals. In other way, I can say that this book is NOT a usual boring book, which can put you to sleep. Each chapter keeps you interested till the end of it. CPU and IO, which are very important deciding factors for Query cost, are very well explained in the book. This book explains how any query can be understood in terms of internals. After explaining the query internals in terms of CPU and IO, it also explains how the physical memory affects query execution and what are the techniques to improve performance?

This book gives an in-depth explanation of Wait Types and Extended Events. I must admit that I was quite scared of Wait Types and Extended Events thus far and learned how "friendly" they can be after reading this book. In fact, I can really see that how I can use these concepts in my real life scenarios and help my servers to run better and efficiently. This book also covers some topics which do not have much available help online, i.e. SQLDiag, RML Utilities, etc. One who is new to these subjects can easily learn from the basics and soon can move to an advanced level. Again, as mentioned earlier, this book is written by taking the real world into consideration and all these subjects follow the same goal.

In fact, I liked the entire book. However, the chapters which I really enjoyed the most are Chapter 3: SQL Server Waits and Extended Events by Jonathan Kehayias; Chapter 4: Working with Storage by Brent Ozar; and Chapter 5: CPU and Query Processing by Steven Wort. Each chapter is independent of the other chapters; this way, the reader can practically start reading any chapter from anywhere and explore the book according to his/her convenience.

Databases are required because there is a large amount of data available, and keeping the data safe, secure and available is the MOST important task of any database system. The fourth chapter on Storage by Brent covers this important basic concept very thoroughly. The most impressive part of Chapter 4 is that it explains how storage works in real time. While taking about storage, Brent manages to effectively explain the concepts of High Availability and Disaster Recovery as well. Maintenance of storage has always been a challenge, and also there has been a lack of understanding on storage devices and techniques available. This chapter answers few very basic but important questions like when should SAN be used for data storage, and what is its effect on performance? This chapter also explains RAID setup; however, please note that it focuses on "practical internals." After setting up good storage, it is equally important to test it; this chapter continues discussing different tools and methodologies for testing storage. This chapter also covers Windows Server Configuration as well as tuning of software by means of storage devices. Corruption can be significant problem in case of a large database; this chapter also covers the proper usage of DBCC CHECKDB and its best practices.

There is no doubt that this book is written by experts who have extensive experience in the subject, which is covered in different chapters. Solid and thorough content, plenty of code, easy-to-understand diagrams, lots of tips along with each topic and simple language are the key highlights of this book.

Rating: 5 Stars

Summary: There is no doubt that this book is by far one of the best books available for anybody who is interested in SQL Server Internals and applying its knowledge to real world troubleshooting scenarios. I think this is one of the must-have books for understanding SQL Server, and believe me, you will find yourself flipping the pages of the book when you are facing a trouble with the SQL Server instead of using search engine!

Very Useful SQL Server Book
This book has 16 chapters of valuable information, written by a collection of well-regarded SQL Server experts, many them Microsoft SQL MVPs. The authors include Christian Bolton, Justin Langford, Brent Ozar, James Rowland-Jones, Steven Wort, Cindy Gross, and Jonathan Kehayias.

This book is heavily focused on the database engine, with lots of low level detail on hardware and different tools for measuring and monitoring performance. I would have liked to seen a chapter on DMV queries, but other than that, I am very happy with this book. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
Harness the power of SQL Server, Microsoft’s high-performance database and data analysis software package, by accesing everything you need to know in Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Bible. Learn the best practices, tips, and tricks from this comprehensive tutorial and reference, which includes specific examples and sample code, with nearly every task demonstrated in both a graphical and SQL code method. Understand how to develop SQL Server databases and data connections, how to administer the SQL Server and keep databases performing optimally, and how to navigate all the new features of the 2008 release. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Essential Book for SqlServer/DBA developers
This book it's very complete, Covers almost all features of Sql Server 2008, not in depth, but it gives a nice direction for many features. Essential for beginners and most experienced in older versions do MS SQL Server. Covers all news features with examples.

You can tell he lives, eats and breathes SQL Server
I have the two previous editions (2000 and 2005).
This one is heavier than the other two - 1642 pages compared to 1293 and 890.
And the paper stock is better as well.
The tone is almost conversational in that Paul Nielsen comes up with likely scenarios to show the syntax of a command.
You can tell that a lot of his tips come from hindsight.Here's an example of a Best Practice tip found on page 263: "Use a join to pull data from two data sources that can be filtered or manipulated as a whole after the join.If the data must be manipulated prior to the join, then use a derived table subquery."

That piece of advice comes from someone who has had to tackle problems using both techniques.

And he's not afraid to tell you worst practices either.Page 547: "Any table design that requires sparse columns is a horrible design."
This is especially helpful if you're learning a new feature and want to know if it's worth the effort.

Don't think that this is an A-Z reference manual.
Chapter 53 is Mr. Nielsen's "AutoAudit", which is quite a nifty code generator to add auditing to your tables.

Understands SQL Server
Paul Nielson is one of the few people out there who really understands SQL Server in depth.This book works very well with the author's video course, published by Total Training.

A comprehensive coverage of SQL Server 2008
I was introduced to this huge informative book by one of my friends at work place. This is a great reference book for almost everyone starting from beginners to advanced database programmers/admins. It is very difficult to cover all aspects of SQL Server in a single book. Howver, the authr(s) have done a good job in covering almost all the features of SQL Servers. This book helps developers who want to know one and everything in SQL Server. However, certain chapers such as "Service Broker" could have been detailed out more considering that these are more advanced. I especially liked the Partitioning, LINQ, Change Data Capture. It has touched upon the Business intelligence and it could have been done better. However, as I said it is already a huge book and adding more materials would have been even more. Rather this solves the purpose to a great deal as a reference book for almost all domains DBAs and developers to jump start in SQL Server.

Perfect for Developers and DBA's
SQL Server 2008 Bible is an absolute must for anyone wishing to enhance their SQL Server skills. There is information in there for everyone from a Developer being able to write more optimal queries to the Database Administrator who has much more complicated tasks to accomplish. This book took my knowledge from a very basic level as a developer to a level where I became a database answer point for many on my development team. I strongly recommend this book to anyone that wishes to enhance their SQL Server knowledge. This book is also one of the few that I always have within easy reach when working on development tasks. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (29)

good book but has errors
There are many errors in this book. The errors are located at [...]. This slowed my learning.I certainly did learn a lot from this book and hence will give it a 4/5.

Not too good
The errors are many, even the posted erata on [...] has errors. For example, on page 12 it states that there are 4 Sql versions that can be deployed in a production env. Enterprise, Standard, Workgroup and Express. This is laid out below in a table of features per version, listed as Standard, Workgroup, Express and Compact. What happened to Enterprise? It's missing, and we have compact in its place. The entire chapter is focused on features and versions and there is nothing for Enterprise. So taking the question at the end of the chapter requires that you know about enterprise edition (which you don't) even though "D. Sql Server 2008 Enterprise" may be the correct answer.

But also I felt that I got ripped off. The book cover and description says that there are hundreds of test questions in the practice exams on the CD. In my CD there were 3 exams, each of them allowing only 5 questions each. And these exams were ALL about Windows Server 2000 or Sql Server 2000. Apparently I must buy a fully functional version of VisualCertExam Manager to read the rest of the questions. Thanks, M.S. Nice switch and bait.

It is a good book BUT...
The important thing to note of this book is ensure you check the errata page on O'Reilly's product page for this book.

I believe the low points of the book have been hit by most of the other reviewers of the book. This is the point I want to make: when did this book get published? Copyright page shows 2009. What year is it? 2010, I think it is time for a new revision of this book to come out, especialy since a service pack has already been released and SQL Server 2008 R2 has come out.Although I don't know that the exam is being updated yet for all this.

I have taken the 70-432 exam (and passed).I took the exam prior to completely reading this book, which that is mostly due to expiration of a voucher coupon. However I do believe this book will help you in preparing for the exam. As many other people state and in general for taking Microsoft exams this should not be your only source. I have worked with SQL Server since 2004 (year not version:). I started playing with SQL Server 2008 not long after it came out.If you are familar and work frequently with SQL Server 2005 this book is useful for getting you aquainted with the new features of 2008 and the changes made on how it handles some things.

The content of the book covers pretty much every detail of SQL Server that you would encounter, even if you have not worked with SQL Server 2005. So it can be a good reference book to refresh up on a particular area of SQL Server 2008. The practice exam is invaluable if you have not taken Microsoft tests before. They actually do help you find the weak areas you have with SQL Server. I believe this content mixed with SQL Server Books Online could be used to prepare for the exam if you have access to an installation of SQL Server 2008.

Overall if you want to learn SQL Server 2008 and study for the exam this book is an option.Although you need to pay attention to the errata page on O'Reilly for the information in the book that is not correct. That link is found here: [...]

The Book is only as good as the reader
I want to start out by identifying myself.I'm a SQL DBA I've got around 8 years of experience, I've got my MCITP for SQL 2005 for Database Administration.So I've read the 70-431 book cover to cover and I can understand some of the criticism of this book, but will address that later.

I bought this book to train for the 70-431 test, I didn't upgrade my cert but choose to take 70-431 & 70-450.Now I studied the book like crazy, I made flash cards, I used the CD in the back of the book, but I did not rely on it.Anything that I felt was not flushed out as well as I liked I would study on MSDN, or great blogs like Paul Randal's.I read several white papers, and was able to use a lot of the knowledge in the work place, which re-enforced my studies..... And I passed the Cert test.Mike's knowledge of SQL Server is great, but there are a lot of sections where Deep Dives will reveal more detail and may even contradict what is written.But bottom line if you study the book, the concepts, and the practices, and know them inside and out then this book is enough to prep you for the exam.

If you want to be a SQL Rockstar, (Google Brent Ozar and SQL Rockstar and read his article), then this is a beginning and you have a lot more work to do.But that goes with a lot of things in life, if all you are willing to do is crack open this book, study it's questions, and do nothing more to prepare for this exam then you are missing a lot of SQL Server Knowledge and while you *might* pass the test you will be a so/so DBA, then that is your choice.

But Dear Reader it is up to you to get that knowledge and Mike does a great job of providing you a diving board to spring from.The question remains, how far do you want to go as a SQL DBA and how hard are you willing to chase it?A book is a book.The reader determines what is achieved with the knowledge they derive from the book.

IN COMPARISON TO 70-431

There is a review that states that this book is far inferior to the 70-431 book.And I would agree.

I would, however, like to point out that Microsoft has tried to specify the SCOPE of DBA training.Whereas 70-431 had to address DBA, Database Developer, and BI (until BI was later split out on it's own path), 70-432 only covers DBA items, and the scope of the exam is also narrowed.

So is 70-431 a better more inclusive book?Yes, but it should be.

It is like saying the Star Wars Trilogy is a more complete story than just Empire Strikes Back.

Yes it should be it is 3 movies not 1.

And yes 70-431 should be, it was meant to cover 3 subjects not 1 (even thoug it was weak on BI which is why they split it out).

This is a very Good book, and I recommend it to anyone who is studying to take the 70-432 exam.

Let's see, (pull's out check list)
Fan boy mentions of Paul Randal and Brent Ozar.....Check
Find a way to bring Star Wars into the conversation....Check

well I think that covers it I hope this review helps you decide if you will buy the book or not.

Great format and poor authorship
I recommend this book because of it's format and still valuable content.
However...
Honorable author Mr.Hotek
If I had to mention every technical mistake and every 'fisherman' story you have in this book, I would be able to write another book about your book.
If you stop telling your endless stories about you saving your 'mythical' clients who run 1000's of databases, tech. proofing book text and stop 'watering' needed context with questionable advises, this book would easily get 5 stars because it's format deserves 50 stars.

Here are few examples.
1. page 597 where you write about yourself:
An application
developer for about three decades and a Microsoft SQL Server professional for almost two decades, he has
consulted on over 1,000 SQL Server projects
He is proficient in over 40 development languages or platforms.

Note 40 LANGUAGES and 1 consulting project every 5 days over 20 yr - simply impossible to believe.
Don't call me root, but I doubt anybody can pass an interview claiming he is proficient with 10 or even 7 languages, not 40.

pg. 592, last line: 'Alter Login' is used to re-map logins and db users - this is the wrong answer because 'alter login' does not remap logins and users. There is no right answer in the set you provide. Right answer would be 'sp_change_users_login'


pg. 597, Answer on question 'Which raid provide best combination of performance and fault tolerance'.
According to Mr. Hotek, raid 5 provides less fault tolerance then raid 10. This is wrong because raid 10 provides better performance on write and slightly lesser performance on read and equal tolerance.
So depending on application of that resource your answer could be either completely wrong of only 50%.

However I would like to ask Mr. Hotek question if he knows how to measure disk performance of raid 10, 5 or any other? Because it's simple but he does not mention it in a book which I think would be very practical.
Implementation of raids is different from company to company, from architecture (SAN vs. DAS) and I happened to be testing all of it.

pg. 490:
Best Practices
SSMS provides a single interface for configuring all the components of log shipping.
Although the interface can perform all the configuration, most database administrators
(DBAs) prefer to use Transact-SQL to set up log shipping.

That's another example of highly subjective and I think wrong view presented.
While I am coding about 30yr and 20 yr with tsql and consider myself very 'scriptable' person(Korn Shell, vbs, Perl), I can not agree with above statement.
I was coding 'log shipping' on ms sql and Sybase for at least 10yr. However, when it came out as an option in ms sql, I do not even try and haven't seen anybody doing it manually.

... and this list goes on and on.
I actually do not have problem with technical 'wholes' in Mr. Hotek book or his own, I have a problem that his often wrong views are projected to large community. ... Read more

Product Description
The Definitive Guide to Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services

Create and deliver data-rich reports across the enterprise using this complete server-based reporting solution. Written by a member of the original Reporting Services development team, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services covers the entire report-building and distribution process, including data extraction, integration with desktop and Web applications, and end-user access. The book explains how to maximize all of the powerful features, including the new Tablix data format, as well as enhanced performance, scalability, and visualization capabilities.

• Install, configure, and customize SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services
• Create SELECT queries to extract data
• Generate reports from the Report Wizard and from scratch
• Add charts, images, and gauges
• Build reusable report templates
• Use the new Tablix data format to create reports with any structure
• Export reports to Word, Excel, PDF, HTML, XML, and other formats
• Enable end-user access to reports via the Report Server and its Report Manager web interface

Customer Reviews (19)

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services
Loved this book (A+) and would recommend any one who wants to begin their journey in SSRS. Attended few interviews on SSRS and surprised to see that all their questions were covered in this book.

Trust me and you will never regret your purchase

Useful and clear, but little verbose
It's a good book for learning, almost from scratch, the Reporting Services 2008 without prior knowledge of them.
The numerous step-by-step procedures (often composed from 50 steps and over) need to keep a pc in front of the book, since it would make little sense to simply read it without trying what explains. Unfortunately, in many pages, the author is rather verbose, and would have been desirable greater concision. A quarter of the book is covered by the appendices, even if those relating to the properties of various controls are almost useless, since such information can be retrieveb from the guide quickly.
The binding and pagination are impeccable. Despite the considerable size of the book is easy to keep it open on the desktop near the pc.

Great book for the begining report writer
I used this book to assist in creating reports in SQL Reporting Services after a few months of learning T-SQL.It does a great job with practical examples and easy to follow along instructions.I recommend this book to everyone at my work who is getting in to reporting services.I still go back and use it as a reference.

Excellent Book
So far this book is just what I wanted.I've used SSRS 2003, 2005 and 2008 but 2008 is quite different and this book helped me familiarize myself with it.

Indispensable Guide and Reference
Brian's use of complete real-world examples and superb guidance have made this book an indispensable book for the SSRS developer. The downloadable code and examples make it easy to tailor these working products to meet the needs of you own development projects. I have personally taken the example code, modified to meet my requirements and published finished products to the delight of my online clients. Brian will also stand behind his work and can be reached as an additional resource if needed. I don't purchase books that often any longer, but I'd have been lost without this one. ... Read more

Product Description

Making Everything Easier!

Mac OS® X Snow Leopard Server for Dummies

Learn to:

• Set up and configure a Mac network with Snow Leopard Server

• Administer, secure, and troubleshoot the network

• Incorporate a Mac subnet into a Windows Active Directory® domain

• Take advantage of Unix® power and security

John Rizzo

Want to set up and administer a network even if you don't have an IT department? Read on!

Like everything Mac, Snow Leopard Server was designed to be easy to set up and use. Still, there are so many options and features that this book will save you heaps of time and effort. It walks you through installation, set-up on a virtual machine, directory services, managing clients, security, and everything necessary to keep your users happy.

• Choose your hardware — get all the details on the best hardware for your specific needs

• It does Windows too — manage Active Directory and Open Directory for a network with both Windows® and Mac® clients

• Maintain control — create and maintain your User Directory and authenticate clients

• Files, printers, and stuff — set up user categories and permissions, handle file sharing protocols, and configure client machines

• Let's get together — help users collaborate with shared contacts and calendars, Podcast Producer, and iChat® instant messaging

• The Web world — configure Web services, set up Wiki Server, and enable blogging

• Out of the office — create mobile accounts for notebook users and configure VPN access

• Safety first — manage security with firewalls, encryption, and proxies

Open the book and find:

• Various options for installation

• The pros and cons of Dual Boot

• How to set up and run an e-mail server

• Tips on getting Macs and Windows to share files

• How group accounts can simplify management

• The advantages of different permission types

• How to manage Podcast Producer

• Special stuff in Snow Leopard Server

Customer Reviews (9)

I'm just a rookie, but disappointed
I'm a rookie server admin running a small business in the real world.
I just couldn't find the in depth information I needed in this book.
There is nothing more than surface information, no real how to's or
fixes, or for that matter verification of proper setup/operation.
To sum it up, I'm sending the book back....

IPad Kindle users beware!
This is absolutely a great book for the beginner. Well written and funny in some sections. The only beef I have with this book has to do with the screen shots. Before I go now, I will like to clarify that I am using the kindle reader for iPad so I do not know if my issue affects the printed book or the hardware kindle. I find myself pulling out a magnifying glass to read the text in the screen shots and even then, 90% of the screen shots are not readable...quite frustrating when your are desperately trying to get a handle on DNS but find the example is not readable!

Saved the day for me
My server installation was barely limping along and had lots of problems. I found the collection of PDF manuals from Apple hardly enlightening. So I saw recommendations and bought this book. It cleared virtually everything up for me, and is organized in such a way that it makes approaching the configuration far less imposing. It could have used some additional detail in spots, particularly in client management.

Really informative and helpful, just what I needed!
This was the first book I bought on my Kindle, and I really love it.

I have been running a small network here at home, with two Macs and two Windows PC's and a Mac mini as a server, but have always wanted to know more about Snow Leopard Server, to get the most out of this awesome Server-OS. I've been looking at Apples own documentation, and reading the Apple User Forums, to get more info on - for example - getting Directory Services up and running. But the info I found always managed to confuse me more than help me.

Not so with this book. Rizzo manages to explain every aspect of Server Installation, Administration and so on, in a clear, concise and easy-to-grasp manner, often with a wonderful understated sense of humor. I really like Rizzo's style, and have found lots of hints and tips I could use on my own network, plus answers to all my questions about Snow Leopard Server.

I'm a very experiences Mac-user, with a great deal of Windows Server experience too, but still did not find this "Dummies" book for dummies at all. It manages to cover both basic topics such as installation, and advanced technologies such as Virtualization, without being either too basic or too hard to understand. It's the perfect OS X Server guide and reference, at least for me.

The Kindle version is really Googled too. Granted I have only bought a couple of Kindle books, but have tried many samplers, and this book really "scales" to the Kindle very well. The Kindles dark screen does not manage to kill the ease with witch this book is read, and having it in such a compact format is really great. Amazon needs to make the Kindles screen much, much brighter, but that aside this book was the perfect fit for me - it's simply awesome and well worth the money!

Great for Beginners
If you're business just decided to get Mac Servers, or you decided to get a Mac Mini server for your home, this book will surely get you started.I'm in the IT industry (mainly deal with Windows Servers), and even had a Windows Home Server (WHS)for home, but recently I've been slowly changing my business to Mac's rather than PC's, so I figured I would replace my WHS with a Mac Mini Server to start playing around with the OS.I'm not a coder, but rather deal with emerging technologies and I must say the author of this book does an amazing job at explaining things to the average user, even someone who's really new to OS X or OS X Server should have zero issues understanding the author.If your a coder, a hard-core developer, or simply enjoy technical writing, this book may not be for you.

Overall, the book is easy to follow, is designed to allow you to jump between sections without regretting having missed a chapter, and will get you started; however, the book does not go into much details, and if you already know a bit about the OS or server technologies, you will end up with a few unanswered questions, since the book touches on most matters, but doesn't dive into great details on many topics.Regardless, if you're new to OS X Server, you will not regret buying this book, and I highly suggest you do start off with this book.If you are a bit more familiar with the topic, or after you have read this book, i would suggest you look into Snow Leopard Server (Developer Reference) or Apple Training Series: Mac OS X Server Essentials v10.6: A Guide to Using and Supporting Mac OS X Server v10.6.If you're patient, you might as well wait for Beginning Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server: From Solo Install to Enterprise Integration (those of you that have read technical books, surly know Apress is by far a leader in technology books, and they do an amazing job - so it's a book I'll surly be ordering).

...anyways, good luck on your Snow Leopard Server experience and books like this one and those I've listed above will help make it fun!! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (9)

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Step by Step (Step by Step (Microsoft))
Is a Step by Step book and is really oriented to people with a very basic knowledge of SQL. What I liked most is that match at most SQL 2008 R2 options, when with a SQL 2005 book was impossible to follow the logics of the software as there has been an evolution in the software itself.

Moreover, you have many exercices and even an ebook inside the CDroom.

Excellent book for a beginner DBA in SQL Server 2008
This is an excellent book for a beginner DBA in SQL Server 2008. CD included.

Good start with, but if you have already started -- worthless
Simple style, not much on anything really, but as usual for the Step-by-step series it walk you through the whole lot.
I got this book together with some others and don't think will even open it again.
I have not actually read it, as you imagine, just skipped through and realised that it's a bit late for me to read it.
The book it only suitable to someone who wants to start learning MS SQL straight from 2008 and has almost no prior knowledge of relational databases, or came from MS ACCESS space.

good book for starters
good book for starters. would have been great if there are more examples to practice with.

Scripts don't work but otherwise ....
I'm only on page 93 and already there are 2 scripts that don't work. Because I'm new to SQL this is a major setback because I have to now try to find a resource to help me resolve the problems until I can move forward. I have checked the errata but no mention of these broken scripts.

The author does a great job of making complex topics easy to understand and the book is organized well. The content seems to be most of what any beginning SQL admin would need to know.

I recommend the book but aware you will have trouble with the scripts.
... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (6)

it is hard to follow to install the practice file
It is hard to follow and install SQL server 2008 and analysis service. The book only shows the website to download. There is no detail to explain and install the entire requirement, including Visual Studio 2008.

Outstanding...
I just finished this book and I am really impressed with it -- It was very well written: the chapters are very organized from beginning to end; it is very easy to follow and you get to practice in each sub-section as you go, steps by steps just like the title said; when you are done with it, it gives you a good foundation of basic knowledge to intermediate level of SSAS 2008; and every explanation it has in the book is just right (not lengthly) and neccessary for you to understand.

What struck me the most is the book has no error -- can you believe it? It's a miracle. Most of the technical books I bought so far I was so frustrated because not only they are not organized, but errors appear left and right in the code and in the exercises. I read this book and followed every step to the T, and everything works as it said (I have SQL Server 2008 Developer Edition and VS Team System 2008 Development Edition, but if you have the basic system requirements requirements said in the book, it should work as well).

Easy and breezy - excellent introduction to SSAS OLAP
This is an excellent starter for the OLAP portion of SSAS.

Chapters 1 and 2 provide a great introduction to some of the initially quirky concepts that SSAS uses. (A proper understanding of fundamental things like attribute hierarchies is crucial, especially if you come to SSAS with dangerous baggage from non-MDX-based BI platforms. If this describes you, make sure you understand these 2 chapters implicitly before proceeding).

Each of the following chapters has the same format - a conceptual overview followed by some exercises. The overview pieces are usually short (yet fairly complete, for overviews), very readable and can absolutely stand on their own - in other words, you can return to the material months later and clarify a concept in 60 seconds without having to wade through pages of rambling blather. I find this quite unusual for what is nominally an exercise-oriented book.

Chapters 8 and 10 contain nuggets regarding Scenario Dimensions and Writeback - personally I would really like to have seen the discussion on Planning applications developed a bit further, butit's probably of fairly narrow interest. Chapter 13 contains the best conceptual overview of Aggregation Design that I have yet seen.

If you find SSAS OLAP the most exciting part of the MS BI stack, and want to focus solely within that area, this is the best place to start. It's an easy (and at only 400 pages, quite breezy) read - you won't be a master when you get through it (specifically, MDX), but you will understand all of the major SSAS concepts, and that's an achievement in itself.

Note to SSAS OLAP newbies: Do NOT use the MSFT Books Online to start with. The tutorials there are adequate when it comes to button-pushing, and the technical reference sections are excellent when you have achieved a level of competency ... however, neither addresses the CONCEPTS properly ... start with this book and save yourself 3-6 months of pain!

Excellent book
I bought this book and started building cubes in a very short time frame.I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is new to SSAS 2008.

Great book to get you going
Excellent step by step setup, configuring, creating, and so forth. Get this book if you need a guided example so you don't waste your time troubleshooting procedures. ... Read more

Product Description
Get the essential reference for deploying, managing, automating, troubleshooting, and optimizing Windows Server 2008 with expert insights and best practices from Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) and the Windows Server team at Microsoft. This official Microsoft® RESOURCE KIT features six volumes of in-depth technical information that every Windows® administrator needs to understand to master Windows Server 2008 administration. You get detailed information about networking, network aspect projection, security features, Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0, Active Directory®, and Windows PowerShellTM. You also get more than 200 time-saving tools, scripts for automation, job aids, eBook resources, plus a fully searchable eBook of each RESOURCE KIT volume on DVD.

Key Book Benefits:

Provides six volumes of in-depth technical information for administering, optimizing, troubleshooting, and automating Windows Server 2008

Delivers definitive product information with expert insights straight from the Windows Server team at Microsoft, Microsoft MVPs, and field consultants

Details information that every Windows administrator needs about Windows Server performance, troubleshooting, security services, group policy, Active Directory, IIS 7, and Windows PowerShell

Features a DVD with more than 200 essential tools and scripts, eBooks with additional technical information, tips, and best practices plus a fully searchable eBook of all six RESOURCE KIT volumes ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The Long Wait
Loved the price, hated the wait.Site said it would take about 2 weeks, even though they were in the UK.After a month I contacted the company.They had no tracking and asked me to check my post office.After another week, I received the package.It looked like it may have rolled around in the belly of the aircraft, but still in OK shape.If you don't mind the wait, you can't beat the price.

Just what I needed!
A complete resource for Windows Server 2008. I am just starting out as a Systems Administrator and this set of books will be an excellent reference tool. As I begin Microsoft training and throughout the certification process, I expect to reach for this set of books time and time again. Thank you for offering at such a great price.

Great Resource Kit
Hi, I bought this kit for my certification plan.

It's a great kit that helps me to learn the new features of Windows Server 2008.

Giuseppe

Win2K8 Server Resource Kit
I already bought in the past the 2003 resource kit and this one is still as it is/was for 2003: Great!
Thanks all
Nicolas

Keep up the good work!
I've received my books on time in perfect condition
Keep up the good work!

... Read more

Product Description
This book is designed to teach application developers all of the skills they need to use SQL to work with a Microsoft SQL Server 2008 database. But it's also a great first book for developers who are on the path to becoming a DBA.

Unlike most SQL Server 2008 books, this one starts by showing you how to use SQL queries to extract and update the data in a database, because that's what every application developer needs to know first. Then, it shows how to design and implement a database, how to use powerful backend database features like views, stored procedures, functions, triggers, cursors, transactions, locking, security, and how to work with BLOB and XML data. Finally, it shows how to use the CLR integration feature to create database objects using a .NET language such as C# or Visual Basic.

From the publisher

To complete your SQL Server skills, section 5 shows you how to use the CLR integration feature. This feature allows you to create database objects like stored procedures and user-defined types using a .NET language like C# or Visual Basic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

The Book was sent destroyed
The Book was sent destroyed.The book was sent like this since the origin beacause tha package from Fedex was good.

Great books--Great Amazon service
This is my third Murach's book. They've been the required textbooks for several of my college classes.The information is very well organized.There is an example on every right side facing page, with brief information in outline form below.On the left facing page, there is detailed information about the example.This format makes it very easy to skim through information I already have some knowledge of, and quickly identify where the detailed information is needed.I've contiuned to use all of the books as references for C#,[...] 3.5 and SQL Server 2008.

One of the best
The Murach books are great books for learning and reference.Many of the software 'brick' books are so full of fluff and examples are hard to apply, this is not the case with Murach.He uses examples that are complete and does not leave gaps for you to figure out on your own.I have been able to get up to speed on several topics using these books.

I am a Business Analysis Manager and I use C# and SQL server daily.These books have enabled me to learn quickly and use the examples in my work right away.

Great book, bad e-book
WHY I WANT TO GIVE IT 5 STARS:
I learn better when I understand the "why," in addition to the "how." Even if the additional explanations of the "why" add to the total page count, they are well worth it, in my opinion. The explanations of the practical uses of various features are extremely helpful to someone like me because it makes things "stick." The "paired pages" approach is very effective. The book is down-to-business without any stupid attempts at humor, which I appreciate.

WHY I WANT TO GIVE IT 1 STAR:
As someone who went paperless several years ago and appreciates the excellent commenting (i.e., highlighting, notetaking, etc) and navigation features of PDFs and Safari Books Online, I am extremely disappointed that such a terrific book is relegated to such an awful e-book format. The "LockLizard" viewer is a far cry from Adobe Reader, Acrobat, or Safari Books Online. The publisher claims that the LockLizard format is used because it is more user-friendly than other viewers, but I don't buy it. I assume the real reason for the LockLizard format is copy protection. I think copy protection is a good idea, but only if the ebook experience isn't severely degraded as a result of it.

WHY I GAVE IT 3 STARS:
I'll happily raise my rating to 5 stars when the book is published in PDF format or added to Safari Books Online. Until then, I'm giving it 3 stars. I plan on purchasing many more of these Murach books because the content and style is excellent, but I'll remain frustrated with the ebook interface unless the move to PDF or Safari Books Online is made for the whole Murach catalog.

Excellent, in-depth reference
This book is a lot more than just a collection of information. It presents topics in a very easy-to-understand format and progression. If you want to learn about SQL server in-depth, this is the choice for you. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (4)

Stanek is the best IT writer
By the and away the best author of computer books. Down to earth language and tone, great writing flow. These quick reference books are great. Yes much of this material is online for free, but not as well written or as organized. Worth every penny.

Server 2008
Definitivamente este es un buen libro de referencia para aquellos que no tienen mucho tiempo que perder. Como bien dice el título, es Pocket, va al grano, y fácil de leer. Lo adquirí para conocer más sobre el producto ya que administro algunos servidores Windows 2008 y nunca se sabe cuando se va a necesitar leer algo y aprender... Puedes comprarlo en confianza. Y su autor, Stanek, ya está validado y probado como uno de los mejores.

Great Resource For Windows 2008 Admins
'Windows Server 2008 Administrator's Pocket Consultant' is a great resource for IT admins that need to have a quick guide at their fingertips.With nearly 700 pages of material spread over 20 chapters, this is a solid piece of writing.The thing I really like about it is the size.It easily fits in your hand and is perfect for travelling with.This might seem like a minor point, but it really isn't.

Let's take a look at the Table of Contents

01. Overview of Windows 2008 R2
02. Deploying Win 2008 R2
03. Managing Win 2K8 Servers
04. Monitoring Processes, Services, Events
05. Automating Tasks, Policies, Procedures
06. Enhancing Security
07. Active Directory
08. Active Directory Administration
09. User and Group Accounts
10. Creating User and Group Accounts
11. Managing User and Group Accounts
12. Managing File Systems and Drives
13. Admin of Volume Sets and RAID Arrays
14. Managing File Screening and Storage Reporting
15. Data Sharing, Security, Auditing
16. Data Backup and Recovery
17. Managing TCP/IP Networking
18. Admin of Network Printers and Print Services
19. Running DHCP Clients and Servers
20. Optimizing DNS

What you have there folks is all the ins and outs of basic Win IT admin in todays' world.The book is laid out well, written solidly, and all-in-all, this is a great resource to have.

***** RECOMMENDED

A daily answers guide to R1 and R2
Stanek is the best of the best in computer writing for a reason. He's both a professional writer and one of thew few technical gurus Microsoft looks to. Thanks to one of Stanek's other books, I lead our deployment of Windows Server 2008 the first time. Now we're preparing for R2, I did my homework again and again chose one of his books to help me -- this one.

This book, Windows Server 2008 Administrators Pocket Consultant Second Edition, covers the R1 and R2 releases of Windows Server 2008. I found it had a good balance of both step by steps and expanded details. There are many new features in R2 and this one covers most of them and in sufficient enough depth. Whether you are working with R1 only or with both R1+R2, I can't see how you can go wrong with this one. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (5)

Exchange 2010
Excellent Book and I received the book within the 4/5 days from date of purchase

Must have for the Exchange 2010 admin
This book is a must have for anyone running Exchange 2010. It has information in it I have found no where else. Anytime I have any sort of issue I start with this book and it usually has exactly what I need to correct many of the problems I have come across. From one roll-up update shutting off all the services, to the correct privileges in IIS, and setting up Outlook Anywhere.

It really is a pocket consultant
I had assumed that this book was a cookbook in nature, I need to do this procedure - look it up and execute the steps in order.But it really was a lot more.It does an excellent job of explaining the concepts in a concise accurate manner.There is an impressive amount of content in this book as well.I was happily deceived by its size.But if you want a book that quickly explains what you need to do with Exchange 2010, this is a great option.I have the Unleashed book, and I find myself using this book quite a lot more.

easy read very good
I did find it easy to read, very good info, it was recommented to me by a MS employee.

Essential resource for Exchange
William Stanek is the top authority for all things Microsoft for a reason. He is well known for his detailed and clear explanations. He knows more than any dozen other so-called experts and he's not afraid to share every last bit of knowledge he has about any topic he writes about. Exchange Server 2010 Adminstrators Pocket Consultant isn't meant to be an allinone book but in this book's 700 pages I learned everything I wanted to know about Exchange Server 2010 and then some.

Good for anyone working in tech from dev to IT admin. Definitely worth the money and then some too. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (9)

Deserves ongoing recommendation for any administrator of the SQL server environment
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 deserves ongoing recommendation for any administrator of the SQL server environment. It's been updated for R2 and appears in a thick tote format lending to at-a-glance information, quick reference tables, and lists of options. The result is a key programmers can easily use to manage SQL Server environments in the quickest way!

Excellent SQL 2008 Administrator reference
I needed a SQL Server 2008 administration book for both learning and for reference at work.Stanek has other books out that are very good. He has this pocket consultant book formula down pat. I have used his IIS Pocket Consultant and the previous book on SQL Server 2005 with good results. So, I knew that this should be a good SQL 2008 reference.

I was correct.This book is thorough, informative and accessible. The presentation is very good & straightforward.Information & tasks are presented clearly, and the book has lots of pictures of the UIs and tables for information.I find the pictures can are very effective in supporting the text. The UI cannot be explained in a few words and the pictures eliminate this need. This is an administrative pocket consultant. And that is what is in the book, hundreds of pages of administrative related tasks. The book is targeted to specific tasks which makes it very helpful.I recommend this SQL2K8 Pocket Consultant.

Good for beginners
I am not a beginner and so I was not fascinated by the book. I bought it so that I can prepare for the exam 70-450 to get the MCITP - Database Administrator 2008 as this was a recommended read on the Microsoft website. I don't think this book provides the information need for the test. It covers the technical areas just on the surface and does not give you good enough explanations. As a reference it might be helpful for individuals who are new to SQL Server. Having said that the book does satisfy its title and may be my expectations were wrong about this book.

Helpful is an understatement
First thing I was not that familiar with SQL. I have done minor queries but that was it. Besides that I have had nothing to do with SQL. My boss then decided I should start administering our SQL server because the other 15 machines I administer was just not enough and it is the same as a server 2003 machine right? Whatever.
I bought this book with the hopes it could help me with the day to day operations backup of the database, run clean-ups, etc. This book came back aces. The very first section I looked up was backup. It walked me through step by step explaining everything. The next section was restoration. So I tried it. I created a VM and followed the steps shown. Restored perfectly. I could not be happier.
Everything I have tried in this book has worked the way it was supposed to. It is easy to follow and does not go off in techno babble until it tells you a definition.
I think this is required for anyone administering a SQL Server 2008 machine.

Great review for an Oracle DBA
Well, I am not a SQL Server DBA. I am an Oracle DBA. But as all Oracle DBAs know, there are more SQL Server databases at Oracle sites then ever before. So, it makes sense to see what is going on over there in SQL Server land.

This is a good book for me - a DBA, not a developer. I did not want a 'how to create an online bookstore with SQL Server' type of book. What I wanted was DBA-info. I was looking for features, commands, syntax, uses, notes, etc.

I think this is a good reference for anyone trying to get info about SQL Server. And for me, a DBA who does not write code, this is a very good book.
... Read more