Product Description

Customer Reviews (17)

Good Book!
I recommend this book to everyone who want to start learning T-SQL from the ground up.
All the topics are explain in a understandable way and you can complete your learning with the
proposed exercises.

A Great "Why Didn't I Think of That!" Book
I've been using T-SQL for many years, so I was surprised by the number of "aha" moments I experienced while reading this book.The author seems to have a gift for describing concepts and techniques -- both old and new -- in a clear, "oh, yeah, now I see how that could be useful" way.For me, the "Using Pivot with Dynamic SQL" section more than justified the cost of the book all by itself; it saved me several hours on a project I was working on, because I'd been planning to do by brute force (cursors, table variables, and many lines of procedural code) what the author demonstrated how to do with a few lines of code.The discussion of what derived tables are and why they are useful was also revelatory.All in all, this is a book that should prove useful to T-SQL developers at all levels of experience.

Awesome for advanced T-SQL users, and intimidating for a novice.
DON'T buy this book if you're a T-SQL beginner.The name made me think the book would be geared toward basic/foundational concepts.This is absolutely not the case, however I'm very excited about having this as a terrific mid to advanced level reference down the road.

I've been a SQL System Administrator for many years, but never needed to understand the queries, just how to protect, backup and recover the databases.Thank goodness my husband was able to translate for me!For this reason I give it a 1.5 star rating for new users but a 4.5 rating for T-SQL administrators.Once I was able to understand what he was trying to say, and reference the […] website to break the queries into manageable bites, the lights came on.

I have now purchased a few other T-SQL books and without a doubt, this unique reference will become my master.However I couldn't do this without taking the first lessons in more introductory material.Can't wait to be a guru and actually understand this beast of a book!

Superb Learning and Resource Book
This book is an absolute 5.

The information is given in a way that makes it easy for anyone to understand with great sample problems at the end of each chapter. I found myself continually reading it and couldn't put it down, which for a technical book is unheard of!

There were many places where I thought I had known how different areas worked and then I read this book. This is a must have not only as a learning tool but as a reference for those once in a while situations when you get to use new or otherwise novelty features of SQL Server's T-SQL.

If you had any doubt whether or not to purchase this book, I would highly encourage you to do so!

The nitty gritty
Pleased to find the other reviews were correct in that this book really fills in the gap and gets into nitty gritty nuances of querying... way beyond the basics.Only a 1/4 of way through now, but learning new aspects/features of sql with every read. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (4)

Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2008-T-SQL Programming Book Review
I have used SQL Server since the 6.5/7.0 days and thought I knew enough to get by. I had various experiences with SQL Server 2000/2005, and then did not immediately use SQL Server 2008 until the Spring of 2010; I took a T-SQL CLASS using SQL Server 2008 at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California. I learned a great deal that I did not previously know from Professor Shui-lien Huang, a very excellent teacher.

You can work with SQL Server, and unless you have the opportunity to have many challenges to stretch your skills, you may seemingly work in a silo and never learn all of it, which is a good reason to buy this book: "Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2008: T-SQL Programming". I am glad I had the T-SQL class before reading this book.

This book contains the typical coverage for a standard T-SQL statement, and then User-Defined Functions (UDFs), Triggers, Stored Procedures, Views, etc., but also some new things. For example, extending SQL Server by using CLR (Common Language Runtime) user defined types, the use of XML, dynamic SQL, and Service Broker for reliable, asynchronous processing, and Spatial Data (i.e. geodata).
On the subject of Spatial Data in Chapter 14, Microsoft has brought forth new data types, operators, and indexes to the database. Microsoft introduces the core spatial concepts and provides key programming constructs to successfully navigate this new feature in SQL Server 2008. There are 70 pages covering Spatial Data. Obviously, this is a heavy topic.

Because of auditing and compliance requirements, the issue of tracking access and changes to data has become much more important. This book shows how previous versions of SQL Server did take care of this to some degree, but in SQL Server 2008, Microsoft has added the following: change tracking, change data capture, Extended Events, and SQL Server Audit. The book shows provides guidance on where each of these new technologies is best used, and then goes on to show how to implement each technology.

This is not a beginner's T-SQL book, but it does cover beginner topics, as mentioned above. In addition, it covers some of the new aspects of SL Server 2008 that are more complex. This is most assuredly a valuable reference book that all T-SQL and .NET developers and database administrators should have nearby. It will give you excellent instruction and answers to your T-SQL questions.

Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2008: T-SQL Programming (Pro-Developer)
I would strongly recommend this book. Very detailed description of innovative techniques in all editions of SQL Server 2008. I really enjoyed the ease of the chapters ,and implements in discussion. Once you start reading, very addictive.

Outstanding Book Covering T-SQL Programming w/ SQL Server 2008
Being primarily a database and web developer, I feel more than experienced enough to review 'Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2008: T-SQL Programming' by Itzik Ben-Gan and others and I feel more and easily able to give this ***** and highly recommend this text.All the basics are covered in this 800 page book.It's not a teaching book that will give you all the ins and outs of database design and use, but it will show you what the major points of using SQL Server 2008 are, and how to get the most out of them.

Major topics covered are Views, User-Defined Functions, Stored Procedures, Triggers, Transactions & Concurrency, Error Handling, Temporary Tables/Table Variables, Cursors, Dynamic SQL, Date/Time usage, CLR User-Defined Types, Temporal Support, XML & XQuery usage, Spatial Data, Tracking Access and Changes, and finally Service Broker discussion.

The parts of the book that I enjoyed most were the last 6 chapters, as discussion on CLR usage, Spatial Data, and the like are limited in most other SQL Server books.I especially loved the chapter on Spatial data, a very important subject that has much, much greater support than years in the past.

If you are a SQL Server developer or admin, you owe it to yourself to take a hard look at this great book.It is written fantastic and is a great resource that I found useful from the moment I picked it up.

***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

One of the best books ever
Just like all the other books by Itzik Ben-Gan, this book is one of the best SQL books ever published. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (5)

Superior multi-author textbook
Most multi-author technical texts suffer from repetition, problems with consistent naming, or even areas of frank disagreement.This book is superbly edited, and one hears the different voices of the authors, but there is a careful coordination of content.I used the book, in combination with the lead author's "fundamentals" book, to gain a rapid introduction to the field.The discussion of set theory and predicate logic is superior, and the authors' do a superior job of gently leading you down the introductory road to the product.I liked the fact that they consistently draw a distinction between extensions of standards SQL and T-SQL.

Too "in-depth". Not easy to read but packaged with good TSQL info. Not for the newbie.
I just went yesterday to a famous bookstore here in town to check this one before order it online and left a bit disappointed, with no desire at all to buy it. Don't get me wrong, Itzik is an awesome writer, a genius on his field, but I do not share the previous 5 start opinions and I will explain why.

I do not consider myself an TSQL expert but got some SQL DBA years on my belt and a MCTS cert too. Having said that and after almost finish reading Microsoft SQL Server 2008 T-SQL Fundamentals (PRO-Developer), same author, I found this one very difficult to follow, flooded with tons of theory and math that for a TSQL book is in my opinion too much. Yes, SQL language has strong logic and math background but that is not what DBAs or developers are looking on a technical book and this is not a college book either; people are looking for practical books which can be quickly be applied on daily job activities.

Chapter #2 for example is full of logic and math stuff that I honestly skipped immediately. Nice as bonus information but not "straight to the point" T-SQL stuff. You can easily take that chapter out and keep the book lighter in my honest opinion. Same for Chapter#3, more logic and math stuff, related to T-SQL, yes, but no the real stuff.

Chapter 1, 7 and 10 are taken of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 T-SQL Fundamentals (PRO-Developer), which by the way, is an outstanding book. Those chapters are about SELECT, JOINS and DML, information that like I said, can be found on the Fundamentals book but in an easy to read style, even with exercises so you can evaluate your own skills.

Chapter #4 is probably the more interesting chapter of the whole book, is about query performance. I must accept Itzik dominates the material but introduces so many complex query concepts and statements that you will get lost in no time. He even mentions he wasn't so sure about where to put this chapter, end of beginning, because the way he's using complex DMVs. But I believe you still can explain query performance without being so technical. This chapter is just full of complex query techniques that make even more complex the explanation of performance tuning strategies. I prefer SQL Server 2008 Query Performance Tuning Distilled by Grant Fritchey; a book just dedicated for that topic but delightful and easy to follow, without being a "dummy book".

In order to be fair and make justice though, the book is really full of theory about logical query processing, set theory and algorithms, foundations of what SQL language is. If you have a really strong background of TSQL query (I mean, really strong TSQL skills), math and the enough time to digest and understand that, this book is for you.

But to me, this book can be out of your book shelve and be easily replaced by this combo instead: SQL Server 2008 Query Performance Tuning Distilled+Microsoft SQL Server 2008 T-SQL Fundamentals (same author) Both will teach the same in a better and easy to follow approach, skipping all the logic, math and boring sql language foundationwhich to me, are unnecessary on this kind of books especially if you are not in college anymore, but working as a full time DBA.

Very well done
I'm new to T-SQL, but not new to database programming.I found this to be an excellent reference for the advanced programmer.The examples are well thought out and well organized.He often gives several different examples of how to solve a problem along with the pros and cons of each solution.

What else can we ask to have in one book about T-SQL Querying?
I have really enjoyed this book from the begining to the end.

The new chapters from Steve and Dejan:

- Set Theory and Predicate Logic
- Algorithms and Complexity
- The Relational Model

are a very good complement. Having these topics is handy and refreshing, not to mention a must in this discipline.

Itzik's cover about the new T-SQL features introduced with SQL Server 2008, is insightful and very well guided. No doubt that he is an educator by nature.

If you are new to T-SQL, I strongly recommend that you first read Itzik's book "Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 T-SQL Fundamentals", prior to diving into this series (T-SQL Querying and T-SQL Programming).

Thanks to all the authors for such wonderful book.

Alejandro Mesa
SQL Server MVP

Great mentoring book
As usual books from Itzik Ben-Gan give me better understanding of hard-to-grasp concept related to set theory and SQL query.
... Read more

Product Description

Maximize the Business Intelligence Tools in Microsoft SQL Server 2008

Manage, analyze, and distribute enterprise data with help from this expert resource. Delivering Business Intelligence with Microsoft SQL Server 2008 covers the entire BI lifecycle and explains how to build robust data integration, reporting, and analysis solutions. Real-world examples illustrate all of the powerful BI capabilities of SQL Server 2008. This is your one-stop guide for transforming disparate data into actionable insight for users throughout your organization.

• Understand the goals and benefits of business intelligence
• Design and create relational data marts and OLAP cubes
• Manage Analysis Services databases using BI Development Studio
• Cleanse data and populate data marts with SQL Server Integration Services
• Take advantage of the flexibility of the Unified Dimensional Model
• Manipulate and analyze data using MDX scripts and queries
• Use data mining to identify data patterns, correlations, and clustering
• Develop and distribute interactive reports with SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services
• Integrate business intelligence into enterprise applications using ADOMD.NET and the Report Viewer Control

Customer Reviews (12)

Fantastic
Great book for someone who is new to BI. Larson covers many topics of Business Intelligence and how to deliver it with SQL Server 2008. The entire book is written in a very practical way, making everything easy to understand, even for novices. Each topic is concise and doesn't try to overload you with details. I especially enjoyed the "learn by doing" exercises where you get to work in SQL Server with sample data to really nail down the topics. I read this book while taking a BI undergrad class, and it really helped with understanding some of the more advanced topics. Highly recommended, especially those new to the field.

A good intro
I appreciate this book for what it is... a fairly well conceived tour through the landscape of BI.What it is not is a suitable teacher for anything but the most basic concepts, nor a guide book suitable for forging your own paths.If your learning style is see it in action before understanding what it's doing, then this is probably your book.If you require context to learn and need some solid background information as well as in depth analysis along the way, this book will disappoint.And in the sense that it takes you past or through all major and minor components of BI, including sources of data, data warehousing, transformations, integration services, cube building, cube querying, reporting services, it is in one sense comprehensive.However, you may often find, as I did, that even a little more depth would have been extremely useful.

Excellent introduction to BI using SQL Server 2008
I'm really new to Business Intelligence. I found this book to be a really gentle introduction to the subject. Nice examples and really easy to follow. It's also really well written.

A great explanation for a wealth of SQL Server features
There's no doubt that Business Intelligence (BI) is a hot topic these days.Microsoft has made, and continues to make, aggressive moves into the BI space, and to this end they've devoted substantial resources.With the 2008 release of their flagship product, Microsoft can now stand on its own against the likes of Cognos or Business Objects, and deliver a powerful, scalable solution.If you are a developer new to the world of BI (with it's mix of data, business logic, charts, graphs, dashboards, KPI's, trends, and more), or a seasoned BI expert who is looking for a technical manual on the features of this platform, then Delivering BI with SQL Server 2008 is the book you want by your side.

This book is packed with information, but is _fun_ to read, because the language is clear and modern.The clarity and consistency of pages tells the reader that, unlike so many other tech books you'll find, this one was proof-read before it hit the shelves.It takes the reader through a conceptual introduction to BI, and the terms and ideas you'll see discussed by specialists in this area.From there, it dives into the big three core competencies of the Microsoft SQL Server Business Intelligence stack: Integration Services, Analysis Services (talking here about OLAP Cubes, Data Mining / DMX, and MDX), and Reporting Services.If you are looking to read about integration with Excel or Sharepoint there may be better references out there, as these topics do not get much attention.But, the chapters on MDX are leagues beyond what I've read in similar Microsoft BI topics books.Short of a title solely devoted to MDX, such as the excellent "MDX Solutions: With Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services 2005 and Hyperion Essbase", this is among the very best books you're likely to find on standard query language of OLAP data.Likewise, the discussion of SSIS components is an indispensable reference that has served me well.

Finally, a small thing that I thought it was nice, the author does not rely on the time-worn AdventureWorks database.All examples are based on structures created in the book.

Please note that this book does not cover features of the just released-to-market SQL Server 2008 R2.It is current up to the 2008 iteration, which is all very valuable, but you will not find mention of topics like DAX, Microsoft Spatial Data, or Power Pivot.

Good book, errors in example code though
Content is great, well laid out, explains topics in easy to understand language for the most part.
Big problem with the examples though.

There is a cube project called MaxMinSalesDM. This is created by one VS2010 project. It is populated by another. Problem is the column names in one of the tables are incorrect (in the analysis services project, a table is called SalesPerson, but in the SSIS projects that populate the cube, the table is referenced as Sales_Person. When populating the Slowly changing dimension, this causes an error.

For a beginner, i need to learn by example of these projects, and dont have the knowledge to fix these errors. This has caused me hours of trouble and for this reason, i might just skip this book if you are going to rely on the projects. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (3)

Reporting Services 2008
I have found various mistakes/errors thoughout the book, although I was able to figure out the issues and complete the excercises. Also it goes over ReportBuilder 2.0 NOT the current ReportBuilder 3.0.

Very Good but...
The book is very well organized and the lessons are detailed, beyond just the basics.It should serve as a good reference as I start to develop reports on my own.The one drawback is that the sample databases which should be downloaded from CodePlex do not exist.These would have been very beneficial.

Reporting Services in simple terms
Stacia covered both native and SharePoint installation for Reporting Services. This is very helpful for SharePoint sites without a SharePoint administrator or database administrator. She progresses by showing report deployments in both native and SharePoint mode.

The release of Report Builder 2.0 is a significant improvement in Reporting Services. Stacia covers in detail how to install and use it as an authoring tool. In Part II, the full potential of report designer is shown in detail. Choosing between using report builder against report designer will be an easy decision.

Analysis services is an underutilized component of SQL Server. By showing how a reporting services takes advantage of analysis services, it will encourage you to explore analysis services further. Charts, charts and more charts, easy, fast and very useful.

The book discusses report models, managing report server, managing security, a must read for administrators.

- Eldred Rivera, MCT -
... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Comprehensive, but a nightmare to read
The is the go-to book for Windows 7 certification. If all you want to do is pass the test, then this will be all you need. However, the writing style and presentation seems to assume you've already taken the test and passed. If you're looking for clear explanations, or the explanation of why this command or that process is used, this isn't the book. Supplement it with something else because it is very bad at explaining those. ... Read more

Product Description

Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Unleashed is the ultimate guide to designing, deploying, managing, troubleshooting, and supporting any Exchange Server 2010 environment, no matter how large or complex.

Drawing on their extensive experience with hundreds of enterprise Exchange Server environments--including Exchange Server 2010 early adopters--the authors thoroughly cover every stage of the Exchange Server 2010 lifecycle. They present detailed recommendations, proven tips and tricks, and step-by-step techniques for implementation and migration planning, architecture, installation, administration, security, monitoring, integration, availability, optimization, and much more.

Rand Morimoto and his expert colleagues also offer indispensable practical guidance for making the most of Microsoft Exchange Server 2010’s many enhancements--from its improved web access to its enhanced support for Unified Communications and Mobility.

• Use proven best practices to plan your Exchange Server 2010 implementation
• Architect higher-performance, lower-cost enterprise Exchange Server environments
• Maximize the security of your Exchange Server infrastructure, transport, and messages
• Migrate smoothly from Exchange Server 2003/2007 and Active Directory 2000/2003 to Exchange Server 2010 and Active Directory 2008
• Utilize Microsoft Operations Manager to monitor Exchange Server 2010
• Use Windows PowerShell to streamline Exchange Server management
• Integrate other Microsoft technologies, including SharePoint 2007 and Office Communication Server 2007
• Leverage the full capabilities of the Outlook Web App (OWA) client
• Provide robust messaging to non-Windows and non-Outlook systems
• Implement Exchange Server’s powerful new Database Availability Group replication feature
• Back up Exchange Server 2010 environments and recover quickly from a disaster
• Systematically optimize Exchange Server 2010 environments, including storage

Customer Reviews (21)

Highly INACCURATE
I am a MCT and I am always looking for additional resources to recommend to classes.Unfortunately, this book is NOT one I would recommend.This book is the most inaccurate Exchange 2010 book I have encountered.Forget about the missing features that others have mentioned, the features that are covered are completely wrong.The author also says that Exchange 2010 is "70-80%" the same as Exchange 2003.Anyone who has experience with both products would know that Exchange 2010 has significant changes from 2003.

This book had to be written by someone with limited exposure to Exchange 2010 and if you choose this book, you will unfortunately be in a bad place technically speaking.

Terrible book
If you want a management overview of the history of lots of vaguely related and often unrelated technologies and government policies, then you might like this book.

If you are looking for Exchange 2010 information, you'd learn as much by reading a comic book.Very disappointed in this book.Lots of copy and paste from Exchange 2007 information, completely incorrect information in some places about the OS that Exchange 2010 will run on, as well as private/public key functions in certificates.

Unfortunately after reading the first 456 pages, I think I'm going to throw this book away and buy one that is actually useful when updating my skills from Exchange 2003 to 2010.

Sam's used to consistently publish good books, but I guess times change.

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

good for the beginner
I'm an Exchange beginner and I love this book.
After reading the intro chapter of the book, I had a strong understanding of the main reasons that Exchange 2010 is such a successful product.
It gets you with the requirements and help building a deployment plan for your environment taking your specific needs in consideration.
the one thing I liked more than everything else is the good theory separated by server roles. this is really helpful for a beginner and with the relatively low price you can say its a bargain.

Exceptional Migration Guide!
We just completed our migration to Exchange 2010 this past weekend using this book as our guide, and it's now noon on Saturday, we've successfully migrated, and we're heading home!We followed the book from start to finish, from the planning aspects covered in the architecture portion of the book, to setting up the servers, creating DAGs, load balancing our CAS servers, and then preparing for and completing our migration to Exchange 2010!We plan to add Exchange 2010 Unified Messaging voicemail, but we're going to let this migration settle and tackle switching from Cisco Unity to Exchange UM in the next couple weeks.

We are VERY happy with had this book as our guide!(I'll be writing a review shortly on our experience with Migrating from AD 2003 to AD 2008 R2 this weekend took, which we used the Sams Publishing Windows 2008 R2 Unleashed book as our guide, and that cutover went as planned as well!) ... Read more

Product Description

Design and implement fast, scalable and maintainable cubes

• A real-world guide to designing cubes with Analysis Services 2008
• Model dimensions and measure groups in BI Development Studio
• Implement security, drill-through, and MDX calculations
• Learn how to deploy, monitor, and performance-tune your cube
• Filled with best practices and useful hints and tips

In Detail

Customer Reviews (11)

Excellent - Worth every dollar
I recently inherited a fairly sophisticated analysis cube. Until I started working with cubes, my level of understanding was a 2 on a scale of 10. In about 2 weeks, I was able to get a handle on how the cube I inherited was working and what it was doing. This book has been worth every dollar I paid for it. Use the book in conjunction with an actual cube - it's not for leisure reading. Happy cubing.

Kicks your SSAS up a notch..
I read it cover to cover, and have gone through some chapters several times...Book is becoming a little bit ragged, always a good indicator of value for me. Not a novice book - you shouldhave gone through a couple of real world SSAS projects to be comfortable with the content. Especially valuable if you are transitioning into 2008 versions from prior version and want to hit the ground running.
There certainly are some "opinions" being put forward - but if you don't have an experience based stance against a recommendation, you should probably go with it and adjust later..

interesting book, but take their opinions with grain of salt
Alberto Ferrari well known blog and famous paper on many-to-many revolution make his book a must read for anybody who is doing serious development with microsoft analysis services 2005 and 2008. still i would take some of their opinions with a grain of salt - eg they recommend to avoid parent-child dimensions as there many issues with them. this recommendation i disagree with as PC is the only mechanism to support unbalanced hierarchies and although you can go with natural hierarchies its quite a pain to maintain them. they dont cover MSAS end-to-end - more like each chapter has its own life. The book is not suitable for beginners, - rather Mosha's MSAS 2000 fast track to mdx explains many issues much better.

overall a very good book and delight to read with many interesting real-life observations

May take you to the next level
I have worked in BI for some time now and authored for Microsoft their best selling course on end to end BI for Microsoft Courseware Library, course number 50263 which introduces the entire stack of the Microsoft tools.
I had a client that asked where they could go now that they had the training and wanted to improve their cube designs and performance. I found this book and after reviewing it recommended that the client purchase it and use it to indeed take them to the next level.
The book has the word expert in the title and is not intended for a novice but as the authors say for the experienced BI developer. In reading it I had several, `I never thought of that perspective' moments which is exactly what I want form an expert book.
This should be on the bookshelf of every BI developer!

Is not step-wise or visual in explanation...
Yeah, ok, it may be an 'expert' book however the author is a HORRIBLE explainer.

Don't even THINK that he follows a step-by-step approach to using these tools. Funny, at the beginning of the book he tells you that you will be using the Adventureworks db from MS. Then, does he follow step by step, with screen shots about how to get from point A to point B?? No...

Skip this book if you want to LEARN how to get this stuff up and going, even with a sample DB from MS.

This book is nothing but a lesson in frustration as most of the book is narrative with hardly a related screen shot to the required task. ... Read more

Product Description

SQL Server 2008 represents a sizable jump forward in scalability, performance, and usability for the DBA, developer, and business intelligence (BI) developer. It is no longer unheard of to have 20-terabyte databases running on a SQL Server. SQL Server administration used to just be the job of a database administrator (DBA), but as SQL Server proliferates throughout smaller companies, many developers have begun to act as administrators as well. Additionally, some of the new features in SQL Server are more developer-centric, and poor configuration of these features can result in poor performance. SQL Server now enables you to manage the policies on hundreds of SQL Servers in your environment as if you were managing a single instance. We’ve provided a comprehensive, tutorial-based book to get you over the learning curve of how to configure and administer SQL Server 2008.

Whether you’re an administrator or developer using SQL Server, you can’t avoid wearing a DBA hat at some point. Developers often have SQL Server on their own workstations and must provide guidance to the administrator about how they’d like the production configured. Oftentimes, they’re responsible for creating the database tables and indexes. Administrators or DBAs support the production servers and often inherit the database from the developer.

This book is intended for developers, DBAs, and casual users who hope to administer or may already be administering a SQL Server 2008 system and its business intelligence features, such as Integration Services. This book is a professional book, meaning the authors assume that you know the basics about how to query a SQL Server and have some rudimentary concepts of SQL Server already. For example, this book does not show you how to create a database or walk you through the installation of SQL Server using the wizard. Instead, the author of the installation chapter may provide insight into how to use some of the more advanced concepts of the installation. Although this book does not cover how to query a SQL Server database, it does cover how to tune the queries you’ve already written.

The first ten chapters of the book are about administering the various areas of SQL Server, including the developer and business intelligence features. Chapter 1 briefly covers the architecture of SQL Server and the changing role of the DBA. Chapters 2 and 3 dive into best practices on installing and upgrading to SQL Server 2008. Managing your SQL Server database instance is talked about in Chapter 4. This chapter also describes some of the hidden tools you may not even know you have.

Once you know how to manage your SQL Server, you can learn in Chapter 5 how to automate many of the redundant monitoring and maintenance tasks. This chapter also discusses best practices on configuring SQL Server Agent. Chapters 6 and 7 cover how to properly administer and automate many tasks inside of the Microsoft business intelligence products, such as Integration Services and Analysis Services. Developers will find that Chapter 8 is very useful, as it covers how to administer the development features, such as SQL CLR. Chapter 9 explains how to secure your SQL Server from many common threats and how to create logins and users. Chapter 10 covers how to create a SQL Server project and do proper change management in promoting your scripts through the various environments. It also covers the Policy-Based Management framework in SQL Server.

Chapters 11 through 15 make up the performance tuning part of the book. Chapter 11 discusses how to choose the right hardware configuration for your SQL Server in order to achieve optimal performance. After the hardware and operating system is configured, Chapter 12 shows you how to optimize your SQL Server instance for the best performance. Chapter 13 describes how to monitor your SQL Server instance for problematic issues such as blocking and locking. Chapters 14 and 15 discuss how to optimize the T-SQL that accesses your tables and then how to index your tables appropriately.

Chapters 16 through 20 consist of the high-availability chapters of the book. Chapter 16 covers how to use the various forms of replication, while database mirroring is covered in Chapter 17. Classic issues and best practices with backing up and recovering your database are discussed in Chapter 18. Chapter 19 dives deeply into the role of log shipping in your high-availability strategy, and Chapter 20 presents a step-by-step guide to clustering your SQL Server and Windows 2008 server.

This edition of the book covers all the same great information we covered in the last book, and we’ve added loads of new content for SQL Server 2008, which adds numerous new features to improve the DBA’s life. In short, the new version of SQL Server focuses on improving your efficiency, the scale of your server, and the performance of your environment, so you can do more in much less time, and with fewer resources and people. This means you can manage many 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, to name just a few key new features.

To follow the examples in this book, you will need to have SQL Server 2008 installed. If you wish to learn how to administer the business intelligence features, you need to have Analysis Services and the Integration Services components installed. You need a machine that can support the minimum hardware requirements to run SQL Server 2008; and you also need the AdventureWorks2008 and AdventureWorksDW2008 databases installed. Instructions for accessing these databases can be found in the ReadMe file on this book’s Web site.

Some features in this book (especially in the high-availability part) require the Enterprise or Developer Edition of SQL Server. If you do not have this edition, you will still be able to follow through some of the examples in the chapter with Standard Edition.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Delivery is Good
Although the book is arrived later than I though, it is delivery in good condition.

Excellent book for a seasoned DBA to go into SQL Server 2008
This is an excellent book for a seasoned DBA to go into SQL Server 2008.

Perfect Book for DBA's on SQL Server 2008
Easy to follow and very well structured book for below topics

Best practices for SQL Server 2008 installation
Tips for troubleshooting and securing the database engine
How to automate SQL Server
Ways to index your database
Methods for monitoring your SQL Server instance
How to performance tune your SQL Server instance.

Read this before installing SQL Server 2008 in Production
A must read for setting up SQL Server. This book walks you through planning, installation all the way through setting up maintenance (Backup and restore). In addition the book is very thorough with lots of illustrations.

The first thing I noticed was in the planning stage the book provided a considerable amount of charts to determine not only which level of SQL Server and client licenses to install but also which components should be selected.This book also high-lights the differences between 2008 and previous versions. This was especially useful because I needed a reference that would advise me on changes. I have performed various installations and was surprised to read that the "Surface Area Configurator"was replaced with Policy-Based Management.

The Automating SQL Server section was great as I mentioned previously this section in particular had very good screen shots and explanations of the different options. In addition, it had various real world tips. Security is addressed throughout the book especially in "Integration Services".

I found it interesting that a whole chapter was devoted to "Change Management". The writer adds insight into VS Team System and how it can reconcile two database schemas and provides update scripts. In addition, what technical bookis created that doesn't have a section on optimization and monitoring and here is not difference.

All in all I found the book very good from a DBA Installation/Optimization stand point. Just be aware that this is not a book if you are looking for creating Views, Stored Procedures, Database Diagrams and the like. ... Read more

Product Description
If you’ve been waiting impatiently for the arrival of Windows Server 2008, wait no more! It’s here, and so is Windows Server 2008 All-In-One Desk Reference For Dummies to help you install it, configure it, network with it, secure it, command it with Windows PowerShell, and more. Services best practices and the cool IIS Web server are covered too.

The eight powerful quick-reference manuals in this one-stop guide cover all the information you need to perform common administrative tasks with Windows Server 2008. You’ll find sure-handed guidance and considerable detail on everything from installation to figuring out why a user can’t gain access to resources on the server. You also see procedures for all common tasks — everything from setting up Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) to promoting your server to a domain controller. Discover how to:

• Use Windows Server virtualization
• Perform a complete PC restore
• Configure server roles and features
• Measure system performance
• Add network clients and protocols
• Keep your server operating at peak performance
• Monitor network interactions with others
• Work with Active Directory RMS
• Use best practices for implementing security
• Implement scripts and cmdlets with PowerShell
• Uncloak viruses masquerading as services

Windows Server 2008 contains so many features that it’s sometimes hard to know which one to install. No problem! Just flip open Windows Server 2008 All-In-One Desk Reference For Dummies and find your answer in a flash! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

good value
This includes a number of Windows server books and is a good reference as all the "For Dummies" titles are. These people have a great formula and excellent editing I have never been disappointed in any of their books.

This is the Ideal how to for beginners and advanced Techs
Make sure there is a revision for Server 2008 R2 though with all the changes Microsoft has made it is prudent.

Skip This
I buy dummies books because they are a quick read and can have you on the ground quick.This one did not work out.I will not be buying and more multi-volume dummies books.They are self referencing to a point of madness.to complete one section you must refer to multiple previous or future volumechapters for topics.This was done to condense the books size however the information called out is often weak.It will provide you the google key words but not to much more.

I am a web developer who wanted to build a development server, this book was little help. ... Read more

Product Description
Get in-depth training and practice with the skills measured by the core exams for Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP): Windows Server 2008 Administrator certification all in one box! Covering Exams 70-640, 70-642, and 70-646, these three training kits include exam prep and practice tests to help you maximize your performance. You get official Microsoft® study guides, plus practice tests on CD to help you assess your skills. They come packed with the tools and features that exam candidates want most including in-depth, self-paced training based on final exam content; rigorous, objective-by-objective review; exam tips from expert, exam-certified authors; and customizable testing options. They also provide case scenarios and exercises for skills and expertise that you can apply to the job.

Work at your own pace through the lessons and hands-on exercises. Focusing on administering Windows Server 2008, these official study guides cover topics such as configuring, managing, and supporting user and computer accounts, groups, Domain Name System zones, client settings, and group policy objects; the new Active Directory® Lightweight Directory Service and Active Directory Rights Management Service; configuring remote access, Network Access Protection, Network Authentication, IPv4 and IPv6 addressing, and Domain Name System (DNS) Replication; creating virtual machines; installing server core; planning server roles; maintaining server security; planning data storage, network load balancing, and server backups; managing software deployment and versioning; and scheduling server deployments.

Then assess yourself by using more than 900 practice and review questions on the CD, featuring multiple, customizable testing options to meet your specific needs. Choose timed or untimed testing mode, generate random tests, or focus on discrete objectives or chapters. You get detailed explanations for right and wrong answers including pointers back to the book for further study. You also get a 90-day evaluation version of Microsoft Visual Studio® 2005 Professional and an exam discount voucher making this kit an exceptional value and a great career investment.

Key Book Benefits:

Excellent value: three official study guides covering the core requirements for MCITP: Windows Server 2008 Administrator all in one box

Comprehensive exam prep study guide written by exam-certified authors

In-depth coverage of exam objectives and sub-objectives plus instructive case studies and troubleshooting scenarios to enhance your performance on the job

900+ practice and review questions

Test engine that enables customized testing, pre-assessment and post-assessment, and automated scoring and feedback

Handy exam-mapping grid

Evaluation version of Windows Server 2008

15 percent exam discount voucher from Microsoft (limited-time offer)

Entire study guide in searchable eBook format ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

review
fast shipping. good quality and packaging. It would have been nice if the description explained how in depth the first book is and the exercises. it takes forever.

Quick and Good
Got the books very quick, and they were new and good as promised. Packed well. A+

Nice!
I Just can say that the book is very helpfull... because of them I achieve my cerification. And I'm very happy with that.

Best Regards

Sergio Maziano

Not bad at all.
I am almost done wrapping up the first book in this series.It seems to have a good amount of information with some filler of course.Seems to be pretty thorough in the topics covered.We'll see how it actually prepares me for the test.

MCITP Self-Paced Training Kit
Exactly what I wanted.Its not everything I need for the tests but it is a great place to start. ... Read more

Product Description

Microsoft® Windows® Home Server Unleashed

Second Edition

Covers PowerPacks 1, 2, and 3!

Paul McFedries

This is the most comprehensive, practical, and useful guide to Windows Home Server, including Microsoft’s major updates in PowerPacks 1, 2, and 3. Top Windows expert Paul McFedries brings together tips, techniques, and shortcuts available nowhere else and presents them all in plain English for every Windows Home Server user.

McFedries covers all facets of running Windows Home Server: configuration, file/folder sharing, networking, media streaming and sharing, backup/restore, monitoring, Web and SharePoint site deployment, performance optimization, maintenance, and customization. He thoroughly addresses Windows Home Server’s new Windows 7 support, as well as major improvements in areas ranging from remote access to storing TV recordings.

This edition presents comprehensive, up-to-the-minute guidance on Windows Home Server security, plus a full section of advanced solutions utilizing Microsoft’s power tools, the command line, and automated scripting. Throughout, McFedries demonstrates key techniques through real-world examples and presents practical configurations you can easily use in your own home.

Detailed information on how to…

• Set up Windows Home Server networks, user accounts, devices, and storage
• Integrate with Windows 7’s new file libraries, backup/recovery tools, and Windows Search 4.0
• Efficiently share folders, files, and digital media
• Ensure security for both local and remote users
• Automatically back up and restore all the computers on your home network
• Quickly set up web and SharePoint sites

Tune, maintain, and troubleshoot Windows Home Server

Use the new Remote Access Configuration and Repair Wizards

ON THE WEB:

Register your book at informit.com/title/9780672331060 to access all examples and source code presented in this book.

Category: Windows Server

Covers: Windows Home Server with PowerPacks 1, 2, 3

User Level: Intermediate–Advanced

Customer Reviews (17)

"Comprehensive" it ain't!
I bought the 2nd edition hot off the press in April 2010, hoping for a comprehensive as well as up to date WHS reference.This appears to be the first review here of the 2nd edition, so if the previous edition deserved the praise it received for completeness in earlier reviews it apparently dropped several entire subjects in the update.

Specifically, don't look for help on any of the following:

1. Building or adapting your own hardware platform for WHS.Not a word.

2. Installing WHS software.Not a word.The book assumes you bought a complete box ready to boot up.

3. Add-ins.As far as this book is concerned, the subject doesn't exist.

4. Running other applications on WHS.There is a whole chapter on installing Windows SharePoint Services, (a business-class server app, the usefulness of which in the average household is not clear to me) but that's it.No help on trying to figure out what will work and what won't.

5. Backing up WHS itself.Backing up shared folders is briefly covered, but not a word on backing up the backup database even though Microsoft published a procedure a couple of years ago and a very handy add-in "BDBB" automates the process. And nothing on selecting and connecting an external hard drive to use for backups.(When you're backing up several hundred gigabytes, the speed advantage of eSATA over USB 2.0 is quite significant)

6. Security.Should you install antivirus software?Sorry, no help there.But a whole section on auditing if you want to detect malicious users in your household, along with some standard advice on securing household PCs.

All of the above is not to say the book does not contain a lot of useful information, but the claims that it covers everything of interest are more than slightly exaggerated.There's also a good deal of bloat in the form of excessively detailed step-by-step instructions on working through windows dialogs, along with a lot of stuff on registry editing, VBS scripts, and command-line arguments for those who enjoy doing things the complicated way rather than clicking a few buttons.There is a page-long vbs script provided, for example, to tell you how much free space you have on a hard disk. I guess both kinds of stuff are there to support the claim that the book supports beginners through advanced technical users.

I'm still looking for a comprehensive WHS reference.

The Best Manual for this Product
This is absolutely the best manual that I have seen for the Windows Home Server platform.It's a must for anyone new to that environment.

Good but starting to get out of date
This is probably the most thorough book I've seen about Windows Home Server (or "WHS").However, it was written some time ago and WHS has changed substantially since then, particularly in December of 2009 with the release of Power Pack 3.Windows Home Server is a very different OS from anything I've worked with before, and it helped to have some explanations as to the HOW and the WHY of Windows Home Server.

A lot of the Windows Home Server is easy to use because it goes through an interface called the Windows Home Server Console.Just the same, not all of the pieces of the Console are easy to understand at a lower level, and that's where Windows Home Server Unleashed comes in.My particular favorite section, however, is the chapter that discusses exactly how WHS manages files, folder replication, and storage:this is (to me) a weird way to do things, and the explanation helped my understanding greatly.

I'm writing this review in Feb. 2010.There is a new Edition of this book scheduled to come out in early April.If you're interested in a good reference, I feel this is the one.However, if you can wait, I'd suggest you do so because the newer version will cover the newer configuration of Windows Home Server, probably with more details on Power Pack 3.

If you really want to know WHS
I had lots of questions before buying this book, and I bought it based on the reviews provided by this "forum."

I didn't make a mistake by purchasing this voluminous archive.WHS is something of a mystery when first installing it; it's not like a typical operating system.There are many do's and don'ts.It will easily break if you don't understand its nature.But with this book in hand, I was able to learn enough that I haven't had a problem since the day it arrived.WHS is must-have-software for anyone with two or more computers, and this book is the only book I've found that stands up to the hopes I had of learning to use the system properly and effectively.It covers all you need to know and more.Now I use it as a reference guide, occasionally looking up something that might be of interest to me.

If there is a negative about this book, it's that it is slowly becoming outdated.Moreover, just a smidgeon of what the author writes in explanation of how some of the functions work is no longer true.Yet, his directions to putting it altogether are still great!

If you've purchased a ready-made WHS system from HP or others, or if you've built your own WHS, this book will save you much frustration.I wouldn't want to be without it.

How to Unleash Your Money: By Buying This Book
I bought an HP Media Server months ago and wanted to see what all it would be capable of.

I bought this book and it's been a disappointment. It covers essentially 80% of the items that are in the help file, manual or available online and really doesn't cover anything else.

More importantly, I'm shocked to see that there's no server support for the Zune - and this book further extends that silence. Want to integrate it with your XBOX360? This book isn't going to help you.

The other 20% (from the 80 I mention) covers some other functional basics, but not to the extent that I would assume would satisfy your average geek.At least not this one.

This book also becomes quickly dated by the fact that many add-ons have become available since it's publishing.

I would recommend users simply search online and view all the free information out there, especially since the Home Server has been out for more than a year now. ... Read more

Product Description

Windows Small Business Server 2008 provides all the tools small companies need to improve collaboration, enhance productivity, and manage and secure all their information. In this book, a team of leading SBS experts brings together the in-depth knowledge and real-world insights you need to make the most of this state-of-the-art product.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals Eriq Neale and his colleagues cover every facet of planning, deploying, and managing SBS 2008. The authors begin by showing how to install and configure SBS 2008 for maximum efficiency, performance, and ease of administration. You’ll learn how to securely utilize SBS 2008’s comprehensive Internet, file, and print services; simplify and automate both server and workstation management; and take full advantage of both SharePoint collaboration and Exchange communication tools.

This book is packed with expert tips, tricks, and troubleshooting techniques drawn from the authors’ unsurpassed experience helping companies succeed with SBS. Whether you’re a full-time IT professional or a power user who’s managing SBS in your spare time, it will be your most valuable resource.

Detailed information on how to...

• Plan, install, configure, and customize SBS 2008 in any environment
• Set up and manage SBS 2008-based networks, Web access, and collaboration–including SharePoint Services 3.0
• Leverage Remote Web Workplace and other advanced remote access solutions
• Manage email and other communications with SBS 2008’s built-in Microsoft Exchange Server 2007
• Centrally control Windows Vista, Windows XP, and other clients
• Seamlessly integrate Macintosh computers into your Windows network
• Protect your servers and workstations against both internal and external threats
• Prepare backups and disaster recovery plans you can actually use in an emergency
• Streamline and automate administration using Microsoft PowerShell

Customer Reviews (13)

Good Review
I suggest you read Stephen's Review as it is pretty much identical to mine. Therefore I am not going to type it again. 4 of 5

Mixed emotions
This is a great overview of SBS 2008 and I got some valuable insights. However, nothing is really covered in depth and you will need other books to supplement this book. For someone who has never installed or used SBS, this is a great book.

Worthwhile book, but beware....
This SBS 2008 book is fairly complete with the exceptions noted by other reviewers, who I felt did an excellent job of reviewing the book.Rather than restate what has already been covered, I would like to warn others about the false claim in the back of the book for a "FREE Online Edition" at [...]

First of all, it is limited access -- it expires after 45 days.To me FREE means FREE.Not in the case of Safari Online - after 45 days they want you pay a second time to view the book you already purchased.

Second, you can't print anything, even during the 45 day period, unless, you guessed it, you pay them more $$$.

I never like false advertising and I feel the claim in the book is false and misleading.Shame on [...], shame on Safari Online, and shame on Eriq Oliver Neale, et al for letting them publish a book with false and misleading information.

I would have given the book 4 stars except for the Safari Online problem.

Beyond just the basics
If you are planning to install, manage or maintain Windows Small Business Server 2008 then this book is a must have. It goes beyond the standard information and delves into the areas that the average installer simply doesn't know about. The information provided in this book will ensure that Small Business Server 2008 machines in you care will not only be correctly configured they will have all the additional options enabled to ensure that users get the most from the product.

This book goes beyond the standard information that Microsoft provides by encompassing the knowledge and experience from a range of MVPs (Most Valued Professionals). That is just something money can't buy these days. Sure you maybe able to find the same information on the Internet by why would you when it is perfectly encapsulated in this book. Along with in depth technical information it contains a whole raft of practical suggestions from people who know the product inside out.

The book covers a wide range of topics about Small Business Server 2008 from installation to configuration to maintenace. If you want information that goes beyond the 'usual' with Windows Small Business Server 2008 then this is book for you. It is a must have reference for anyone working with the product.

just the ticket
If you are familiar with other versions of SBS, this is a great book to learn "what's new" in sbs2008. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (14)

Missing CD
I wanted to get a good deal on a text book so I went with used. Big mistake, if you want all the CD's that come with the book, buy new, because the company that sells them does not check for CD's. It was really disappointing since a new book would cost me $5 more. At the end I got my full refund.

I passed, using this book mostly.
FWIW, I passed the test with this book and it's practice exam as my primary, but not exclusive, resources.

PROS:
The book gives a good overview of what's up with 2008 and what's on the test. It divides it all up into neatly digestible sections. It's clearly written.

One of the best things about the book is that it comes with a practice exam on CD. The practice exam has roughly 30 questions for each of the 7 sections:

Implementing Tables and Views
Implementing Programming Objects
Working with Query Fundamentals
Applying Additional Query Techniques
Working with Additional SQL Server Components
Working with XML Data
Gathering Performance Information.

It comes with some source code, so I was able to play around with the concepts in my own instance of SQL Server. Very cool.

CONS:
It's a little longish. Could have been more concise. (Then again, this is a problem I have with almost all the tech books I get these days.) Some of the sample code code have been a little clearer by using simpler examples. The practice exam questions were harder than the ones on the test. (This might be a good thing. If you can pass the practice one you should be able to pass the real one.)

In sum, I wouldn't say it's a perfect book but it really helped me and I doubt I would have made the grade w/o it.

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Training Kit series
The "Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Training Kit" series was highly recommended to me by an Instructor. I agree with the Instructor's recommendation. The Microsoft Training Kit series includes sample exams that also give you the following info. after you've completed the exam: 1) detailed explanations (with additional references) for the correct answers, 2) an assessment of your total score and the areas to concentrate on to improve your score. --- My money was sell spent. --- Lynne

Excellent preparation material
I, as well as others, used this book as my only preparation material for the exam. I have always used the Microsoft Press preparation material for all my exams. In all cases, I have passed the exam with a good margin - this was no exception.
The book material was the typical high-quality content that I've come to expect from Microsoft Press and its authors. The relevant exam topics were covered quite well in most cases. After making two passes through the book, I felt ready for the exam. There were a few chapters that I felt should have been placed in different areas of the book, but only because they would have led into one another better in a different order, as opposed to the frequent forward references they made. I also felt that a little more attention to TRY...CATCH blocks, collations, and RAISERROR would have been nice to see - especially the interaction between TRY...CATCH and RAISERROR.
The practice exams, on the other hand, were a bit more dubious. While I felt the book was an excellent preparation, when I took the practice tests, I felt like the book was insufficient. After my second pass through the book and another attempt at the exams, I had the feeling that the practice tests were a bit unrealistic. Many of the questions covered topics that were not addressed in the book, or gave very detailed and almost obscure questions on topics that were not addressed. Additionally, there were a good number of management questions that didn't seem to fit the scope of the exam. These questions led me to realize that I was prepared for the exam, despite a low score on the practice tests - a realization that was quite accurate. However, the advantage to these questions was a good bit of research that was useful on the exam.
Overall, the preparation material of this book is excellent, though the practice exams are a bit lacking and incorrectly-targeted. I certainly recommend the book for anybody that would like to take the exam - just don't put too much stock in the test exams.

I love it, I hate it
I do have a love/hate relationship with this book. There are nice things on it and others that I really dislike.

The positive side, it is a clear and concise book. Explanations are easy to follow, plenty of graphics and not a lot of "blah blah blah" trying to explain a simple T-SQL statement or query; that's good, I really love those kind of books because don't make me waste my precious time :-) To give you an example, I found very clear its explanation about SQL2005/2008 partitions; the previous SQL2005 cert book, 70-431, put more details and more complex examples on that particular topic, that could confuses you a bit.

The negative side is that this is intended to pass the Microsoft certification, not just a mere T-SQL or developer book. If that was the case, I could give a higher rating. But people who get or buy this book (not me on this case) are investing their money in something will help them to pass the Microsoft test with little or not effort, assuming you read it from cover to cover. I do not feel or I do not think that's the case here or the book allow you to do that. Explanations are short, the book itself is thin, so all obscure and weird options that we do have in T-SQL won't be here, in fact, they are not. And that's misleading, because when you seat for the real test, Microsoft will try to "kill" you with really strange T-SQL options and queries that you barely see in real world.

At this point you maybe wonder why I bought it? well ... I opened it in a popular bookstore and enjoyed the way has been written. I need to improve my programming skills, not my dba skills, and this book satisfies that need. I am currently not pursuing this cert. and because that reason, I believe is or was money well spent.

If you're new or not an experienced T-SQL programmer, do not rely on this book only to pass the Microsoft test, get another resource, like "Microsoft SQL Server 2008 T-SQL Fundamentals" from Itzik Ben-Gan. Itzik's book is pure gold, awesome book. Both provide a better coverage for the 70-433 test. ... Read more

Product Description
If you work in an office, you probably don’t lose much sleep worrying about whether your files are safe if your PC melts down. Company IT departments handle those things for business networks. But how about all those precious photos, address lists, the family genealogy, and everything else that lives on your home network? Windows Home Server can save the day if one of your personal PCs hiccups, and Windows Home Server For Dummies serves up all the stuff you need to know to put it to work.

Forget everything you’ve heard about previous versions of Windows Server; this all-new variation has been designed for people who don’t wear white lab coats or pocket protectors. Woody Leonhard has tested it and it passed with flying colors. If you have a home or small business network, this book shows you how Windows Home Server helps you

• Share files among all the PCs in your home
• Access your files from anywhere
• Make regular backups automatically
• Store files securely
• Play music, TV shows, or movies on your Xbox
• Share multimedia across your network
• Keep your virus protection and system upgrades up to date
• Get regular reports on the overall health of your network

Windows Home Server For Dummies provides sage advice on choosing a version of Windows Home Server, installing it, setting up users and passwords, using remote access, scheduling automatic scans and backups, and having fun with multimedia.   Trust Woody— you’ll sleep better. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

So far, so useless
I may be looking for the wrong help?!?
But - the index and table of contents are 0 for 6 on what I needed.

Excellent Clear "need to know" Information
This book is an excellent resource of information. Whether you want to build your own, or had bought an HP or Acer box, you will be satisfied with the info here. The book is written a side of humor, and is not bloated with useless information.

Great resource
This book is well written, with humorous comments interspersed, so it is about as entertaining as a computer manual can be, while remaining very informative.Windows Home Server is covered very thoroughly, from purchase considerations to post-setup maintenance, troubleshooting, and tips and tricks.This is an excellent reference that is also actually readable.

Home Server for Home User
This book tends to fill in the holes left by more 'in depth' and highly technical books on the market.It explains some of the processes much more simply, not making the assumptions that the reader is a computer geek.It is very readable and does cover all the areas that a typical home user would need to know.

Makes Windows Home Server even easier!
This is a great reference for the beginner and even novice Home Server users. It is laid out in an easy to read/understand fashion by professionals working in the industry. Windows Home Server is definitely different than the other Server based OS's on the market, so even if you are familiar with other server software this manual helps to educate on Windows Home Server.

Get the book, Read the book, buy yourself a Home Server and back your data up confidently! The world is moving quickly towards media streaming, Windows Home Server is a great place to keep everything centralized on your network! Another home run by Woody!
... Read more

Product Description

• The new edition of the successful previous version is 25 percent revised and packed with more than 200 pages of new material on the 2008 release of SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS)
• Renowned author Brian Knight and his expert coauthors show developers how to master the 2008 release of SSIS, which is both more powerful and more complex than ever
• Case studies and tutorial examples acquired over the three years since the previous edition will contribute to helping illustrate advanced concepts and techniques
• New chapters include coverage of data warehousing using SSIS, new methods for managing the SSIS platform, and improved techniques for ETL operations

Customer Reviews (10)

An End to End reference for SSIS 2008
This book is a complete End to End reference guide for SQL Server 2008 Integration Services. This book starts with a very good basic introduction to the all the tools and tasks available in SSIS. There is very detailed explanation of the basic tasks which are more frequently used such as Script Task, Execute SQL task and Send Email. Good description on the containers which we need for looping through a set of tasks which is more common in any development.

During development, the most common thing we would like to /need to do is making the package dynamic. There is a good chapter to explain how to use expressions effectively to have runtime configurations in the package. Other very good chapters to refer are Scripting in SSIS which explains the scripting capabilities using .NET and C#. The chapter, Accessing Heterogeneous Data, which explains how to access various heterogeneous data sources such as Excel, Flat File, XML, ADO.NET, OLE DB and many with examples.
The later chapters explain more about optimizing SSIS packages, error handling and event handling, Migrating DTS Packages. The chapter which explains accessing external applications is good but needs more examples to highlight the capability of SSIS accessing various external applications.

Too many pages, yes, the book has. But to refer SSIS with good samples and Screenshots (The screenshots are helpful in few instances), I wouldn't mind reading these many pages.

For any new developer, who wants to know from the basics and a complete End to End flow of SSIS before start using SQL Server 2008 Integration for ETL development, this is one good reference book I would recommend.

Not good on the Kindle
The book is a walklthrough of SSIS with some practical examples. T many pages to be my kind of book and a little bit to much a copy of screen instead of advice and best practice.

As I bought this on Kindle I feel this is not a book that you should read on a Kindle only. The good thing with a kindle is that you always have the book on the Kindle or in Kuindle for PC....

but... screen dumps are really difficult to read. There are no links to follow, when you jump to the TOC you will land on Chapter 1 so it is impossible to understand if they speak about Chapter 7 if you should move forward or backward instead you have walkthrough TOC to find where it is and guess where you are positioned right now

A great friend in building SSIS development skill
I have been working with SQL Server Data Transformation Services (DTS) for the past 12 years and now in SSIS for the past 4 years. Normally, my experience during SSIS 2008 development is to get some reference in internet which was a limited one. This book is very informative to an extent that I can say this is by far the best book I have referred in SSIS. It gives a jump start to a DTS developer to the world of SSIS development in SQL Server 2008 using C# or VB.Net and covers widely in all the Control Flow and Data Flow tasks. The authors have provided due attention in providing example code in both the languages for the reader to try where ever necessary. In this book I especially liked the chapters Using Expression and variables, scripting in SSIS, Accessing Heterogeneous Data, Tuning SSIS, WMI integration. Coming to WMI, the book could have covered a little more in this particular chapter but it definitely helps extending the imagination of readers on the power of WMI using SSIS.

I will definitely recommend this book to my peers out there who plan to extend their ETL development skill using SSIS.

Excellent Reference - Not fireside reading
Professional SSIS 2008 by Wrox is an excellent reference and introduction to the spirit of SQL Server Integration Services.It also serves as an introduction to the subject of Data Warehousing, and it highlights the differences between SSIS 2005 and SSIS 2008.

The book is easy to read; I finished a quarter of it in one sitting.The illustrations and diagrams are superb throughout most of the book.

However, there are some chapters needing light grammatical revision and I can remember at least one diagram that was of noticeably low quality.

This book is a hybrid between "pure reference" and a "my first time with x" book.However, the expertise and simple approach to the software available in this book make it more than worth the price.
My proficiency with SSIS has increased greatly from reading this book.I use SSIS for several things: the synchronization of a data warehouse with e-commerce sites, backup management, and more.

huh?
great stuff from Brain.Chapters from him is highly readable and useful.

Who wrote Chapter 13?With the run on sentences, much of the chapter doesn't make sense. ... Read more

Product Description
A unique book-and-video package for learning Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services

If you need a practical, hands-on introduction to Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Integration Services (SSIS), this book and video package from foremost SSIS authority Brian Knight gets you thoroughly up to speed. Each lesson in the book includes three major components: a thorough description of how each SSIS feature or process works; a tutorial that walks you through the process or technique; and a video lesson that demonstrates it.

If you take full advantage of this comprehensive package, you will gain enough experience to tackle your first SSIS project with confidence.

• SQL Server Integration Services 2008 (SSIS) builds on the revolutionary database product suite first introduced by Microsoft in 2005 and is a powerful tool for performing extraction, transformation, and load (ETL) operations essential to data warehousing
• If you're just learning SSIS, the step-by-step tutorials in this book and DVD training package will ready you to tackle your own first project
• Every lesson in the book is supplemented by instructional video on the DVD

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

Customer Reviews (22)

Tame the SSIS beast...
Some books make life easier. Without doubt, Knight's 24-Hour Trainer for SSIS (SQL Server Integration Services) belongs in this category. When faced with the behemoth of SSIS, even the most stalwart developers may feel their knees shake and their intestines jiggle in a dance of anxiety. Fear not, this book vaporizes complexity and reduces SSIS' intimidating tool set down to comprehensible chunks.

Beginners, start here.

Ten sections cover everything from installation to SSIS package deployment. Even better, each of the 49 lessons deals with a single concept or tool. This approach allows mastery of one item before moving to new territory. Simpler actions such as connecting tasks on the control flow with precedence constraints build up to data transformations on the Data Flow tab. Soon things get more complex and tasks such as joining, aggregation, auditing and intriguing fuzzy logic transforms fill the pages. As the pages fly past, and they do fly, a solid understanding of SSIS' fundamentals emerges almost without realization. This book works.

So how does it work? Well, strangely, the book's greatest strength is also its greatest flaw. Each chapter begins with a textual description of the task or tool that often reads like instructions. However, the real step-by-step instructions appear later in the "Try It" section. This hands-on tends to repeat the content presented earlier. Though this seems pointlessly repetitious at first, this structure actually reinforces the content. By chapter 20, the impatient may find themselves skipping right to the "Try It" section. Don't. Read everything, the chapters remain short throughout. Plus, sometimes the "Try It" section contains less information than the lesson's introductory text. Perfectly flawed?

If that wasn't enough, rock solid, almost concrete-esque, reinforcement comes from the book's marketing hook: the DVD. This contains parallel video presentations for every lesson. When the text doesn't illuminate a tool's functionality, or something seems clear as coal stew, give the DVD a spin. Plus, these visual lessons often contain more information than the text. Definitely watch all of these.

Once again, beginners should start here.

This book will teach just about anyone to build simple SSIS packages. To get the most from the book use the 2008 version of SQL Server and download the AdventureWorks 2008 sample database. Look on the internet for instructions on how to install the latter since newer versions appear that may not match the book's queries. Plus, installing the 2008 database (not the LT or DW) takes a few tricks. In the worst case, improvise. Do all this and SSIS will reveal its ominous and almost medieval powers. Brace yourself.

Practical, fast, and useful
I love this book. The chapters are short, concise, and each runs you through a specific SSIS task area. Most of the time you are "doing", not "reading about doing". By the time I was halfway through I was creating SSIS package for various purposes.

If you're looking to quickly learn SSIS, and you already have some general SQL Server experience, this is a great book that will get you up and running very quickly. Highly recommended.

Thumbs up for Microsoft
As a tool SSIS is a complete nonsense: it isa toy tool (*) intended to solve hard real world problems, which are not solvable by toy tools by the very nature of these problems being hard.

For example any serious integration project written using perl (and backed up by c/c++ if necessary) will take at least order of magnitude less effort (and produce better results) over a normal life span of 10+ years expected for such projects.

However, SSIS (and DTS before) does keep people employed both on programming and book writing sides, so way to go, Redmond.

(*) if one cannot use some sort of human readable, diffable and editable flat files as a source - this is a surest sign that you are dealing with a toy tool.

Excellent book to start learning SSIS
This book really focuses on the basic things you in order to use SSIS. It was great to have videos showing exactly how to do the exercises when I got stuck (I wish other books had videos of their exercises). There is more to learn about SSIS than this book covers; but, this is a very good place to start

Video Tutorial quality is bad!
The resolution of the video tutorials is very bad! The screens can not be read unless the author is zooming in to a particular area. Why do so many tutorial videos suffer from this poor quality - very unprofessional. ... Read more

Product Description
Here s the practical, pocket-sized reference for IT professionals who administer and support Windows Server 2008. Designed for quick referencing, this portable guide covers all the essentials for performing everyday system administration tasks. Written by an award-winning author of more than two dozen computer books, this guide puts expert installation, migration, administration, and troubleshooting advice right at your fingertips. You ll discover how to manage workstations and servers, use Microsoft Active Directory® directory service, create and administer user and group accounts, manage files and directories, back up and recover data, and use TCP/IP, WINS, and DNS for network administration. Featuring quick-reference tables, concise lists, and step-by-step instructions, this handy, one-stop guide provides fast, accurate answers on the spot whether you re at your desk or in the field.

Zeroes in on exactly what the administrator needs to perform day-to-day tasks

Delivers information in concise tables, easy-to-scan lists, and step-by-step instructions

Features a pocket-sized format that puts the right information right at your fingertips ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Well done
This is my third book by William Stanek and as expected, it delivers. Since my first, the Windows 2000 Administrator's reference book, I've had a number of Stanek's quick reference' books and they are all great.

At a little over 600 pages, the book presents useful information and seems to focus on the core features of the operating system. I like the Pocket Consultant series because many times when Microsoft releases a new product, I look to these `quick reference' books to get me up to speed. I would highly recommend this book to anyone upgrading from previous versions and for current administrators.

This book starts things off with information that is easy to find and easy to understand; a must have for many administrators. It zeros in on core support and administrative tasks, is focused and precise. For seasoned administrators, much of this is fundamental, so 'm inferring it is aimed at the junior administrator/part-time administrator?

I found the following sections especially useful:
-2008 Administration Fundamentals - great section that highlights many of the new features, functions and technologies introduced in Server 2008.
-Core Active Directory administration - especially liked the command line references.
-Managing File Screening and Storage Reporting - a great new feature that was presented well.
-Data Backup and Recovery - details the changes in the backup tools; good details on using the wbamdin tool.
-Networking Enhancements - an excellent section that not only reveiws fundamentals but also outlines some of the new technologies in Windows 2008.

Good, practical examples - `Real World' examples and `Tips' - were presented throughout the book and mirror best practices and Microsoft's preferred configurations/implementations. This book is great for people who have never used Windows Server 2008 and those that have used it. I have never been disappointed with the Administrator's Pocket Consultant series of books. I always learn something new!

Cursory and Some Inaccuracies
If you've never used a Windows Server platform, this book might be useful.

For someone very familiar with the Windows Server platform, and looking to learn more about Server 2008, I found this book to be too high level to be useful for any practical uses.

Things you will NOT find:
Information highlighting new features to Windows 2008 (for administrators of 2003)
Security best practices / recommendations

You will however find a good number of step-by-step instructions, unfortunately that feel like they were written for someone who has never used a computer before.

A great example of what you'll find is something like this step by step:
"
For domain users, you define permitted logo workstations by following these steps:
1. Open the user's Properties dialog box in Active Directory Users and Computers and then click Account tab
2. Open the Logon Workstations dialog box by clicking Log On To.
3. Select The Following Computers as shown in Figure 11.6
4. Type the name of the permitted workstation and then click Add. Repeat this procedure to specify additional workstations
5. If you make a mistake, select the erroneous entry and then click Edit or Remove as appropriate.
"

For something that is a "pocket" guide, there is a lot of filler (like the laughable step 5 above) and discussion of topics which someone administrating a server should already know (e.g. disk formatting, folder user permissions, etc) and don't belong in a "pocket consultant".

Furthermore, the book does have some incorrect statements, for example, it says that Windows Server Web only supports 2GB of RAM. It actually supports 32GB. 2GB was a Server 2003 limit [...]

Jack of all trades, master of none.
Update: 02-26-2010 I'm brought this book into work and I'm getting ready to read about group policies.I was a little disappointed with DFS since it really glosses over it.But as I wrote - this book gives a lot of basic info.The group policy section has at least 10 pages?

BOTTOM LINE: Don't hesitate to buy this book, but realize you will need TechNet and other resources to learn.Too many tech books are bloated with legacy inforation from previouse versions that have been hastily freshened-up; they are filled with information you can't possibly remember and will probably never use.

Why 3 stars?As another reviewer said its just a collection of cut and paste from TechNet and doesn't not have enough original high quality content or links to more in-depth info so giving it 4 stars trivializes 4 starts

PROS:
Smaller than other books, gives you basic info on many topics.The books best strength is that it recognizes that admins limited time.It provides very light reference - if you need to go beyond just understanding how something works and need to understand how to implement it you will need to visit TechNet.Only books that cover a single set of related topics like Active Directory will provide this kind of depth.Even full sized books will still give you the basics.

Remember, it's one thing to set something up in the lab or in a small network with a few hundred users and quite another to do it in an enterprise with thousands or tens of thousands of users or where you servers must interact over a WAN for centralized management.Also, often we inherit systems that someone else setup and we don't have the time or authorization to correct so we must use them as-is.

CONS:
The reality is that server 2008 does so much that it must be approached in small chunks that are relevant to what you need to accomplishthe rest is left on autopilot.

As an aside, one of the strengths of the mainframe and UNIX is that the basic commands never change.There is a steep up front learning curve but the pay off is a fairly static and consistent environment.Server Core 2008 is Ms's way or recognizing the benefits of a stripped down faster and more secure command-line environment.

Microsoft has had to evolve from something with low security to higher security being overly integrated with very complex FAT clients.In order to keep the number of pages to the minimum - you get about as much info as a brief help file pop-up box would provide.

From windows 2000 on I feel that things have become so complex in the enterprise that the server must be split up in to specialities: Storage & backup, ntfs file / user permissions / group policies.Active Directory, security hardening, cluster / farm / high availability / network ip4 /ip6, scripting WMI etc, server and backup device hardware / complex storage arrays, and so on.

Short but not consise
The Pocket consult series has the virtue of being short, but not short enough. I do not know why it is so difficult to find authors who get the point in a clear precise manner,but I remain amazed that even in a book so short the fluff factor remains as high as 50%.

Moreover definitions are unclear and the procedures listed suffer from excessive and meaningless detail. This is not my first exposure to Mr Stanek's work and thus I have come to expect this -- still I remain disappointed.

I recently learned from Mr. Stanek's web site that he had early aspirations as a writer of fiction -- it shows in his style. Fiction exists to entertain non-fiction to inform-- his books do neither in this case. Get the point and then get out. Give only the detail that is needed no more.



Given its price and the fact that most books are far worse I rate it good, but I would not want to may full price -- its just not worth that much.

Nothing that F1 help wouldn't offer
I thought that with the previous reviews all my answers would be solved with my Server 2008 Standard installation and maintenance.

I found most if the book irrelevant for a basic domain controller and file server installation and haven't found any answers when I did need help. To be fair, MS support pages haven't been that great either. It could be that Server 2008 just has too many issues to cover in any depth that could be relevant, in a book this size. That's a comment on the software, not the book itself.

... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (8)

Great Resource for the 70-448 Exam!
I bought this book with the intention of using it and the practice exams included to study for my 70-448 exam, and I couldn't be more pleased with it.I passed the exam and I owe a lot of my success on the exam to this book.Without this book I would have not known which areas to study and passing the test would have been much harder.The book is organized very well, is well written, and prepares you to perform well on the exam.I have been using the MS BI tools for several years now so I didn't intend to get much out of the book besides a passing score on the exam, but I ended up learning about quite a few things I had never utilized in each of the tools.Good luck to anyone taking this exam!

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Training Kit series
The "Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Training Kit" series was highly recommended to me by an Instructor. I agree with the Instructor's recommendation. The Microsoft Training Kit series includes sample exams that also give you the following info. after you've completed the exam: 1) detailed explanations (with additional references) for the correct answers, 2) an assessment of your total score and the areas to concentrate on to improve your score. --- My money was sell spent. --- Lynne

1/3 of the way through the book
I am not getting full value from the book because my laptop will not install the included software. The included disk to install SQL was defective with multiple files being unreadable. It does have a link to download and install the software so I do have a valid copy, just not on my machine's OS.

The steps to follow for each exercise are clear and self-explanatory, however I have no way to review its accuracy.

Having 3 authors means having 3 points of view. Sometimes diametrically opposed and sometimes obviously wrong. I get the feeling all 3 authors are very knowledgeable on the subject, but sleep deprived while writing it, and any reviewer was asleep while reading it.

This book requires knowledge outside the scope of the book. You can get this knowledge on-line, but I have to wonder if you have deep understanding and used dimensional modeling why you would want to purchase this book in the first place.

There is no doubt this book would prepare you for the Exam which is its only goal. I am disappointed that SQL 2008 is so dependent on the OS and the utilities built into it. Based on the web traffic, hundreds or thousands of people have hit the same problem. ("The MOF compiler could not connect with the WMI server." is my error. I haven't found a solution for my XP Home OS.)

good book for exam preparation
This book provides a good preparation for MCTS exam. It concisely addresses topics examined in the exam. It successfully avoids the temptation of going into too much details but covers everything necessary to be succesful in the exam. It is absolutely a good book to get the certification.

Pass the 70-448 or use it toward the upgrade exams.
I am glad this book is available as it is one of the few sources of information for the 70-448. I personally used this book to use to study for the upgrade exams where I could not find specific books for the test.

I enjoyed reading the book and it suited my needs well. I recommed that any person interested in BI start with this book, create a good foundation of knowledge, build best practices and then progress to individual books based on their focused are of study. For example WROX SSIS 2008 would be a great companion as a reference guide. I am disappointed that the MS exams do not focus on each specific technology, but that is a complaint of MS certs, not this book. This book is a wonderful guide for the information contained in their exams. For a newbie to SSIS SSAS SSRS, or a person seeking information for an upgrade exam,no other book comes close. ... Read more

Product Description
If you’re a database administrator, you know Microsoft SQL Server 2008 is revolutionizing database development. Get up to speed on SQL Server 2008, impress your boss, and improve your company’s data management — read Microsoft SQL Server 2008 For Dummies!

SQL Server 2008 lets you build powerful databases and create database queries that give your organization the information it needs to excel. Microsoft SQL Server 2008 For Dummies helps you build the skills you need to set up, administer, and troubleshoot SQL Server 2008. You’ll be able to:

• Develop and maintain a SQL Server system
• Design databases with integrity and efficiency
• Turn data into information with SQL Server Reporting Services
• Organize query results, summarizing data with aggregate functions and formatting output
• Import large quantities of data with SSIS
• Keep your server running smoothly
• Protect data from prying eyes
• Develop and implement a disaster recovery plan
• Improve performance with database snapshots
• Automate SQL Server 2008 administration

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 For Dummies is a great first step toward becoming a SQL Server 2008 pro! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Good, but needs more examples!
I learned alot about SQL Server from going through this book. It really leaves out all the clutter in other books. However, you don't get enough practice with this book because the author already assumes you can create the stuff he's talking about without giving you the opportunity to try it out yourself. The first 200 pages uses examples with databases that you don't have enough knowledge to create until page 160. If the author had a page where you could download all the sample databases that he uses or if he took the time to walk you through creating some of the sample databases, then this could have been a much better book. Overall, it's still a great book, but I had to use another book to really get the practice missing in this book.

Quick response.
I received this item very quickly. The book is in very good condition. I will buy from this person again.

Nicely written but not enough there there
The author is a good writer, he's well organized,he get's his point across well - the problem is that he doesn't do it enough. This isa nice introduction to MS SQL but its simply too short and ultimately too lightweight for the subject. There are other good beginners manuals out there that, if they aren't as entertaining, are more useful. Dummies cut the legs out from under this text by keeping it so compact - too bad, if he'd had more room he undoubtedly could have created a excellent manual.

Good, solid admin guide
First, I have to come clean. I am a content developer by trade, have worked on a few of Mike's books in the past, and have contracted with him several times to develop some online courses for my clients. Even so, I'll try to be as unbiased as possible, but it'll be hard because Mike is *such* a good author.

"Microsoft SQL Server 2008 for Dummies" is a solid, well-organized guide for using SQL Server. It's not geared for developers or programmers (unless they want to pick up administration skills), but you can learn how to create and manipulate databases in addition to installing and maintaining a database server. The writing is easy to follow and describes concepts consisely and clearly, which is Mike's classic style. Mike also uses a lot of examples and imagery, which helps immensely to guide you through some of the more difficult techniques.

The book is chockful of practical information about running and using SQL Server, but lacks the humor and clever headings found in many of the For Dummies books. If you're a "just the facts" kind of person who wants to learn how to use SQL Server and doesn't care much about novel headings, grab this book. At about $30 (USD) retail, it's a great value considering the breadth of topics covered. The only thing I would've liked to see expanded is the Troubleshooting chapter. Even though I was an IT book project editor for several years, and even worked on a handful of For Dummies books, I generally don't use IT books until something goes wrong. Then I pore through them, usually on Safari Books Online, beginning with the troubleshooting information. For the next version of Microsoft SQL Server for Dummies, I suggest adding at least two or three examples of log file entries that indicate a medium to serious problem, or some real-world situations or database meltdowns, and what to do about them.

Overall, thanks for another great book Mike! ... Read more