Reviews for Beginning SQL Server 2008 for Developers: From Novice to Professional (Expert's Voice in SQL Server)

1. full of typo's, bad enuff, but NO errata page is UNFORGIVABLE

   Rated 1 out of 5 stars, January 12th, 2010

   The book looks like it was rushed out the door as the earlier chapters in particualar are full of typo's, and sentences/passages that just don't make sense, or are just plain contradictory e.g p10:
   
   "Client Tools: Some of these tools sit on the client machine and provide the graphical intreface to SQL Server, while others sit on the client and work with SQL Server."
   
   Now, after thinking for a minute or two it became obvious to me as someone with 15years general computing experience that the author meant to write "server" instead of the second instance of "client". But a) I don't want to have to do this thinking to make up for the editor's laziness and b) A beginner here wouldn't be able to spot the mistake and would be confused, or worse, go away with duff information!
   
   Here's another one, p17:
   
   "A service can be set to start automatically before any user has even logged on; all other programs require a user to be logged in to Windows in order for the services to start."
   
   This is just plain confusing... Even I struggle with what this means, and I used to program services for a living! I think if you replace the 3rd last word "services" with "these programs", it makes sense. But maybe he meant non-auto startup services can be started manually when someone logs in?
   
   I'd rather be scratching my head trying to understand SQL Server 2008, not the author's writing style.
   
   I went onto the book's site on Apress to check the errata to get these and other issues cleared up, or log them if they weren't there. NO FACILITY for submitting errata !! There is a form there, but nothing happens if you fill it in (more time wasted !!!).
   
   Had there been just the errors, I would have given 3 stars, but the LACK of ERRATA page, in a tech book riddled with errata is just plain UNFOGIVABLE. Avoid this book!
   
   ASIDE: This is not the first Apress book without an errata mechanism. Readers NEED the errata pages, and I encourage all reviewers to give books that have errors, but no errata page, an automatic 1star, until the publishers wake up and start putting some effort into errata and corrections.
   
   I will continue to post errata here. Hopefully Apress will transfer them onto the proper place, and I can them remove them. Until then, 1star review.
   
   Who is with me on this?
   
   

2. 99% SQL 2005, 1% SQL 2008

   Rated 2 out of 5 stars, August 12rd, 2009

   I feel disappointed that, having read many SQL2005 books, I found almost nothing in this book that wasn't already valid in SQL2005. If you are looking for a "what's new in SQL2008" you should look elsewhere.
   
   If the title was "Introduction to SQL2005" (yes, SQL2005) this would have received 3 to 4 stars.

3. Know-Nothing to Solid Foundation

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, March 12nd, 2009

   This book was just perfect for me.
   
   I am fully proficient in using MS Excel and MS Access. I needed to upgrade my knowledge to SQL server as my latest contract deals with too much data to be able to be handled by MS Access.
   
   I wouldn't say that this book takes you to "Professional" level from Novice. How could it in just 450 pages?
   
   It does, however, do an excellent job of taking the user from complete know-nothing about SQL Server all the way to a solid foundation. I will now be able to create the database I need and will use online help to help with bits here and there as I go.
   
   I took a 5 day break in my contract to quickly get this foundation level and can go back full of confidence and get on with it. I just needed this book to get me that solid foundation and it has done so very well indeed.