Murach's SQL Server 2012 for Developers (Training & Reference)

This book is part of my Murach collection books. I bought them on Amazon.com every once in a while because I like the way these books are organized. The authors don't spend too much time on theories. The authors always give examples of what they are talking about on every other page, which is the page on the right. For example, if you're reading on page 2, you'll find the example on page 3 and a short description (a little summary) at the bottom of page 3, which helps you memorize what you just read.If you really want to master all the contents of the books, you would also need to do the exercises at the end of the chapters. This review is not just about this book, but for all of the books. I've read about 5 of them so far, and I just started reading the JavaScript/JQuery book.I just started reading chapter 4 of this book, which is all about JOINS, and can't wait to finish with it.

I researched & purchased this book based on its high customer ratings, and was not disappointed. I'm a beginner & I'm under the gun at work to produce results on my own. This is an excellent resource for self-study! While it's easy to find answers & examples online for just about any SQL issue, I find myself reaching for this book time & time again as my first step in learning new commands & syntax. I like the Murach two-page presentation style, it's very effective. Examples are well-constructed & well-explained. Highly recommended.For maximum benefit, use this book in conjuction with Google searches. For example, read the Murach section on subqueries first. Then, if you need more complex examples, Google e.g. 'SQL Server select subquery'. The top match in this case is Microsoft TechNet 'Subquery Fundamentals'. That article has further, more detailed links at the bottom of the page. FWIW, I don't recommend choosing Microsoft's Books Online option (documentation installed on your computer) during SQL Server set-up. Books Online can be slow & glitchy & often ineffective in my experience.

This is a great book to use both as a self-training manual as well as for reference. I must mention that there are not too many exercises to practice all the theory presented. It is mainly aimed for software developers rather than database administrators.The "pair page" layout of the book is really useful to quickly and easily understand the syntax of the concepts presented. I also think the use of color would be beneficial so that the code would be more easily distinguished.Overall a good choice for anyone who needs to have a reference or plan on doing self study.

Best book on SQL that I've read. The authors made it easy to understand and the chapers are laid out well. One of the things that I appreciate is the authors cover a concept one one page and the next page shows an example along with information that summaries the concepts from the previous page. You get the information in three different ways to help you understand the concepts. I dont think I explained that well, but I do recommend the book for those with only a rudimentary understanding of SQL.

I find this book to be great for someone wanting to learn SQL programming for the first time. It is not going to teach you your a, b, c's before teaching you to read. However, it is simple enough for anyone with a basic ability for logic to follow. The only reason why I don't give 5 stars is because it does not provide the answers to the lessons after each chapter so that you can measure how well you did. If I just missed them and somone can tell me where they are I will gladly update my rating to 5 stars.

This book states (p. 20 just below the middle) that Microsoft's SQL Server "..has a reputation for being unreliable and for not scaling well for systems with a large number of users'. Som of these alleged problems are undoubtably due to a lack of knowledge on the part of those who experience them. I have seen what I must characterize as a breakdown in the .NET website administration Tool, dealing with the users database and apparently (web browsing) many others share this experience. Still it is bold - and a part of the explanation why I recommend this book - that the authors put their head on the choppingblock writing such a statement about such a renowned product.But I learned a lot from this book, new versions and updates will solve some problems and I will probably more databases from MySQL to SQL Server - as a result of reading and implementing what is in this book.

An excellent resource for both learning and reference. As a learning tool, when you open the book to any page the right page gives a summary while the left page gives more detail. If you already have some understanding of T-SQL this allows you to quickly skim through information you already know and move on to more challenging concepts. As a reference tool, I find it to be one of the most indispensable books in my programming library.

If you're like me you know a lot of excellent ways to do a few things, but wonder about having a wider understanding of the trade offs and using alternatives. This book will give you a lot of quick examples for the tools you have at your disposal in SQL Server 2012.The book works as a good reference tool as well if you are string or date handling. It has a lot of commonly used function calls.There's a lot of good discussion about best practices.Also the Murach's format of discussion on the LHS with examples on the RHS is present here and works well.

I purchased this a while ago to use as a reference guide. I have found it to be wonderful source of information and how to's. I think this is my favourite SQL reference book. i do have a number of them, but so far this is my favourite. I have spent 35 years in the IT industry and it is so nice to read a reference guide that is easy to understand. Well done Murach's.

Very fast service and great price. Got the book brand new and in immaculate condition. Thanks so much 😊

Con quasi 800 pagine, per un peso di circa 1,6 kg, questo manuale è sicuramente il più massiccio tra tutti i libri su SQL Server (o sul T-SQL) che possiedo, ma non è il più completo o il più approfondito.Come da “statuto” Murach, il focus è indirizzato soprattutto a fornire una solidissima base di conoscenze sui concetti fondamentali, anche a costo di essere ripetitivi e/o prolissi.Ed è proprio questo il caso che riguarda questo manuale su SQL Server 2012 (non più l’ultima versione, ma ancora la più diffusa).Come da titolo, si affrontano questioni da puro “dev”, ovvero la programmazione con T-SQL e, a parte qualche accenno sulla sicurezza, non vengono presi in considerazione argomenti da DBA, come ottimizzazioni, backup/restore, utenze e così via.In compenso ci si spinge fino all’integrazione con il CLR del .NET Framework (per utilizzare codice C# come se fosse un simil T-SQL).La struttura del testo, ovviamente, rispecchia la tradizione Murach: a sinistra la parte teorica, mentre a destra ci sono gli esempi di codice e i riassunti schematici.Codice che, tra l’altro, è sempre indentato perfettamente e fa uso del grassetto per evidenziare le parti più importanti.Il codice scaricabile dal sito della casa comprende ben 4 database, che simulano un comune gestionale.Dal sito della Murach si può scaricare il capitolo 3 per intero (44 pagine non a colori).Non posso non dargli 5 stelle se non soltanto per la cura maniacale con cui è stato realizzato (un po’ come tutti i libri Murach che ho avuto modo di leggere finora).Da tenere presente, però, che è un libro per principianti ed intermedi; lettori che conoscono già bene SQL Server lo potranno trovare oltremodo noioso e logorroico.Section 1 An introduction to SQLChapter 1 - An introduction to relational databases and SQLChapter 2 - How to use the Management StudioSection 2 The essential SQL skillsChapter 3 - How to retrieve data from a single tableChapter 4 - How to retrieve data from two or more tablesChapter 5 - How to code summary queriesChapter 6 - How to code subqueriesChapter 7 - How to insert, update, and delete dataChapter 8 - How to work with data typesChapter 9 - How to use functionsSection 3 Database design and implementationChapter 10 - How to design a databaseChapter 11 - How to create and maintain databases, tables, and sequences with SQL statementsChapter 12 - How to use the Management Studio for database designSection 4 Advanced SQL skillsChapter 13 - How to work with viewsChapter 14 - How to code scriptsChapter 15 - How to code stored procedures, functions, and triggersChapter 16 - How to work with cursorsChapter 17 - How to manage transactions and lockingChapter 18 - How to manage database securityChapter 19 - How to work with XMLChapter 20 - How to work with BLOBsSection 5 CLR integrationChapter 21 - An introduction to CLR integrationChapter 22 - How to code CLR stored procedures, functions, and triggersChapter 23 - How to code aggregate functions and user-defined typesAppendixesAppendix A - How to install the required software for this bookAppendix B - How to install the files and databases used in this bookAppendix C - Coding and syntax conventions

It is a very clear and concise SQL book. It touches up on everything I expected it too. I really like how most pages will go through in detail about a concept, and then this is summarized afterwards in short-form.

This book is too good to be ignored. As a novice in SQL, I appreciate the layout and the way the contents are explained.