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Books and Blogs
Updated: 12 June 2008
Many people have asked me for recommendations for books to get started with SQL Server. They want to be able to read my book, but some of the concepts are just too advanced for a first book.
It’s hard for me to know what books are really going to help someone just getting started, as I have been working with SQL Server for 20 years. So my recommendations are partly based on knowing one or more of the authors, and recognizing the quality of their SQL Server experience. Most of these books were written by one or more SQL Server MVPs. Here are several more books that will give you more fundamental information and prepare you for Inside SQL Server 2005.
A
Developer's Guide to SQL Server 2005 (Microsoft .NET Development Series)
by Bob Beauchemin and Dan Sullivan (Paperback - April 28, 2006)
Expert SQL Server 2005 Development
By Adam Machanic, Hugo Kornelis and Lara Rubbelke (Paperback – May 2007)
SQL
Server 2005 Bible
by Paul Nielsen (Paperback - Nov 6, 2006)
Pro
SQL Server 2005 Database Design and Optimization
by Louis Davidson, Kevin Kline, and Kurt Windisch (Paperback - May 1, 2006)
For
SQL Server Troubleshooting information, don’t miss
Ken Henderson’s latest book:
SQL
Server 2005 Practical Troubleshooting: The Database Engine
by Ken Henderson (Paperback - Dec 11, 2006)
SQL Server Team Blogs
For more advanced SQL Server topics, on a wide variety of topics, there is no better source than the SQL Server Team at Microsoft. Many of the Team members have started blogging regularly through MSDN. Here are my favorites:
Craig Freedman: SQL Server Query Execution
Slava Oks: SQLOS, Memory Management, Processes and Scheduling
SQL Server Customer Advisory Team
(The members of the Customer Advisory Team are the consultants whom Microsoft sends out to solve the stickiest problems for the largest customers.)
And there’s more, on a wide variety of SQL Server topics:
Tips, Tricks and Advice from the SQL Server Query Processing Team
Wei Xiao: SQL Server Engine Watch
Laurentiu Cristofor: SQL Server Security
Microsoft SQL Server Product Support Team
SQL Server Engine Tips: Guidelines, Best Practices, TSQL and SQL Programming Tips and Tricks
Ian Jose: Getting the Best Query Plan
Michael Rys on XML, XML and XML
And of course, there are plenty of blogs written by SQL Server experts and enthusiasts NOT on the SQL Server Team.
Over two dozen SQL Server professionals including over a dozen SQL Server MVPs (one of which is yours truly) blog at
Conor Cunningham now blogs at SQL Skills, along with Kimberly Tripp, Paul Randal and Bob Beauchemin:
http://www.sqlskills.com/blogs/paul
http://www.sqlskills.com/blogs/kimberly
http://www.sqlskills.com/blogs/bobb
http://www.sqlskills.com/blogs/conor