Microsoft SQL Server 2012 T-SQL Fundamentals Author: Itzik Ben-Gan | Language: English | ISBN:
0735658145 | Format: PDF
Microsoft SQL Server 2012 T-SQL Fundamentals Description
Gain a solid understanding of T-SQL—and write better queries
Master the fundamentals of Transact-SQL—and develop your own code for querying and modifying data in Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012. Led by a SQL Server expert, you’ll learn the concepts behind T-SQL querying and programming, and then apply your knowledge with exercises in each chapter. Once you understand the logic behind T-SQL, you’ll quickly learn how to write effective code—whether you’re a programmer or database administrator.
Discover how to:
- Work with programming practices unique to T-SQL
- Create database tables and define data integrity
- Query multiple tables using joins and subqueries
- Simplify code and improve maintainability with table expressions
- Implement insert, update, delete, and merge data modification strategies
- Tackle advanced techniques such as window functions, pivoting and grouping sets
- Control data consistency using isolation levels, and mitigate deadlocks and blocking
- Take T-SQL to the next level with programmable objects
- Paperback: 442 pages
- Publisher: Microsoft Press; 1 edition (July 12, 2012)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0735658145
- ISBN-13: 978-0735658141
- Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 1 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
The author, an expert in the field, publishes his first introductory book on TSQL, and although the title 'T-SQL Fundamentals' is representative of the content, the use of the book for a college textbook leaves room for improvement. I used this book for a 3-hr IT credit course this semester at a local community college...the book does have good information. The problems are in that 1) the order of introduction is not optimal, 2) the explanations via pictorials or diagrams for a pure beginner are lacking, and 3) the example code could be better.
First off, to address the order, he introduces right away in chapter 1 and chapter two concepts that I would not introduce until much later for a beginning TSQL class. Foreign Key relationships and Windowing functions are not beginning concepts, for instance, and thus should be introduced much later in the book in my opinion. Cross Joins are the first join type introduced in Chapter 2; this is a 'special' type of join used to create data or build lists, and is not used that often in the business world. A much better replacement might be the SELECT INTO, which is introduced way in the back of the book in a later chapter. There are other examples-my point is that for the beginner, the order here needs to be looked at more closely. It doesn't make sense a lot of the time.
Second, explanations and the use of drawings, pictures, or diagrams are lacking or non-existent. As an example, when I teach joins, I draw pictures on a whiteboard with minimal data to introduce concepts in a clear and concise manner; he has none of these. Many of the examples don't allow a student the opportunity to let the concepts 'hit home' because other ideas are introduced at the same time.
Microsoft SQL Server 2012 T-SQL Fundamentals Preview
Link
Please Wait...