SQL Server MVP Deep Dives

I’m not a SQL Server Most Valuable Professional anymore[1], but I was when this amazing project got underway, and I am proud to contribute as an author on SQL Server Integration Services. SQL Server MVP Deep Dives is a unique book. It has:

• 53 authors
• 59 chapters
• Coverage of database design, development, administration and performance tuning
• Coverage of the SQL Server BI suite: SSIS, SSAS and SSRS

But that’s not the coolest thing about this book. The coolest thing is where the money goes. All author royalties (that’s right – 100%) go to War Child International, a network of independent organizations, working across the world to help children affected by war.[2] So not only will this book help you become a better SQL Server practitioner, it will also help children around the world.

You can pre-order the book online today at the SQL Server MVP Deep Dives web site, and get immediate access to a pre-release PDF copy of the book. (Note: if you order before the end of September and use the code pop0928 at the checkout you will also save 50%!) Also, if you’re attending the PASS Summit in Seattle in early November, you can buy a copy at the conference bookstore and it signed by many of the authors. I’ll be there, and based on the email I’ve seen we’ll see a majority of the authors and editors should be there as well.

If you only buy one SQL Server book this year, why not make it this book? And since all proceeds go to benefit a great cause, why not buy two?

I’ll see you at PASS!

[1] You can’t be an MVP and a Microsoft employee at the same time, so when I joined Microsoft they took away my MVP status. Which was OK.

[2] Not, as some may think, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping aging Jethro Tull fans.

T-SQL Fundamentals is (Almost) Here!

Not too long ago I posted about Itzik Ben-Gan's excellent book Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2005: T-SQL Querying and how valuable I've found it. Well, Itzik has just completed work on his next book: Microsoft SQL Server 2008 T-SQL Fundamentals.

This is a book for people who are new to SQL programming, which is an audience that Itzik has not tackled before. Now you might think that for someone who knows more about T-SQL that anyone else in the world, writing a beginners' book should be about as difficult as sleepwalking, but this is not the case. In a recent post to the private SQL Server newsgroup for MCTs[1] Itzik had this to share:

“I always wanted to write a book about T-SQL Fundamentals, but kept postponing it until I felt I acquired enough knowledge and teaching experience to write it. Well, you never feel you have enough knowledge especially with a language and a model that are so deep, but at least enough to make a decent effort. Some may think that writing a Fundamentals book is easier than writing an advanced one, but I think it's actually the other way around, especially with SQL. Target audience for advanced books is less prone to be misled and mainly need their gaps to be filled. It's a big responsibility to teach people fundamentals, and that's one of the reasons I waited so long.”

How cool is that? Even though I don't think I'm the target audience for this book, I am definitely going to get a copy. As a trainer I'm always looking for better ways to explain core concepts, and T-SQL has enough difficult concepts that I am sure to pick up a pointer or two (or two hundred) from this book.

The book is scheduled to be released on October 22 and you can pre-order it today. So what are you waiting for?

[1] Yes, I asked his permission before posting this quote here. ;-)

Buy This Book, or Your Database Gets It!

At last night's VDUNY meeting I talked about a whole bunch of new features in SQL Server 2008 for database developers. And because this is a favorite topic of mine[1] a lot of the discussion revolved around Transact-SQL.

And you can't really talk about Transact-SQL without the name Itzik Ben-Gan coming up at least once or twice. Itzik is arguably the person who knows more about using T-SQL than anyone else on the planet, including the people who develop the language at Microsoft.[2] And of course, you can't mention Itzik at a user group without recommending this book:

Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2005: T-SQL Querying

If you develop applications using SQL Server - any version, not just SQL Server 2005 - then you absolutely must have this book in your library. It doesn't matter if you are brand new to SQL Server or (like me) you have been a SQL Server consultant and trainer for over ten years - you will find information in this book that you never knew you didn't know, and you'll find techniques that will make you a better SQL developer every day.

Yeah, it's that good.

Just to make sure no one thinks that Itzik is here behind me with a gun, this is a purely unsolicited recommendation. I'd just gotten a follow-up email from an attendee, which made me remember the presentation, which made me remember the discussion, which made me remember just how darned good this book is. Buy it and see.

[1] And because they were foolish enough to say "talk about whatever you'd like." ;-)

[2] Yes, this is a powerful statement, but I feel comfortable making it because A) I did qualify it with the word "arguably" and B) I've heard enough people on the SQL Server team say the same thing without using the word "arguably."

Books, books, books!

My "A Whirlwind Tour of SQL Server Integration Services" presentation last week at the CNY Developers User Group was a huge success. We had a big turnout and everyone seemed very enthusiastic about the capabilities of the SSIS platform, and many attendees stayed around very late to ask questions and get into wonderful tangents about SSIS.



And one of the most frequently asked questions was "what SSIS book should I buy?" Now in an ideal world this should be an easy question to answer (and in an ideal world I would have had a slide handy to answer it) but sadly, there is no single SSIS book that I can wholeheartedly recommend to developers who are new to the SSIS platform and tools. So instead of having a nice simple answer, I'm forced to resort[1] to answering with a list of links and explanations. And here is that list:

• Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Integration Services by Kirk Haselden: If you're new to SSIS, this is the one book to buy. It's not a great book (sorry Kirk, but I'm awfully picky) but the author has great insight into the product (as well he should, since he led the development team for SSIS up through RTM) and does a good job of communicating its ins and outs to the reader. If this book went into more depth and had more real-world examples (yes, and had twice as many pages) it would be a must-have.
• Professional SQL Server 2005 Integration Services by Brian Knight, Allan Mitchell, Darren Green, Douglas Hinson and a bunch of other people: This book fills in a few of the cracks that Kirk Haselden's book does not, but other than that it doesn't really deliver for me. If you have a book budget and need to buy more than one introductory SSIS book, get this one too, but otherwise you should probably pick up Kirk's book and move on...
• The Rational Guide to Extending SSIS 2005 with Script by Donald Farmer: This is the best resource I've found on using the Script Task and Script Component in SSIS, and is one of my favorite technical books in general. It's very well written with deep insight into the product, and is a very easy read. However, scripting is one of those "tools of last resort" for most SSIS projects, so this book is also not a "must have" if you're just getting started.
• The Microsoft Data Warehouse Toolkit by Joy Mundy, Warren Thornthwaite, and Ralph Kimball: This is probably the only "must read" book on my list, but it's not really a SSIS book, or a developer book, so I don't know if it's as appropriate for the people who asked for book recommendations as it is for me. This is a great "BI best practices" book, and while it has quite a bit of SSIS content, but it covers the whole gamut of real-world BI/DW projects from a "you need to do these things" perspective as opposed to a "this is how you do these things" perspective for SSIS, SSAS and SSRS with some other goodies thrown in as well.
• Foundations of SQL Server 2005 Business Intelligence by Lynn Langit: This book provides a great introduction and overview to the Microsoft BI stack (kind of like the last one, but thinner) and with a more hands-on, how-to focus. (I was the technical reviewer on this book, so I realize that I'm biased and will stop before I say too many glowing things about it. ;-)
• Expert SQL Server 2005 Integration Services by Brian Knight and Erik Veerman: This is my favorite SSIS book today, hands down. So why did I save it for last? As this title implies, this is not an introductory book - it assumes that the reader has a good foundation with SSIS fundamentals and is ready to start solving real-world problems more efficiently using tested tools and techniques. So this one is a "must have" but it may not be a "must have right now" for everyone.

Wow, it took me a long time to complete this post. Last month I averaged a post every day. Here it is now, halfway through December and I've barely managed to publish two semi-technical posts. (And it took me almost a week and half to type a list of books - how crazy is that?) Why is it that December is always the busiest month of the year for technical projects? It always seems to be that there is 50% more to do in December than any other month, despite the holidays. I've been swamped, and my blogging productivity is suffering, but at least I'm making all of my client-facing deadlines...

Anyway, enjoy! And let me know if you have any questions, too.

[1] Boy, it's great to have someone to blame! I never have nice simple answers anyway, but at least this time I can blame the SSIS book market!

BI the Book!

Currently there are not many books available to help people get up to speed on the Microsoft Business Intelligence platform. Most of the books I've found assume a decent level of technical knowledge in the reader. This isn't a problem for people who have "working in the field" for many years, but not everyone has the experience necessary to get them kick-started in this complex arena. To make matters worse, there are so many different technologies that come together in the world of BI, that it can quickly become overwhelming for people who are trying to get up to speed. I get asked pretty regularly if there is a good book for beginners to BI - and finally I can say "yes!"

Apress has just published "Foundations of SQL Server 2005 Business Intelligence" by my good friend and colleague Lynn Langit. This book provides a solid introduction to all of the core components in the Microsoft BI platform, including Integration Services, Analysis Services and Reporting Services, and has excellent coverage of Office 2007, SharePoint 2007 and PerformancePoint Server 2007 as well. It's not going to make you an expert, but it will give you the knowledge and tools you need to get prepared and productive for your first BI projects.

In the context of "full disclosure," I served as the technical reviewer for this book. It was a real pleasure to work with Lynn during the writing process, and I had a lot of fun. Lynn, on the other hand, had to put up with my overly critical and picky feedback for months. It says a lot about her patience that she still talks to me. :-)

And yesterday I got an email from Ronald Smiley, a fellow Microsoft Certified Trainer, who said:

Mathew,

Just a note to deliver huge "KUDOS" for the book Foundations of SQL Server 2005 Business Intelligence by Lynn Langit. You are listed as the technical reviewer. Lynn gave a free copy of this book to the first 20 MCTs who responded to her, I received my copy last week and have been enthralled with its' straightforward comprehensive approach to BI. I have been delivering training and implementing SQL solutions since 6.5 and I think this book struck the right balance of being informative and yet not overwhelming.

Again, Thanks to both of you!

Ron Smiley, MCT, MCDBA, MCTS, MCTIP

And that just about says it all - Thanks, Ron! Definitely check out the book - it should be on store shelves everywhere by now - and start working with Microsoft's incredible BI tools!