Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: GREAT MANUAL!
Comment: After reading this book, I felt like I had to stand up or at least applaud. It was really a masterpiece: extremely concise yet pretty comprehensive, easy to understand, and expertly organized. The pocket consultant series by Microsoft claims to be "The practical, portable guide that delivers immediate answers" and it absolutely is. This book is to computer manuals what iPods are to digital music. Compact, powerful, and easy to use.
The book is designed for both new and experienced professionals. Someone who has never used SQL Server before and will get as much out of it as someone who's been using it for a long while. Unlike some books, he doesn't talk down to you and respects the fact that you can learn things if shown how to use them.
This book doesn't just cover SQL Server, but also covers SQL itself. In fact, I really don't consider this just a SQL Server manual. It's really a SQL Server/SQL Command Guide, covering pretty much every aspect of daily administration, configuration, and tuning of SQL Server through the GUI and commands.
The index and table of contents is well organized so you can focus on the sections you want to learn more about.
The ideal book for anyone who works with or wants to work with SQL Server whether admin or not.
Customer Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Reference Tool
Comment: This is the book that should have been in the box. is absolutely right! I bought this book before we upgraded from SQL 2000 to SQL 2005. This book has been an invaluable tool in helping me get up to speed on the feautres and changes of SQL 2005. It's written like all Stanek's others to deliver what I needed and focus on the core. It's very clearly written, easy to understand. I read the first few chapters straight through, but now that I have my bearings in the new server, it's a handy reference that I pull off the shelf frequently. I would highly recommend this book to anyone upgrading from previous versions and any current administrators. As a reference manual it can't be beat.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Another Stanek Winner
Comment: I only recently got involved with SQL Server, when work required that I shift gears after our department downsized. Therefore I was not familiar with all of the nuances of SQL Server. In true William Stanek fashion, however, this book smoothly got this newbie very familiar with the features of SQL Server, which I am finding to be a lot more than I ever thought there would be, quite truthfully, I was not expecting it to be so complicated. The book starts out explaining the SQL Server administrations, and teaches some special characteristics for selecting hardware, choosing editions, and using the GUI and CLI tools. There is a lengthy explanation on SQL Server roles and integrating roles, planning for deploying, and setting up SQL Server. I really liked how the author drew the distinction between all the nuances of security, access and configuration. The massive chapter on tuning and optimizing goes into great depth. I never really appreciated the power of SQL Server until I read this chapters on data transformation, replications, transactions. I never knew before I read this book that SQL Server had features for log shipping and mirroring. Part Three and Part Four are where I've spent so much time reading lately. Since this book is 550 information packed pages, I can't review all of it for you. However, I find it an INDISPENSIBLE SQL Server tool. I always find the answers I need in Stanek's books!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Packed with details
Comment: Pound for pound, this book packs in more details than any other I've found. No book on a subject can cover everything you need to know, but this one comes close for administrators. The best I've found out of them all. Stanek is clear and concise and just as the book promises, he zeroes in on what matters most. My copy has dogears and highlights everywhere. For the price you can't beat it.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Some things missing
Comment: What happened to encryption? That is a great new feature in SQL 2005..hard to believe its not mentioned in the guide.
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