With the release of SQL Server 2005, everyone is interested in learning more about the product and sharpening their skills for the projects that are sure to come. This release of SQL Server truly changes the paradigm of how you will build applications and interact with SQL Server. It seems the more that the staff here learns about SQL Server 2005, the more we feel it's a great product, but one that requires some dedication.

Our daily Question of the Day is designed to help you learn and we're working on getting more SQL Server 2005 questions all the time. Apress has offered to sponsor the Wednesday edition of the QOD with both questions to test your knowledge and a contest. We'll give away two books each week from the great lineup of titles that will help you move forward with SQL Server 2005.

Here are a few of the books you can win!

Beginning SQL Server 2005 for Developers by Robin Dewson will increase your programming options, productivity, analysis, and database management. If you have some basic knowledge of relational databases and want to start a career as a developer using SQL Server, then this book is your ideal first step. It explains the core jobs and roles for developing a database in both SQL Server 2000 and 2005.

Pro SQL Server 2005 Database Design and Optimization by Louis Davidson, Kevin Kline, and Kurt Windisch will teach you effective strategies for designing proper databases. It covers everything from how to gather business requirements to logical data modeling and normalization. It then shows you how to implement your design on SQL Server 2005.

Or if you can't wait, Click here to buy Beginning SQL Server 2005 for Developers from Amazon.com or here for Pro SQL Server 2005 Database Design and Optimization