Just published: Murach’s SQL Server 2008 for Developers

Mike Murach and Associates has just published a 2008 edition of their bestselling SQL book, now entitled Murach’s SQL Server 2008 for Developers. It teaches how to create SQL queries and take advantage of powerful DBMS features (like views, stored procedures, functions, triggers, and cursors) the way the best professionals do.

This includes coverage of 2008 features like FILESTREAM storage, the MERGE statement, new date/time data types, the user-defined table type, the SPARSE attribute, filtered indexes, and more. But beyond that, this book has several features that make it different from most other SQL Server books.

#1: It’s written for application developers
Most developers squeak by with minimal SQL skills, not realizing all the time and work they’d save by mastering SQL. Part of the reason for that is that many SQL books are written for database administrators (DBAs), so developers pass them by. But this book focuses on showing application developers the SQL that they need to harness the power of the database.

#2: It starts off with how to query a database, not how to design one
Many SQL books start off with database design and performance. But if you’re an application developer, the first thing you need to know is how to write queries. So that’s the focus of the first 8 chapters of this book. It starts with simple queries, then moves on to complex inner and outer joins, summary queries, and subqueries that do more of the database processing so that your applications can do less.

#3: It lets developers expand into database design as they want to
After the thorough course in querying, this book shows how to design and create a database. This material is helpful for developers who have to develop small systems on their own. And it provides a solid introduction to DBA skills for those interested in that career path.

#4: It teaches the advanced features that top developers need
To complete the developer’s mastery of SQL, this book covers powerful DBMS features like views, scripts, stored procedures, functions, triggers, cursors, transactions, locking, and security. It teaches SQL features for handling XML and BLOB values. And it shows how to use CLR integration to create database objects in applications using C# or VB code.

#5: Coding examples provide models for a wide range of SQL jobs
One key to mastering SQL is to have plenty of coding examples that show how the features work and what problems may occur as they’re used in everyday applications. And these examples become more crucial as the code becomes more complex.

So besides showing sample code for all types of queries, this book also provides code for database maintenance jobs, for stored procedures, for handling XML and BLOB data, and for using CLR integration. This code can be downloaded for free from www.murach.com.

#6: The paired-pages format lets developers set their own pace
Murach books have a distinctive format, where each two-page spread presents a single topic. Both beginning and experienced developers find that this format makes it easy to focus on the information they need, whether they’re using the book for training or reference.

Murach’s SQL Server 2008 for Developers is available from the publisher at www.murach.com and from all major retail outlets.

Read Chapter 3 in the Resources section below.