Book Review: Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2005: T-SQL Querying

This book is destined to become a classic. Benefiting from the main author's close relationship with the product team, this text provides a distilled insight into the machinations of SQL Server that are hard to garner from elsewhere. Managing to be both a reference text and a step-by-step tutorial, this book will furnish you with all tools you need to effectively author and tune T-SQL to highest standards. I particularly commend the chapter detailing a tuning methodology.

Having said all this, bewarned that this text is not for the novice or beginner. While it is excellently written, it is an advanced text pitched at those with plenty of prior T-SQL experience, and will require careful study. That being said, for those who put in the effort, the rewards will be plentiful.

My only criticism is that a book on T-SQL this good didn't come sooner. A fanatastic work I will be returning to again and again.

I've just picked up the companion sequel (no pun intended!) T-SQL Programming - looks to be just as compelling!