Vieira strikes the perfect balance of introductory and practical content. Databases in general and SQL Server 2005 in particular make for an enormous field of content, and there’s no way to cover it all in one book. In fact the introduction says as much, and the back cover presents a diagram outlining how this title fits into the publisher’s 5-book series.

Although the publisher lists this book as being in the middle of the series, I found it a good place to start. I had made a couple of attempts to dive into SQL Server 2005 using the online help and various 3rd party Web sites and articles. For me that approach just didn’t work. There’s really no substitute for a good book to get you started. Vieira provides clear and often humorous explanations of the book’s concepts along with useful hands-on exercises (so make sure you’ve got SQL Server up and running as you read).

The thing I especially like about this book is that it covers the new features of SQL Server 2005 without expecting that you’ve used prior versions, so those of us new to the program can get started quickly and confidently. The book does, however, provide tips for upgraders as well as anyone who will be dealing with legacy code from prior versions.

At 650 pages there’s more than enough to keep you busy and learning. However, as Vieira and his publisher point out, you can’t do it all in one book. There are several choices that by their title may seem redundant to this one, but are in fact complementary. Vieira’s companion work, Professional SQL Server 2005 Programming or Brust’s and Forte’s Programming Microsoft SQL Server 2005 will find a useful place on your bookshelf once you’ve mastered this book’s content.

http://mihd.net/1.48/Beginning_SQL_Server_2005_Programming.rar.html

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