A friend of mine has the Windows 2000 Black book and really likes it. The format of
that book is a large number of problems that commonly occur and the solutions to
them. For many of the items listed, these solutions provide quick solutions. Not always,
but often.
With the experiences from that book, I was really looking forward to the SQL
Server 2000 Black Book. When I finally got this book and started digging in, I
was surprised.
This book describes itself as a reference for intermediate to advanced DBAs or
developers who need to research a problem or find out what tools can be used to
solve a problem. As an experienced SQL Server user (10+ years), I was really
disappointed. I found this book to be light in covering most topics and
would most likely not start researching a problem using this book. This is quite
unlike the Windows 2000 Black Book. That book I might very likely start looking
through to solve a problem.
The book is organized with the beginning of each chapter discussing a topic in
fairly standard textbook form. the end of each chapter has an Immediate Solutions
section with step by step instructions to completing exercises that relate to the
topic of the chapter.
I cannot comment on the Clustering chapter, as I have not setup any SQL Server
clusters, but the rest of the chapters are well organized and written. I like
the style of the book and it is laid out well with graphics placed well to
assist with understanding the subjects. The step by step exercises are accurate and
easily followed.
My complaint with these chapters is that they are fairly light treatment of
the topics. Most of the subjects are those that even intermediate DBAs would
likely be familiar. I did learn a few things, but not enough to make me want to
use this book on a daily basis. I think my expectations were for something different
based on the Windows 2000 Black Book and that tainted my view of this book.
If you are new to SQL Server then this might be a good book for you to read to
learn about different features and tools available. For an experienced DBA, however,
I think there are other books that are more valuable and better suited to everyday
references.
Steve Jones
©dkRanch.net May 2001
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