Recommended reading/books?

  • Hello,

    I'm slowly updating my skills from 2000 to sql server 2008, mostly administration. (user, security, backup/restore)

    Do you have some reading/lecture/course?

    Thanks in advance.

  • I know when I started my SQL Server learning in earnest (for SQL Server 2005), the best three things that I used were:

    1) A developer license for SQL Server (available for about $80 on Amazon.com)

    2) SQL Server Administrator's Companion (Microsoft Press)

    3) Books Online (available offline and online)

    Since I was training for the MCTS 70-431 exam, I also picked up the Training Kit book for that course (also Microsoft Press).

    The combination of lots of experimenting with the software, the books to support my learning, and the technical details of Books Online were enough to provide the groundwork for a good understanding of SQL Server 2005. I also passed the exam!

    As a side note, if you don't want to throw down the $80 for the Dev Edition of the software, there's always the free Express Edition, but that won't come with the full set of features.

    Of course the learning never stops, but that was how I started...

    Hope that helps,

    -Simon

  • Jo Pattyn (10/20/2010)


    I'm slowly updating my skills from 2000 to sql server 2008, mostly administration. (user, security, backup/restore)

    Do you have some reading/lecture/course?

    The easier way would be to check Microsoft KB for differences in between SS2K and SS2K8 - release and marketing material would do it; then go to BOL SS2K8 and read whatever features caught your attention.

    Hope this helps.

    _____________________________________
    Pablo (Paul) Berzukov

    Author of Understanding Database Administration available at Amazon and other bookstores.

    Disclaimer: Advice is provided to the best of my knowledge but no implicit or explicit warranties are provided. Since the advisor explicitly encourages testing any and all suggestions on a test non-production environment advisor should not held liable or responsible for any actions taken based on the given advice.
  • I agree with Paul if you are just looking at (user, security, backup/restore) then not much has changed...

    if you are looking at performance tunning, sql reports or ssis or all the new enhancements then that is a diff story

  • I'd get two of the Inside SQL Server 2008 books, T-SQL Querying by Itzik Ben-Gan and Internals by Kalen Delaney. The vast majority of what you need to know is there. After that, it depends on what you need, are you messing with spatial data or policy based management, then there are other resources for them.

    "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
    - Theodore Roosevelt

    Author of:
    SQL Server Execution Plans
    SQL Server Query Performance Tuning

  • Oh, and start learning PowerShell. I'd start with Don Jones book, PowerShell 2.0, TFM.

    "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
    - Theodore Roosevelt

    Author of:
    SQL Server Execution Plans
    SQL Server Query Performance Tuning

  • Thanks for the input. I'll start with the books online

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