This thorough, hands-on reference for database developers and administrators delivers expert guidance on sophisticated uses of Transact-SQL (T-SQL)—one of the most familiar and powerful programming languages for SQL Server. Written by a T-SQL guru, this guide focuses on language features and how they are interpreted and processed by the SQL Server execution engine. You’ll get in-depth coverage of the sophisticated uses of T-SQL, including triggers, user-defined functions, exception handling, and more. The book explains and compares solutions to database-development problems in both SQL Server 2000 and SQL Server 2005, discussing the new T-SQL programming features added to SQL Server 2005 in detail. Includes extensive code samples, table examples, and logic puzzles to help database developers and administrators understand the intricacies and help promote mastery of T-SQL.
About the Authors
Itzik Ben-Gan is a mentor and founder of Solid Quality Learning. A Microsoft SQL Server MVP (Most Valuable Professional) since 1999, Itzik has delivered numerous training events around the world focused on T-SQL Querying, Query Tuning, and Programming. Itzik is the author of several books on Microsoft SQL Server. He has written many articles for SQL Server Magazine, as well as articles and white papers for MSDN. Itzik's speaking engagements include Tech Ed, DevWeek, various SQL user groups around the world, PASS, SQL Server Magazine Connections, and Solid Quality Learning's events, to name a few.
Since 1992, Itzik has been involved in many projects covering various database and computer systems—related technologies. In addition to helping customers with their pressing needs, fixing their problems, optimizing their databases, teaching, and mentoring, Itzik has helped developers and database administrators shift to a relational/set-based mindset, improving both the performance of their code and its maintainability. Itzik's main expertise is T-SQL Querying, Query Tuning, Programming, and Internals, but he's proficient in other database areas as well. In 1999, Itzik founded the Israeli SQL Server and OLAP User Group, and he has been managing it since then.
Dejan Sarka—MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional), MCDBA (Microsoft Certified Database Administrator), MCT (Microsoft Certified Trainer), SQL Server MVP, Solid Quality Learning Mentor—is a trainer and consultant working for many Certified Partners for Learning Solutions (CPLS) centers and development companies in Slovenia and other countries. In addition to providing professional training, he continuously works on online transaction processing (OLTP), OLAP, and Data Mining projects, especially at the design stage. He is a regular speaker at some of the most important international conferences, such as TechEd, PASS, and MCT. He is also indispensable at regional Microsoft TechNet meetings, the NT Conference, which is the largest Microsoft conference in Central and Eastern Europe, and other events. He is the founder of the Slovenian SQL Server Users Group. Dejan Sarka also developed two courses for Solid Quality Learning: Data Modeling Essentials and Data Mining with SQL Server 2005.
Roger Wolter has close to 30 years' experience in the computer industry, the last 7 years with Microsoft. He is currently a program manager on the SQL Server team specializing in SQL Server Service Broker and SQL Server Express. His projects at Microsoft have included COM+, SQLXML, the Soap Toolkit, SQL Server Service Broker, and SQL Express.
Steve Kass is Associate Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. Steve graduated from Pomona College and holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Wisconsin—Madison. He is also a Microsoft SQL Server MVP.
Lubor Kollar is a group program manager for SQL Server at Microsoft. His team led the development of key enhancements to the relational engine, including some of the T-SQL enhancements in SQL Server 2005.
