Apress - Pro SQL Server 2005

Introduction

This book provides a critical examination of all of the major new functionality in SQL Server 2005, covering such diverse topics as CLR integration, the new management tools, SQL Server Integration Services, Service Broker, Transact-SQL (T-SQL) programming, and database mirroring.

The book does not profess or even try to be a comprehensive reference on any one of these areas— as you are probably aware, this would often require a sizable book in itself. Instead, it provides practical,in-depth coverage of the core topics in each area, illustrated with realistic examples. Hopefully, we’ve done this in such a way that you will immediately be able to translate what you learn here into your business environment and have a firm foundation for exploring a particular topic further, should it be necessary.

SQL Server 2005 is a vast new release. This book provides you with a starting point, a road map, and a strong foundation on which to build. Its practical nature and careful guidelines and advice will mean that the book continues to be useful long after your initial assessment of SQL Server 2005 is complete.

Who This Book Is For

This book is for anyone who wants to learn about SQL Server 2005. The topics are diverse and deep, and there is something in here for everyone, whether you are a DBA, developer, or business intelligence (BI) practitioner. As long as you have a sound base knowledge of SQL and relational database in general, then this book will teach you about the extensive new feature set of SQL Server 2005 and about how best to put these features to work in your environment.