Like Having An Experienced DBA At Your Side
934336
As databases become more and more common, network engineers without prior training are becoming responsible for database administration and they need to become competent quickly.  This book touches base with all the important  points in database and server administration in a clear, concise format  that quickly educates the reader, guides them to important activities, and  steers them around obscure obstacles.
Sharon Dooley takes a practical,  hands-on approach to database administration that reflects a wealth of  field experience.  Having read my way through more than 5 SQL books already  I might have passed on one entitled SQL Server 7.0 Essential Reference,  expecting it to be too basic.  What I found was a perceptive field guide to  managing a SQL Server.  This book provides a clear, understandable review  of administration topics that is useful to experienced administrators for  the richness of knowledge revealed while remaining an excellent book for  persons new to database work who need an introduction that is at once  accessible, concise, and relevant.
I disagreed with the author about the  value of defragmenting SQL Servers and believe that if she is going to say  that there has been no proof of the value of defrag software she needs to  deal with the findings of the National Software Testing Laboratory on  Diskeeper.  She also says that Microsoft is fuzzy about supporting  defragged databases and yet Diskeeper was one of the first products to gain  the Certified for Windows logo.  I think she is out of date in this area.  I also thought her distrust of third-party backup software needed more  defense as I personally have not run into problems though she alluded to  many.  Other than these specific points I found the material to be  outstanding and I would acknowledge that there is room for disagreement on  these points.
For the experienced administrator the book reveals  undocumented and falsely documented issues that can improve administration.  The book is very realistic about what can and cannot be done on a SQL  Server.  I liked the point made that server tuning can only account for  about 10% of performance while the bulk of what really matters is in  database design.
Upgrading from 6. X to 7.0 is covered very nicely.  The  author provides useful suggestions for dealing with what might not convert  seamlessly in an upgrade.  I have worked with SQLdiag numerous times.  Sharon Dooley is the first person that has clarified that this utility must  be run directly on the server; it cannot run from a client workstation.  I  liked the way she touched on many of the places where an administrator  could go wrong.  The discussion of SQL Mail reviews how to make it work  with Lotus Notes as well as POP3 and Exchange.  Previously I had thought  that if I did not have an Exchange Server available I could not setup email  alerts.  Books On Line is not as helpful here as is Sharon Dooley.
This  book is like having an experienced DBA standing right beside you  interpreting the fine points and telling you about undocumented or  misdocumented features while you do your everyday work.  The general tips  and warnings alone are more than worth the cost of the book.
2821289
This book does a good job of covering the major activities confronting a DBA, such as back-ups, recoveries, creating and using DTS packages, scheduling jobs, etc.  Furthermore, the book provides concrete syntax or  screen shots as part of the step-by-step descriptions.  Overall this is a  fine addition to a DBA's library.  My only complaint is that in some  sections, like configuring mail for SQL Server, it uses only MS  software  for the examples.
4749137
As a CPA who has had experience working with various accounting software products but, at the time, new to Quickbooks, I found this book to be a fantatic step-by-step guide to setup your company file, lists and items with detailed instructions and insider tips. This book effectively conveys the sometimes technical language and processes of accounting in a way that allows users to understand some of the "behind the scenes" things in Quickbooks and, more importantly, how to best utilize the software. For those who are more advanced Quickbooks users, there are chapters about running specific, detailed reports to customizing Quickbooks to your business. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to get more out of their Quickbooks accounting software.
55100
Anthony Mancuso makes incorporating easy to understand and easy to accomplish. This set of corporate records, disk and business expertise is something you'll keep by your side for years to come.  Mancuso explains  the differences between an LLC, Sole Partnership and the different types of  Corporations. When he's finished you know exactly what's best for you.  The kit also goes beyond incorporating and tells you the other requirements  for a business. You get up to date information on insurance, wage and tax  statements-- it's all here. Mancuso's style is direct, easy to understand.  It is like having an attorney who speaks your language right by your side
1690001
Gold is heavy. If you are a student (or a professor) with no practical knowledge in real-life large database tuning, this book is quite heavy. It may not be the best for you. But, instead, if you are a hands-on professional, here you can find such knowledge that seldomly becomes published.

If you are a DBA who think you already read everything worth to know about indexing, don't miss this book.

The authors don't try to sell you any simplified tricks.

The book describes a solid methodology, how to diagnose the performance problems and how to do proactive and reactive tuning.

The text is dense, but it makes sense. The examples are clear.

In addition to the actual DBA work, the book builds up an idea of a quality assurance system. In principle, the software developers could be tought a reasonable set of rules-fo-thumb. The goal is to avoid the worst performance pitfalls.
501604
My business, Northwest Database Services, has cleaned clients' data for over 20 years. In all that time I've only met two or three people who do this kind of work professionally on a regular basis. (Our conventions are small.)

With this in mind, it is easy to see why I was so pleased and surprised to find someone had written a book about the subject; especially as thoughtful and insightful a one as Quality Data Assessment.

Arkady Maydanchik brings years of experience and first-hand knowledge to the table, while organizing it into a logical, sequential and, most important, understandable manual. This book goes into the typical causes of data degradation as well as how to find it and begin the process of fixing it.

You can't even begin to fix your data until you have a clear picture of what's going on "in there", so data assessment is the first and maybe the most important step in achieving data consistency and reliability. If your work involves data assessment, migration creation or maintenance, you should have this book on your shelf. It's that simple.

But wait, there's more. This is just the first volume in a set of data assessment and cleaning processes, tips, tricks and tools books that will be forthcoming. I'm told that the second volume in this series will be published in October 2008. I know it sounds incredibly geeky, but I can hardly wait.
289913
Full disclosure, I've known Jason for a few years now and have worked closely with him for the past six months. During that time I've been to see first hand how much work he has put into this book. I have also been able to witness the real life, behind the scenes work that backs up everything he talks about in the book.

Being a fellow insurance agent myself, there aren't too many of us that are that concerned with where our business is going and what we need to do to make it work in the future. Jason is just giving you the tip of the iceberg in his first book and is helping you set the course for how your agency needs to run and operate moving forward.

If you aren't sure where to start and how to deliver an experience today's customers want, need and expect, than you can stop right here and start reading what all the foreplay is about right now.
2810597
This book gives an excellent overview of the Oracle8 engine.  While it  does not get into the "how-tos" required for DBAs, it is great  for for those DBAs experienced with other databases (Informix, Sybase,  etc.) who are now learning Oracle8.  Read this book first, then go on to  the more specialized Oracle books.
330332
This book does a great job of presenting the Oracle9i Release 2 DBA information. The author spares no effort to explain in detail, with the help of numerous painstaking examples, how the many new features of Oracle 9i work.
You can't go wrong with this book if you are looking for a one volume Oracle 9i DBA handbook/text.
Be far, the best book on Oracle 9i DBA in the market. Most other books are rewrites of older Oracle versions. The book promises and delivers  real Oracle 9i content.
2808232
I'm relatively experienced with VB and accessing databases although I had never connected to an Oracle DB. With a new project starting, I had to come up to speed. This book showed me how much I didn't know what I thought I  knew. It felt like it was written just for me - from the perspective of  someone who has been happily accessing jet db's and thinking the every db  works that way. Now I understand how the "big boys" work and this  information has proved invaluable in my project. Highly recommened.
3372632
I'm an Oracle DBA with 13 years experience, beginning with version 5 of the database (remember those MS-DOS floppies?).
About Tom Kyte: Tom is an acknowledged expert in the field; he is Vice President of the Core Technologies Group at Oracle.  His web site is a terrific alternative source of information about Oracle.  He also publishes the "Ask Tom" column in Oracle Magazine.
Tom Kyte's book is simply awesome.  Every time I read another chunk of it, I learn something new.  His depth and breadth of understanding is amazing.  (If you think you are an Oracle expert, buy the book.  You'll be amazed at how much more Tom can teach you.)  His troubleshooting is really good too.  He seems to know all of the places where people encounter problems with specific features, and includes great troubleshooting information where appropriate.
If you're hesitant to buy the book because it doesn't have "9i" stamped on it, buy it anyway!  Believe me, you won't regret it!  Remember: 9i is a superset of 8i, and a good understanding of 8i functionality will help you understand most of 9i too.
I also had the privilege of meeting Tom in person, during an Oracle 9iR2 presentation.  He is a very generous with his time, but also perpetually busy answering questions on his web site (he was connected with a laptop and cell phone before he started the presentation).  I asked him about the time it took to write the book, and he acknowledged that it took a major chunk out of his life.  Be thankful that there is a person as knowledgable as Tom who is so willing to help the rest of us get up to speed!!
495898
A good read for any admin., excutive assistant or super organized individual that is ready to try something else.
2326081
This has a spot on my desk. I reference it frequently. If you're new to SQL I would advise combining this product with Sams teach yourself SQL in 10 minutes. They work well together.
296249
This book provides an excellent starting place for the beginning programmer or DBA.  There is a ton of information on relational databases & how they relate to Oracle.  If you haven't been using Oracle for long then this is an excellent book to have! If you are already experienced in Oracle and looking for a reference book - or an advanced book - this isn't it.
4687734
I've been an ABAP programmer in the Boston area since 1994. And, I consider myself to be a pretty fluent programer. However, I was not comfortable with the new Object Orientation the language was taking. This book, literally, walks you through the creation of ABAP reports and dialog transactions using the new OO paradigm. It explains the "wheres" and "whyfors" along the way so that you can really grasp the new concepts.
I think it's fabulous.
3563576
I recently finished reading "Professional SQL Server 2008 Internals and Troubleshooting" and wanted to write a quick review about it.  As a Production SQL DBA who is required to works with a variety of technologies like SANs, networking etc...  I found this book to be a wonderful resource.  All too often with SQL books the content seems to be geared towards development DBAs and the in-depth discussion of Storage seems to be some sort of black arts to a lot of DBA's.  This book seems to fill in the gap in the market where a lot of SQL books fall short for the "Production DBA".  I'm glad to see a book that touched on such a wide array of performance topics including disk sub-systems.

@Toshana
1541017
This book won't teach you *how* to be a BA. If you want a book that goes over very specific skills such as requirements, UML, and so forth, you'll need different books for those. This one is more of a strategic approach to leaving one occupation to become a BA. The author does a fantastic job of highlighting skills and experience you may already have that applies to BA work that you might not have identified on your own. This is valuable because it can really help you speak to your experience in an interview as well as make your resume truly applicable to the BA job you're applying for. It can also help you identify certain tasks and projects in your current work that translate to BA skills that can help you land your first bona fide BA job.

If you're thinking of, or have already decided to, become a BA, this is easily the first book you should read. Hands down. Then, start perusing some specific skills books. But start here first.

Many thanks to the author for writing this. It's a completely unique approach to a "business" book. Everyone else is trying to prove their expertise about a very narrow aspect of BA work (which, don't get me wrong, can be helpful), but this one can really help ease you into the transition. You can't go to college to be a BA like you can an accountant. So how do you break into the field? This book does an excellent job of explaining it and offering numerous suggestions. I felt noticeably more confident about pursuing my next job as a BA after reading this.