relational databases

As the author of SQL Server book, I would not hesitate to recommend Kalen Delaney's book or any of her seminars. Her book is a reference work that I keep handy on my shelf. Each time I hear her speak I am impressed with her knowledge and her ability to communicate difficult concepts clearly.

Every published book serves a specific purpose - Inside SQL Server's purpose is to illuminate the internal architecture of SQL Server so that developers and admins can make better educated decisions and develop better databases. Within that purpose her book is excellent and well written.

Is it all things to all people? no. Does it do an excellent job of meeting its purpose? without question, yes. There are some reader reviews that seem to criticize Kalen's work for not meeting other needs, and I don't understand these comments. If you need a general SQL, T-SQL programming tutorial, XML/SQL, or introductory SQL Server book, Inside SQL Server is probably too focused on the internal workings of SQL Server and I'd recommend that you begin with one of the other excellent books on SQL Server. But, if you want to get deeper into the internals so you understand why you're writing code or tuning indexes, then there can be no question that Kalan's book is a must have on your shelf. Sooner or later, if you're serious about SQL Server, you should read this book.

I consider myself an expert SQL Server Database Administrator and hold the MCDBA, MCSE, and MCSD certifications. I consult on VLDB projects for IBM, EDS, and many others.

I recently picked up this book in hopes of getting up to speed with the latest version of Microsoft's award-winning DBMS. Those hopes were quickly dashed as I compared the previous edition with this one and realized they were largely the same.

The biggest hole is the complete lack of XML coverage. You cannot deny that XML is central to SQL Server, and more generally, to Microsoft's future plans (ever hear of .NET?) I suppose we could debate whether XML is "inside" enough to warrant coverage in a book like this, but I'd argue that it definitely is. The support was added to the server itself. You access the XML features from Transact-SQL, which the book makes a half-hearted attempt to cover. For my money, XML should have been covered in this book and covered in-depth.

But XML's absence isn't the only problem with the book. There's no coverage of high-availability topics like clustering, log shipping, and advanced backup/restore options. Instead, the book has only been minorly updated from the previous (version 7.0) edition.

All told, the book has major problems....

I have been working with SQL Server for the last five years and about two years ago when I was in a dilemma about transactions I purchased this book. It totally cleared all my concepts and I was able to not only resolve transaction problems that I was having but also become an expert within my firm. The book helped me gain a lot of respect with my fellow collegues. If you are looking to really become a SQL Server black belt and get a great understanding of what happens INSIDE then this is a highly recommended book.