sql

Brian Larsen made an excellent start to his book, SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services. Chapter 3, for example, may be the best concise explanation I've ever read of database fundamentals. But it goes downhill from there.

The basics of the SQL Server Reporting Services program is fairly well covered, and the examples and exercises are excellent - but they come with only the barest explanations as to how the report works, or why the program works this way. From the standpoint of the SQL expert, this book may be enough - but for the person who wants to be able to design and use the reports drawn from that database, there's not enough.

Microsoft hypes the Reporting Services program as being well-suited for the non-SQL expert. This book doesn't help much; for example, Larsen gives short shrift to the graphic query designer, preferring instead to write his own SQL queries. This is fine if you're an SQL expert - but the cover of the book says I don't need to know a lot about programming.

Many features of the program are undescribed. Many others are referred to, but with minimal explanation as to how the feature works, or why we might want to use it. In many cases, I'm unable to fathom why certain features might be useful, or how to accomplish certain goals. For example, what do "details groups" do in a list data region? I _think_ this might be a useful feature - but this book doesn't cover it.

When Brian covers SQL stored procedures, the author simply types one in - without ANY explanation as to what it does or why it does it. It's a nice magic trick - but what I need is a book that covers the secrets _behind_ the tricks.

It's a good book, _IF_ you're an SQL expert. I'm not. This book doesn't really meet my needs.

I found Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services by Brian Larson to be both entertaining and highly informative. The three main attributes that I like were the assumed knowledge level of the reader, the order in which Mr. Larson worked through the examples he provided, and the business need paradigm which frames the whole book.

Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services assumes very little knowledge on the part of the reader, but manages to provide explanations and detail procedures in a manner that doesn't belittle the novice nor frustrate the more advanced user. Mr. Larson avoids the trap into which many other technical writers have fallen: abandoning the novice as the book advances. As the complexity of the examples increases, so does the assumed knowledge base of the user, but there is always a well defined trail of bread crumbs leading the novice back to the appropriate spot in the book where the skill was originally explained.

Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services works through concepts in a way that I found effective. First, Mr. Larson tells us what Reporting Services features are to be explored. Next, the business/reporting need is explained, followed by an overview of how the reader will meet that need. We then work through a task list with detailed, step-by-step instructions including images and screenshots. This is accomplished both within the confines of the friendly Visual Studio wizards, and without the wizard so the reader is exposed to what's happening behind the scenes. Finally, Mr. Larson provides the reader with further context and explanations for why tasks were necessary or why they were performed in the manner and order in which they were performed.

Finally, the entire book is framed by a desire to meet the business needs of a fictitious shipping company. Though the business and business model are highly entertaining, and I caught myself laughing aloud on several occasions, the needs of its employees are much the same as any terrestrial, real world company. Because of this, the reader stays grounded, and is led to think of ways to apply the examples, and the skills or features they illustrate, to their own business environment. In my opinion, it is this aspect of Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services that is the most valuable.

Microsoft's recently released SQL Server reporting solution has many powerful capabilities such as matrices, charts and graphs, subscriptions and notifications. However, these extended features have until now been largely untapped due to a lack of proper documentation. Brian Larson's book finally fills many of the gaps by covering not only the essentials of the product, but also providing a thorough examination of the more advanced capabilities. His step-by-step approach is incredibly easy to follow. In addition,the frequent screenshots and detailed index allow you to quickly identify the information you are interested in. I highly recommend this book and give it a Five-Stars rating without hesitation.