SQL Server 2008 Administration in Action [Paperback]

I will start by saying that I truly enjoyed this book. The book is written in a casual way and is not filled with tons of code, concepts are explained well and where needed images are included to help you understand it better. I also like the fact that this is not a 1000 page monster which weighs more than my laptop; it is 464 pages and fits nicely in my bag.

This book is filled with best practices and common sense. Each chapter ends with best practice consideration. The 3 page best practices considering security section in chapter 6 is something every SQL Server developer, administrator and especially an accidental DBA should memorize.

The suggested work plan for a DBA is something I needed for a long time; it is there all in one place broken down by daily, weekly and monthly tasks. Besides best practices I found that this book also has the top 25 DBA worst practices.....I guarantee that almost everyone will have a couple of items on that list; now you have a chance to eliminate some of those.

Things that were introduced in SQL Server 2008 are marked with <em>New In 2008</em>, this enables someone with previous experience to quickly jump to those section and focus on the new stuff. Most of the material in this book also applies to previous versions of SQL Server; if you are not on version 2008 yet but will be in a year or so then this is good way to get yourself familiar with the new stuff while implementing best practices for your current environment.

SQL Server administration is not just about SQL Server; you also need to know how the windows operating system itself works, what the different types of RAID are, what kind of memory to get etc etc. reading SQL Server 2008 Administration in Action does a good job explaining all these things, there are links to resources where you can find more detail about a particular subject and there are also links to tools that might be helpful creating the optimal server for your SQL Server installation

I would recommend this book to anyone who has to manage SQL Server, it doesn't matter if the machines are already up and running or if you still have to install everything. The people who will benefit the most from this book are the accidental DBAs; these are the people who never managed a server before but because the company decided to downsize they became the DBA and it is only a matter of time before something happens.

The material in this book will make your job easier; it will make you a better administrator and why not invest in yourself by getting this book?

If you're looking for a "how to" book, this is not it. Don't get me wrong, there are some step by step instructions scattered throughout the book, but that's not the goal. The goal is "how should I?" This book is designed for DBA's young and old who are trying to get a grasp on SQL Server 2008 or improve their understanding on how to best deploy it. The book succeeds admirably at that goal.

I've been working with SQL Server since 2001 (SQL 2000) and still picked up quite a bit from this book. I also recommend it to anyone who's just getting in to SQL 2008, has maybe just taken a course and is trying to figure out when best to apply [insert feature here].

It's a must have on ever DBA's bookshelf.

At last, someone willing to write an entire book dedicated to good principles and best practices! Not since SQL 2000 High Availability and Kalen Delaney's Inside SQL Server range have I carried a book under my arm everywhere I go like a faithful Jack Russell. Not only does this book hold a strong focus on 2008 but the best practices and thought processes can also easily apply to earlier versions. The book is presented in good physical order just like a clustered index and features a handy non-clustered index at the back for locating specific topics or buzzwords quickly. An unusually engaging read (for a technical book) that had me focussed for 2 days end to end....and I feel I'm definately a better database practitioner after reading this book.