Customer Reviews
Not so easy to follow - By: Qin Wang, 17 Sep 2008 
I found this book is quite hard to follow. This is my very first SQL server book, & I was lost justin the first couple of the lessons. The author probably expected the readers to have a good knowledge about the system already, so there are not enough screen shots to guide you.
Plain English (not) - By: Mark Gilmour, 21 Aug 2008 
This book is very dry & hard to read, some of the text is pure gobbledygook. It also assumes you have knowledge of some of the subjects it teaches. This is supposed to be a training course!
Is summary I wish I had spent my money on something else.
Not Impressed!! - By: Dale, 03 Mar 2008 Honestly - utter rubbish!!
There is several times ive read chapters & not known what the hell they are talking about. They do alot of 'Then all you have to do is close this' without actually telling you what the hell THIS is or wher to find it!!!!I'm already a dba on SQL Server 2000 so i though this would be a good top up!!! Ive gone back to googling the chapeters & reading up somewhere(anywhere) else....
It's an IT textbook - By: P. Schofield, 29 Jan 2008 This is my first Microsoft Press textbook/training kit for an exam - & this is exactly what is focuses on - getting you through the exam.
It's very dry (and rather boring), & I much preferred reading the Wrox books Beginning SQL Server 2005 Administration, & then Professional SQL Server 2005 Administration (which appear to be comprehensive as well as being more readable).
Still, this book comes with a CD for 180 trial licence for SQL Server 2005 - & a Measure Up CD with exam simulation software.
Good training guide, poor as a reference book - By: Wendy Smith, 11 Sep 2006 
These books have a tough expectation list as people want them to provide all they need to know to get through the associated examination & be a first class refernce book. The five-star rating applies to the former of these requirements as this is the market the book is aimed at. Having sat the examination I can say that all of the questions were answeredin the book - & from previous exposure to these books that is not normally the case.
As a reference book it fails, simply because it is not intended as such & more obviously because to cover all the topics adequately it would have to be five times as long. That said, the section on Service Broker is way too vague - the knowledge it imparts will get you through the examination but will leave you flounderingin the real world.
Use the book to pass the exam & to introduce you to the new technologies - look elsewhere for more in-depth practical (i.e real world) material.
[...]
