T-SQL Querying (Developer Reference)

We've all been there: taking over a project from someone else only to wonder what they were doing as the code was poorly written.This book is going to make realize YOU are also writing bad code.Not intentionally, of course, but Ben-Gan really puts emphasis on performance and analyzing queries to show there's a better way to do a query, as most of the examples are what we see and write every day.He doesn't just give a single code and say "Do it this way from now on." Instead, he talks to you as a professional and shows you the differences between doing the same query multiple ways.Most of us think we understand how SQL works, but I can attest, both from my own ignorance and others' viewpoints, we really don't. Ben-Gan has been with SQL for many years, both in development of the database structure and how to write queries to take advantage of those changes.The logical processing chapter, which is important given it's the first chapter, should open the eyes of many SQL code writers out there. This knowledge alone will have you rethinking SQL code as the chapters progress (and he quizzes you on some basic queries to try and guess the outcome, only to show why our thinking isn't taking advantage of SQL at all).Like many, I learned SQL on previous versions, not really giving much thought to the actual database design as I simply use "new code features" introduced with the new databaseAs a recommendation, knowing how SQL works under the hood is just as important as knowing if a CTE is a better use than a temp table.We always want to learn and improve, and this book is definitely a first step to doing both at the same time.Pros:-This book is written to you, not at you! A refreshing take on making the information more personal, rather than instructional.-Many examples, with analysis, to describe why queries do what they do, and how to avoid pitfalls of "old thinking"!!!-Concise and to the point. No page is wasted with fillers to pad page counts!-You'll most likely recommend this book after you read it, which is good, because it'll help with less "bad code" out there, even our own! ;)Cons (though, take this as cautions, not bad things):-This is NOT a reference book! This is a cover-to-cover read. It's unlikely this will be used often, aside from quick refreshes from time-to-time.-Pricey, but only because many chapters may not pertain to readers who don't have SQL 2012/14. There's an older version out there, but I still recommend this one because the window feature (new for 2012+) is worth learning even if you can't use it yet.That's about it. Thanks for reading and I hope this helps.

The absolute best. I have a friend of mine that started with sql about a year ago. I recommended this book and watching Itzik's youtube videos. He sent me some of his code the other day. It is years ahead of people I know who have been writing sql for 20 years. If you want to learn SQL this is the book !!! Itzik changed my life when I took his class in 2010. I had been developing in SQL for 10 years prior and thought I knew what I was doing. I work in healthcare with ridiculously complex queries. I would stay late nights, work weekends an spend weeks writing pages of code. My stress level was through the roof. Now I can write those same queries in less than a day in an organized, maintainable and efficient way using techniques and approaches I learned from Itzik. Itzik is by far the best trainer out there he explains everything form the basics until you get it. I highly recommend taking one of his classes if he is teaching in your area. His books are the best, I used to have many know I just use his.

This book is truly a reference book to have. If you're pretty serious about taking your T-SQL to advanced and expert level, this is the ultimate reference book to have. The very first chapter will be a great eye-opening if you never learned about T-SQL logical processing. This first chapter explains why you were getting certain error messages you can't even debug and with which google search can't help either. The next chapter and the subsequent 3 chapters really give you the power and the ability to think like a "pro" and SQL codes just pour from your mind to your fingers and to the keyboard. I just read the first five chapters and I was able to solve so many business problems that I couldn't solve before and about which I couldn't find help online with Google.This book is packed with excellent expert knowledge to help you grow your skills and think and design solutions for solving business problems.

One chapter of this book is capable of resuming all that is contained in one book like the over rated Ben Forta's "Teach yourself SQL.." This book goes in deep detail on performance tuning using SQL server. Best investment ever!

This is the most in-depth coverage of T-SQL architecture I have ever seen. As a database developer this reference includes a huge amount of helpful info on many T-SQL topics. You can probably find some detail by Googling for your topic and checking out stackoverflow.com and other good resources. But there are likely some topics you just won't find covered in the depth they are in this book.

Excelente libro para profundizar y obtener mayor conocimiento sobre las consultas, como se ejecutan y su optimizacion.

Itzik Ben-Gan is a genius and a great teacher. This book is a religious experience. You will really learn the fundamentals before building the latest technology. I make a living writing T-SQL and would gift this book to any new developer just to send them in the right direction. This book will change your life.

The book is full of important information and examples. T-SQL language is covered in clear and diverse examples demonstrating the many ways you can utilize T-SQL to accomplish the many requirements one must be able to handle.