Accelerated SQL Server 2008 is a fast introduction to SQL Server 2008 for experienced database professionals. The book will appeal to readers who are smart, who learn fast, and who do not want to wade through a large amount of introductory material. The goal is to impart the essentials of using SQL Server 2008 as quickly as possible.

Beginning SQL Server 2008 Express for Developers: From Novice to Professional takes a developer, and even a database administrator, from knowing nothing about SQL Server 2008 Express Edition to being ready to design and build a fully functioning system that is secure, reliable, maintainable, and robust. The Express Edition of SQL Server is a free resource commonly used by students, developers of small systems, and those transferring skills from other databases. This book focuses on the features within the Express Edition and therefore will not confuse readers with coverage of features found only in the Development Edition. By the end of the book, readers will be ready to move on to Accelerated SQL Server 2008 as well as other books within the Apress SQL Server lineup such as Pro SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services. Covers using the free Express Edition of SQL Server Describes creating a database from scratch and builds on this Provides an understanding of SQL Server Express 2008, allowing you to build future solutions for you and your business What you’ll learn Learn what features exist within SQL Server 2008 Express Edition and how to install and upgrade the product and set up security. Design and create a database. Build database objects, such as tables and stored procedures, graphically as well as programmatically. Work with data—inserting, updating, deleting, and retrieving—using simple and complex queries, programs, and data views. Generate reports from data. Implement a solid database maintenance strategy that includes backing up and restoring your data when necessary. Take advantage of advanced Transact–SQL techniques to get the most out of your data. Ensure good performance by building the right indexes, defining the right relationships between tables, and joining tables in the most optimal manner. Who this book is for Anyone interested in working with SQL Server as a database, and particularly those who wish for a no–cost database platform that plays well in the .NET environment. Ideal for those starting out in IT or who have to prior database experience.

Beginning SQL Server 2008 Administration is essential for anyone wishing to learn about implementing and managing SQL Server 2008 database. From college students, to experienced database administrators from other platforms, to those already familiar with SQL Server and wanting to fill in some gaps of knowledge, this book will bring all readers up to speed on the enterprise platform Microsoft SQL Server 2008. Clearly describes relational database concepts Explains the SQL Server database engine and supporting tools Shows various database maintenance scenarios

Businesses today want actionable insights into their data—they want their data to reveal itself to them in a natural and user–friendly form. What could be more natural than human language? Natural–language search is at the center of a storm of ever–increasing web–driven demand for human–computer communication and information access. SQL Server 2008 provides the tools to take advantage of the features of its built–in enterprise–level natural–language search engine in the form of integrated full–text search (iFTS). iFTS uses text–aware relational queries to provide your users with fast access to content. Whether you want to set up an enterprise–wide Internet or intranet search engine or create less ambitious natural–language search applications, this book will teach you how to get the most out of SQL Server 2008 iFTS: Introducing powerful iFTS features in SQL Server, such as the FREETEXT and CONTAINS predicates, custom thesauruses, and stop lists Showing you how to optimize full–text query performance through features like full–text indexes and iFilters Providing examples that help you understand and apply the power of iFTS in your daily projects

Beginning SQL Server 2008 for Developers is the starting-point in the Apress roadmap of titles for developers who wish to base their projects upon Microsoft's flagship database management system. The book takes developers from the point of installing SQL Server 2008, through the process of storing, retrieving, and securing data, to the point of being able to serve up business reports using SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services. The author has been hooked on programming ever since he bought his first computer, a Sinclair ZX80, in 1980. He maintains visibility in the field through his website and his other books.

Knowledge and ability to apply XML are de rigueur in today's world, and SQL Server developers and administrators are no exception to that rule. Pro SQL Server 2008 XML is your key to unlocking the powerful XML feature set first introduced in SQL Server 2005 and since refined in SQL Server 2008. Author Michael Coles shows how to store XML using SQL Server's built–in XML data type. Learn to query and manipulate XML data using standard technologies such as XQuery and XSLT. No SQL Server database professional can afford to be without knowledge of the XML feature set. Pro SQL Server 2008 XML delivers on the knowledge that you need to remain competitive in your career. Shows how to store, query, and manipulate XML documents in SQL Server Provides step–by–step examples showing best practices and advanced features Accurately discusses how SQL Server's XML feature set stacks up against the ISO XML standards

Beginning SQL Server 2012 Administration provides the essential skills and knowledge needed to begin a successful career as an SQL Server database administrator. It’s an ideal book for those new to database administration, as well for those moving to SQL Server from other database brands such as Oracle and IBM DB2. SQL Server is more than just a database. It's situated within a larger context that includes solutions for reporting, for integrating data from other systems, for business intelligence and analysis, and more. Beginning SQL Server 2012 Administration paints the big picture to help you understand SQL Server’s place in the grand scheme. Then you’ll move into the nuts and bolts of installing the product, learning the management tools at your disposal, creating your first database, and maintaining that database in an ongoing state of readiness. Beginning SQL Server 2012 Administration goes beyond teaching just the core competencies of effective database administration. You will also learn the latest trends in SQL Server such as virtualizing and consolidating of servers, and using SQL Server in the cloud as a service. Administrators experienced on other platforms will find insight from comparisons of key features between SQL Server and other platforms. Beginning SQL Server 2012 Administration lays an excellent foundation for success as an SQL Server database administrator. Provides the essentials of successful SQL Server administration Covers the latest trends such as virtualization and cloud computing Paints the big picture of Microsoft’s data platform

Discussing new and existing features, SQL Server designer and administrator Michael Coles takes you on an expert guided tour of Transact–SQL functionality in SQL Server 2008 in his book, Pro T–SQL 2008 Programmer's Guide. Fully functioning examples and downloadable source code bring Coles' technically accurate and engaging treatment of Transact–SQL into your own hands. Step–by–step explanations ensure clarity, and an advocacy of best–practices will steer you down the road to success. Pro T–SQL 2008 Programmer's Guide is every developer's key to making full use of SQL Server 2008's powerful, built–in Transact–SQL language. Transact–SQL is the language developers and DBAs use to interact with SQL Server. It's used for everything from querying data, to writing stored procedures, to managing the database. New features in SQL Server 2008 include a spatial data type, SQLCLR integration, the MERGE statement, a dramatically improved and market–leading XML feature set, and support for encryption—all of which are covered in this book

Pro T–SQL Programmer’s Guide is your guide to making the best use of the powerful, Transact-SQL programming language that is built into Microsoft SQL Server's database engine. This edition is updated to cover the new, in-memory features that are part of SQL Server 2014. Discussing new and existing features, the book takes you on an expert guided tour of Transact–SQL functionality. Fully functioning examples and downloadable source code bring technically accurate and engaging treatment of Transact–SQL into your own hands. Step–by–step explanations ensure clarity, and an advocacy of best–practices will steer you down the road to success. Transact–SQL is the language developers and DBAs use to interact with SQL Server. It’s used for everything from querying data, to writing stored procedures, to managing the database. Support for in-memory stored procedures running queries against in-memory tables is new in the language and gets coverage in this edition. Also covered are must-know features such as window functions and data paging that help in writing fast-performing database queries. Developers and DBAs alike can benefit from the expressive power of T-SQL, and Pro T-SQL Programmer's Guide is your roadmap to success in applying this increasingly important database language to everyday business and technical tasks. Covers the newly-introduced, in-memory database features Shares the best practices used by experienced professionals Goes deeply into the subject matter − an advanced book for the serious reader