This unique cookbook contains a wealth of solutions to problems that SQL programmers face all the time. The recipes inside range from how to perform simple tasks, like importing external data, to ways of handling issues that are more complicated, like set algebra. Authors Ales Spetic and Jonathan Gennick, two authorities with extensive database and SQL programming experience, include a discussion with each recipe to explain the logic and concepts underlying the solution. SQL (Structured Query Language) is the closest thing to a standard query language that currently exists, and Transact-SQL -- a full-featured programming language that dramatically extends the power of SQL -- is the procedural language of choice for both Microsoft SQL Server and Sybase SQL Server systems. The Transact-SQL Cookbook is designed so you can use the recipes directly, as a source of ideas, or as a way to learn a little more about SQL and what you can do with it. Topics covered include:

• Audit logging. In addition to recipes for implementing an audit log, this chapter also includes recipes for: improving performance where large log tables are involved; supporting multiple-languages; and simulating server push.

• Hierarchies. Recipes show you how to manipulate hierarchical data using Transact-SQL.

• Importing data. This chapter introduces concepts like normalization and recipes useful for working with imported data tables.

• Sets. Recipes demonstrate different operations, such as how to find common elements, summarize the data in a set, and find the element in a set that represents an extreme.

• Statistics. This chapter?s recipes show you how to effectively use SQL for common statistical operations from means and standard deviations to weighted moving averages.

• Temporal data. Recipes demonstrate how to construct queries against time-based data.

• Data Structures. This chapter shows how to manipulate data structures like stacks, queues, matrices, and arrays.

With an abundance of recipes to help you get your job done more efficiently, the Transact-SQL Cookbook is sure to become an essential part of your library.

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 14 Ratings

Terrible, just terrible - 2002-07-12
Reviewer Rating:
This book isn't worth the paper its printed on. The code is all stuff from magazines and other books. I see a lot of code from Henderson's book here. The writing is also terrible - no explanations whatsoever. Suggest spending your money on something else-just about anything, in fact.

A very practical guide to T-SQL programming! - 2002-06-29
Reviewer Rating:
This is a very concise and to-the-point book. It assumes that the user has a basic understanding of T-SQL. So, you won't see any repetition from SQL Server Books Online.

Authors chose very interesting topics, and backed them up with real life scenarios and practical examples. So, every example makes sense.

Book is very easy to read and understand. If you are a beginner T-SQL programmer (or someone coming from a VB or other programming backgrounds), this book helps you get on the right track, as it clearly explains how to think in terms of sets. If you are an intermediate level SQL programmer, you can really use the examples provided in this book and start your journey towards becoming an advanced SQL programmer. For advanced users of SQL, this serves as a great reference.

A bad book - 2002-07-21
Reviewer Rating:
Bought this without reading the reviews. Big mistake. Full of terribly simple examples and bad English. Not worth the time at all. Don't know where they get some of these authors.

A Treasure - 2006-02-12
Reviewer Rating:
Read the negative reveiws and bought the book anyway. Still can't figure out what it was that other reviewers found objectionable...

This book was helpful to me because it takes the subject of a SQL query much deeper than most of the texts that I have read. It puts emphasis on solving problems using the query language instead of procedural language, and it shows some truly eye-opening examples of what can be done with a simple SELECT statement.

The authors are clearly subject experts, and their work is in keeping with O'Reilly's generally high standards for technical references. My only regret is that the book wasn't longer.

A desktop must SQL SERVER 2000 and Transact SQL - 2005-11-04
Reviewer Rating:
I cannot say enough great things about this book! I'm a SQL Server developer and have used many forms of the logic presented from this book in many of my daily routines. This is my first review and my inspiration was to oppose all negative or irrational comments made in some of the previous reviews. Are you sure you read the "T-SQL Cookbook" by OReilly's? Might be a little too advanced for some, I can see that in your reveiw. How is it not in depth? Because it is not for beginners? It has thousands of sollutions to everyday problems. BUY THIS BOOK FOR A GREAT REPORT WRITING TOOL, DEVELPOR HANDBOOK OR WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO DO IN SQL SERVER 2000!!!!!!!!!

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