What am I reading? : Pro SQL Server 2005 Assemblies (Robin Dewson and Julian Skinner)

I tend to work in patterns, where I occasionally get caught up by a particular topic and buy every book that I can find on the topic so I can dig deep into that topic.  SQLCLR was one of those topics earlier this year, and for all the work that I have done, I don't actually have any SQLCLR running on a production SQL Server in my environment.  There are a number of reasons for this, primarily, that the databases where I might use it, don't belong to me, they are vendor databases and I can't go play around with them.  One of the books that I bought to learn from for SQLCLR was

Pro SQL Server 2005 Assemblies (Pro) by Robin Dewson and Julian Skinner

This book overall is not bad, but there are some technical errors in some of the information that it provides.  The brief stint on Memory Management is not technically accurate, and does not discuss the differences between 32bit and 64bit SQL Servers.  This book really is programmer based and not management or DBA targeted, so this may not mean that much to most people. 

This book does a good job of introducing the structure and concepts for how to build the various SQLCLR Object types.  It also does a good job of providing some best practices for implementation that will make it easier for CLR code to be moved from the database tier in SQLCLR to a application tier, should scale out be required due to problems or growth.  The tips provided by the author actually save time, and make code reuse much easier between the application and the database.

Based on the other books on SQLCLR that I have read, I would rate this one at the top of the list.  It gives the information needed to design and code SQLCLR objects in SQL Server.  Not all of the examples are actually good candidates for CLR use in my own opinion.  Some of them can be done with TSQL in a manner that performs better than the CLR provided, but the difference in performance is fairly minimal.  It could simply be that the authors needed an example that didn't require a bunch of supporting structure behind it to keep things simple.

What am I reading? : Inside Microsoft SQL Server(TM) 2005: The Storage Engine (Solid Quality Learning)

Since I have a few excellent books that I have already read, I figured I would post some reviews of what I am not currently reading, but I have previously read, and I use regularly for reference as I am working or answering questions online. 

This book is another must have for any production support DBA.  It is the Chilton's Manual/Haynes Manual for SQL Server.  I have this book for SQL 2000 and 2005, and I pre-ordered the SQL 2008 version the day that it was available for pre-order on Amazon.  This book actually has some really good reviews on Amazon already:

Inside Microsoft SQL Server(TM) 2005: The Storage Engine (Solid Quality Learning) by Kalen Delaney

This book is really intended for those who want/need to know the how and why for the way that the Storage Engine works in SQL Server 2005.  It is really is a must for anyone building or architecting an enterprise database solution or looking to upgrade/install SQL Server 2005.  It is not a beginners book at all, in fact I wouldn't recommend that a beginner start off with this book due to the depth of information contained in the book.  It would be very easy to get lost in the details of IAM, GAM, and SGAM allocations and never actually learn how to use SQL Server.  The table of contents for the book is:

Chapter 1 Installing and Upgrading to SQL Server 2005

Chapter 2 SQL Server 2005 Architecture

Chapter 3 SQL Server 2005 Configuration

Chapter 4 Databases and Database Files

Chapter 5 Logging and Recovery

Chapter 6 Tables

Chapter 7 Index Internals and Management

Chapter 8 Locking and Concurrency

My favorite chapters have to be Chapter 5 and Chapter 8.  These are two of the most misunderstood concepts in SQL Server from working on the forums.  The level of detail included by Kalen in these chapters is excellent.  Expect the SQL Server 2008 version of this book to be even better as Kalen is joined by industry expert Paul Randal and his wife Kimberly Tripp as well as Conor Cunningham from Microsoft.

Additional Resources:

Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2000 by Kalen Delaney
Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 Internals (Pro - Developer) by Kalen Delaney, Paul S. Randal, Kimberly L. Tripp, and Conor Cunningham (Paperback - Feb 18, 2009)

What am I reading? : SQL Server 2005 Practical Troubleshooting: The Database Engine (Ken Henderson)

I don't know if this affects other people, but I often have problems deciding which books I want to buy and or read.  So in an attempt to assist others in making good book choices with what may be limited funding, that I will provide a brief review of my opinion of the books that I have read and or am currently reading.  Since I have quite a stack that I have read, I figured I would start off with my favorite SQL Server 2005 Book. 

SQL Server 2005 Practical Troubleshooting: The Database Engine (SQL Server Series) by Ken Henderson (Paperback - Dec 18, 2006)

This in my opinion has to be one of the best resources for a SQL Server DBA when all hell breaks loose and there are serious problems with a SQL Server.  If you don't have a copy of it yet, I would highly recommend it.  Unlike most of the books that are out there, this book was written by the developers at Microsoft for SQL Server, and edited by the late Ken Henderson, whose own contributions to the SQL Community over the years was second to none.  This book gets down into the nitty gritty of SQL Server, how it functions and why, and how to resolve and troubleshoot some of the most complex problems with the Database Engine.

What is really good about this book is that it provides in depth information and details that could only come from the internal development staff at Microsoft.  The book is divided into specific problem types and details to include stack dump data is included in the book text to demonstrate the problem being explained.

Chapter 1 Waiting and Blocking Issues

Chapter 2 Data Corruption and Recovery Issues

Chapter 3 Memory Issues

Chapter 4 Procedure Cache Issues

Chapter 5 Query Processor Issues

Chapter 6 Server Crashes and Other Critical Failures

Chapter 7 Service Broker Issues

Chapter 8 SQLOS and Scheduling Issues

Chapter 9 Tempdb Issues

Chapter 10 Clustering Issues

One problem reported with the book is that Amazon lists it as coming with a CD included.  Mine didn't, and I am not concerned about it, but I'll provide the warning that you won't get a CD with your book if you order it.  Additionally, expect that it will take 3-4 weeks to get delivery of the book if you do order it online.  I am not sure why it took so long to arrive, but it was definitely worth the wait.