Good books to start learning SQL

Question

Hi,

I am looking for some really professional book about SQL Server. No product version explicitly preferred, but lets be reasonable: it should be at least about SQL 2005 or newer.

The topics I am looking about:

- architecture of SQL server: building blocks of the SQL product, SQL editions with special attention to artificial restrictions limitations built into the free-of-charge editions, SQL components installed as windows services, the theory of SQL instances and the way they live independently from other instances, authentication types and the consequences of each option, collation settings, etc.

I wasnt involved in SQL design and planning projects so far, but I have installed dozens of SQL 2005/2008 servers in the past, so I have some knowledge how I can deploy a single non-clustered server by myself. I am not  developer guy, so I am only interested in infrastructure design, it is not my responsibility to write SQL queries or run data modelling on 1Terabyte data cubes, all I need to do is to build the server for the developer team, and troubleshoot infrastructure issues (why named-intances cannot be located etc.) do backup/restore tasks.. so like usual maintenance stuff.

I see a trend at Microsoft since years to release new products every 2-3 years, and they always fail to produce adequate documentation for them. Adequate documentation I mean more professional level, than just the replica of installation screens and screenshots with next-next-finish type and no descriptions about the "Why?".

In case of SQL server: is there any single book (or 1-2 books), that discusses all the basics of SQL server in a single book, or do I have to start reading SQL Server 2000 books from 12 years ago, because some of the content wasnt repeated in the SQL 2005/2008 / 2008 R2 / 2012 books at all?

All the "what's new.." and "introduction SQK 2008 / SQL 2008 R2" books from MS to download free of charge are basically "delta" books, if somebody is looking for the basics, he wont find them in these books. These books dont provide the level of technical details, just scratching the surface. Are the MCTS exam self-prep books any better in terms of deep technical content? I am expecting honest answer from the readers of the forum and not from the MS forum employees.

Answer 1

Hi Richard,

I found the following book and am hoping that it helps. Please note that some of the concepts covered in the book might not be of interest to you but I do believe that it covers concepts at the infrastructure level as you have requested. 

http://www.amazon.com/MCITP-Self-Paced-Training-Exam-70-443/dp/073562173X/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1341724022&sr=8-14&keywords=sql+server+infrastructure

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Shahfaisal Muhammed http://shahfaisalmuhammed.blogspot.com

Answer 2

Thanks, I will have a look at it.