MS SQL Server MS SQL Server 2008 REVIEW: MCTS SQL Server 2008 Implementation and Maintenance Training KitREVIEW: MCTS SQL Server 2008 Implementation and Maintenance Training Kit
Available from: Amazon UK
MCTS SQL Server 2008 Implementation and Maintenance Training Kit
by
Mike Hotek
Main Details
Published by: Microsoft Press
Publication Date: 11 February 2009
RRP: $69.99 / £54.99
Overview
The official self-paced training kit from Microsoft covers all the topics relevant to exam 70-432 – MCTS SQL Server 2008 Implementation and Maintenance. Chapters include:-
- Installing and Configuring SQL Server 2008
- Database Configuration and Maintenance
- Tables
- Designing SQL Server Indexes
- Full Text Indexing
- Distributing and Partitioning Data
- Importing and Exporting Data
- Designing Policy Based Management
- Backing up and Restoring a Database
- Automating SQL Server
- Designing SQL Server Security
- Monitoring Microsoft SQL Server
- Optimizing Performance
- Failover Clustering
- Database Mirroring
- Log Shipping
- Replication
The 600 page book also includes a CD-ROM containing the full text as a searchable eBook (Acrobat PDF), practice exam questions, practice files of code used in the text, and a 180 day trial version of SQL Server 2008 Enterprise. The book also includes a Microsoft exam 15% discount voucher.
Written by Mike Hotek - a SQL Server professional with over 30 years experience in consultancy and application development and author/co-author of a number of SQL Server books.
Review
Slated for release in early January 2009, this book is now being slated in another sense: the six week delay in publication has not weeded out some glaring errors. Most notable is the ommission of the Enterprise edition information in the comparison chart in chapter one.
As 2008 is semi-jokingly referred to as the biggest ever service pack, one would expect that this book would follow quite closely to the 2005 book. However, one ommission I have found is the absence of a lesson on the DAC (Dedicated Administrator Connection) which was a new feature in 2005.
The look and feel of the book is a bit inconsistent and the order of the chapters could be better (e.g. Log Shipping should be introduced before Replication), but overall this book is a useful prep kit for the exam.