Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft SQL Server T-SQL In 10 Minutes (Second Edition)

SQL Server is one of the most popular and important database management systems in the world. From small development projects to some of the best known and most prestigious sites on the Web, SQL Server has proven itself to be a solid, reliable, fast, and trusted solution to all sorts of data storage needs.

This book is based on my best-selling Sams Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes. That book has become one of the most used SQL tutorials in the world, with an emphasis on teaching what you really need to know, methodically, systematically, and simply. But as popular and as successful as that book it, it does have some limitations:

• In covering all of the major DBMSs, coverage of DBMS specific features and functionality had to be kept to a minimum.
• To simplify the SQL taught, the lowest common denominator had to be found, SQL statements that would (as much as possible) work with all major DBMSs. This requirement necessitated that better DBMS specific solutions not be covered.
• While basic SQL tends to be rather portable between DBMSs, more advanced SQL most definitely is not. As such, that book could not cover advanced topics like triggers, cursors, stored procedures, access control, transactions, and more, in any real detail.

And that is where this book comes in. Sams Teach Yourself SQL Server T-SQL In Ten Minutes builds on the proven tutorials and structure of Sams Teach Yourself SQL in Ten Minutes, without getting bogged down with anything but Transact SQL. Starting with simple data retrieval and working on to more complex topics including the use of joins, subqueries, regular expression and full text based searches, stored procedures, cursors, triggers, table constraints, XML support, and much more. You’ll learn what you need to know methodically, systematically, and simply – in 30 highly focused lessons designed to make you immediately and effortlessly productive.

Is this book right for you? This is a beginner-intermediate book, and is not intended for SQL or Transact SQL experts. This book is for you if:

• You are new to SQL.
• You are just getting started with SQL Server and T-SQL and want to hit the ground running.
• You want to quickly learn how to get the most out of T-SQL.
• You want to learn how to use T-SQL in your own application development.
• You want to be productive quickly and easily using T-SQL without having to call someone for help.

If you want to invest minimal time (and cost) for a crash course on one of the most important DBMSs out there, then this book is indeed for you.

Note: This title covers SQL Server 2012, 2014, 2016 (including SQL Server Express). Some content is only applicable to the newest versions of SQL Server (and are noted as such in the text).