Pro T-SQL 2008 Programmer's Guide

Discussing new and existing features, SQL Server designer and administrator Michael Coles takes you on an expert guided tour of Transact–SQL functionality in SQL Server 2008 in his book, Pro T–SQL 2008 Programmer’s Guide. Fully functioning examples and downloadable source code bring Coles’ technically accurate and engaging treatment of Transact–SQL into your own hands. Step–by–step explanations ensure clarity, and an advocacy of best–practices will steer you down the road to success. Pro T–SQL 2008 Programmer’s Guide is every developer’s key to making full use of SQL Server 2008’s powerful, built–in Transact–SQL language. Transact–SQL is the language developers and DBAs use to interact with SQL Server. It’s used for everything from querying data, to writing stored procedures, to managing the database. New features in SQL Server 2008 include a spatial data type, SQLCLR integration, the MERGE statement, a dramatically improved and market–leading XML feature set, and support for encryption—all of which are covered in this book

The Role of T-SQL.- Tools of the Trade.- T-SQL for SQL Server 2000 Programmers.- Expand coverage, add new statements like MERGE.- New data types: Spatial data, vardecimal, etc.- Control-of-Flow and CASE Expressions.- User-Defined Functions.- Expand coverage, table parameters, etc.- Stored Procedures.- Expand coverage, table parameters, etc.- Parameter sniffing.- Triggers.- Expand coverage.- T-SQL Encryption.- Expand coverage, include new encryption functions.- Expand discussion of SQLCLR encryption.- Error Handling and Debugging.- Dynamic SQL.- XML.- XQuery and XPath.- Expanded discussion of XQuery and XPath.- SQL Metadata.- Additional catalog view information.- Additional coverage of system functions.- SQLCLR Programming.- .NET Client Programming.- HTTP Endpoints.- Cursors * new *.- Full-Text Search * new *.- Query Optimization and Performance Enhancement * new *.- SQL Keywords.- XQuery Data Types.- XQuery Terms.- Selected T-SQL Source Code Listings.- .NET Source Code Listings.

Michael Coles has more than a decade's experience designing and administering SQL Server databases. A prolific writer of articles on all aspects of SQL Server, particularly on the expert use of T-SQL, he holds MCDBA and MCP certifications. He graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of science degree in information technology from American Intercontinental University in Georgia. A member of the United States Army Reserve, he was activated for two years following 9/11.