The Development Team

A software project's success depends on the experience and skill of the staff developing it. Your second SQL Server development project will be better than your first, no matter how smart you are, so don't make your first project one that will have thousands of concurrent users, manage tens of gigabytes of data, and replicate data to 10 other servers. If you tackle such an extensive project your first time out, you'll probably fail (or at least finish late and over budget). And although it's useful to have experience working with other systems and environments, you can't expect successful SQL Server development on the first try.

The smartest companies start with a small, less-than-mission-critical system before moving many applications over to SQL Server. If management will not allow you the luxury of working on a "practice" system, you should at least try to augment your team with an experienced consultant or two. Look for someone who, at a minimum, is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) or Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD) who has taken both basic SQL Server exams—the Database Implementation and the Database Administration exams. In 1999, Microsoft introduced a Microsoft Certified DBA (MCDBA) certification, which indicates a similar level of qualification. This book, while it provides much useful information, can't replace other training. And skills such as database design, which transcend SQL Server specifically, are essential for a project's success.