Chapter 3

SQL Server on the Physical Side:
Delaney, Kalen. Inside SQL Server 2000. Microsoft Press, 2001. www.insidesqlserver.com.
Not a beginner book, but it fills in many of the gaps left out of the SQL Server Books Online documentation. Explains fully how SQL Server stores and processes data internally.

SQL Server Books Online:
Creating and Maintaining Databases. (Look particularly at the sections on indexes, views, and triggers.)
Transact-SQL Reference. (Use this as a resource for the specific syntax requirements of each statement, as well as some code examples.)
Optimizing Database Performance. (Focus on database and application design.)
Troubleshooting: Server and Database Troubleshooting.

MSDN Online Internet Reference (http://msdn.microsoft.com):
Transact SQL Overview (/library/psdk/sql/ts_tsqlcon_6lyk.htm)
Transact SQL Syntax Conventions (/library/psdk/sql/ts_syntaxc_9kvn.htm)
Transact SQL Tips (/library/psdk/sql/ac_8_qd_14_2kc3.htm)