Introduction

by Ray Rankins

Well, it's been nearly a year now since I wrote the introduction to the first edition of this book. There haven't been any major changes to SQL Server 2000 in the last year, but the release of Service Pack 2 and new features like Notification Services, the .NET Framework, ADO.NET, improved XML and Web integration, and the soon to be released 64-bit version of SQL Server 2000 further solidifies its position in the marketplace as a robust enterprise-wide database system.

Many of us involved with this book began working with SQL Server when it was little more than just a database management system and a couple of basic (very basic!) query and administrative tools. Many of us cut our teeth on SQL Server doing everything through the isql command-line utility. However, with all of the enhancements and additional features that have been added to SQL Server over the years , SQL Server 2000 has become more than just a database management system.

The intended goal of the first edition of this book was for it to be the ultimate resource on SQL Server, providing comprehensive, in-depth , all-inclusive coverage of all the features of SQL Server 2000. Unfortunately, it was realized early on that this cannot be accomplished in a single book. Features like Data Transformation Services (DTS), Replication, and Analysis Services each provide enough material for a complete book. With this in mind, the goal of this book is to focus on the core database product and the day-to-day administrative and management aspects of SQL Server 2000, along with more extensive coverage of the new features of the SQL Server 2000 database engine. As for the additional features of SQL Server, such as DTS, Analysis Services, full-text search, and English Query, we have included the necessary information, along with tips and guidelines, to give you a solid understanding of these features, so you can begin working with and developing applications for these features.

In this second edition of SQL Server 2000 Unleashed , we've continued the approach of the first edition while adding coverage of the new features and enhancements for SQL Server. We also took the opportunity to expand coverage of some of the topics from the first edition, as in the chapters on Query Analyzer and SQL Profiler, and we revisited our material to ensure that we succeeded in meeting our goals for this book. The chapters have also been reorganized to provide better flow and more logical organization of the material.

One of the other main goals of this book is for it to be more than just a syntax reference that simply parrots the material contained in SQL Server Books Online. SQL Server Books Online is a very useful resource and provides a handy, searchable syntax reference that really cannot be beat. This book picks up where Books Online leaves off. In addition to providing the syntax, we've also provided valuable insight, tips, guidelines, and useful examples derived from our many years of experience working with SQL Server.

It is our hope that we have succeeded in meeting these goals and this book becomes an essential reference for anyone working with SQL Server 2000.