As the author states in his preface, the book is written for the technical professional [...] [with a] mix of a little theory and a lot of practical hands-on examples.

Woodys book is a useful one. One strong feature of the book is that it contains, in each chapter, not only text, but also well-presented graphical tools (although the screenshots could have been of a better contrast); command line tools; Rosetta Stone-like information, namely systematic presentation of corresponding notions from Oracle and Microsoft Access (very useful for the professional, especially in data-migration situations); and Internet resources. The book also contains several detailed listings that can be very helpful to a database administrator, both as examples, and as working solutions.

The book is divided into two parts. The first part (chapters 1 through 10) covers the common activities that occupy the day of a database administrator. The second part (chapters 11 through 15) contains material that covers more advanced features in Structured Query Language (SQL) Server 2000 (SS2k).

Chapter 1, Introduction, explains how to use the book. It introduces databases in general, and SQL Server in particular. This chapter also explains what a database administrator (DBA) does, and details the various versions of SS2k. Chapter 2, Installing/Upgrading SQL Server 2000, presents an install of SS2k, as well as an overview of upgrading a SQL Server 7 or 6.5 database server to SS2k. Here, we read, among other things: Dont set up a server as both a domain controller and a SQL server (p. 17).

Chapter 3, Tools, familiarizes the reader with the tools available for SS2k. This chapter also details the changes in tools from earlier versions. Chapter 4, Accessing Data, introduces the reader to methods of accessing data, both using internal SS2k tools, and by using other programs. This chapter also covers the connection methods for SS2k.

Chapter 5, C5 Importing and Exporting Data, explains the methods used to import and export data for SS2k, and how to automate data transfer from existing sources, such as text files or other databases, to other destinations. Chapter 6, C6 Automation Using the SQL Server Agent, introduces the reader to automating SQL tasks. At the end of this interesting chapter, we read with amazement that there is no equivalent of SQL Server Agent in Oracle.

Chapter 7, Maintenance, focuses on the maintenance of the databases. Chapter 8, Backing Up and Restoring, explains backing up to and restoring SS2k databases from disk or tape, as well as the recovery models SQL Server uses for its databases, and how they affect backups and restoration.

Chapter 9, Monitoring and Optimization, explains how to tune SS2k. Chapter 10, Security, details SS2k security, and chapter 11, Replication, describes replication, and provides a simple replication schema.

Chapter 12, Analysis Services Using OLAP, offers a basic understanding of Microsofts Analysis Services. Here, a start-to-finish example of how online analytical processing (OLAP) cubes work is presented, as well as a description of how to use Microsoft Excel as an OLAP client.

Chapter 13, Extensible Markup Language, provides an overview of Extensible Markup Language (XML) technology in SS2k. Here, for example, we find a Visual Basic (VB) script that creates XML output using SS2k (p. 496). Chapter 14, English Query, explains how to ask plain-English questions from SS2k databases.

Chapter 15, Working With Instances, explains named instances, and how to set them up and connect to them. This chapter could have been third in the sequence of chapters, but this does not affect the readability of this or the other chapters.

The 15 chapters comprise a very good book, which could be an appropriate companion to vendors manuals. The book corresponds well to its title. As a certified MS SQL 7 administrator, I was convinced to move to SS2k after reading this book for the purposes of the review. I will keep this book within close reach.