Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services 2005

The Microsoft Data Warehouse Toolkit : With SQL Server 2005 and the Microsoft Business Intelligence Toolset

Professional SQL Server 2005 Integration Services (Programmer to Programmer)

Data Mining with SQL Server 2005

Databases

Delivering Business Intelligence with Microsoft SQL Server 2005

Format: Paperback
Author: Brian Larson
ReleaseDate: 23 January, 2006
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media
Rating:

Good Textbook
As a consultant, i need to move quickly through materials. I have enjoyed reading this book but the teaching approach was off for me. That means i need to be able to load supporting materials quickly from download. Neither the means of getting at the download nor the actual download was QA'd. Instructions for download are scattered throughout the book or missing. Also important installation instruction was overlooked. This is odd because every *manual* step for building each db/dim/measure is presented in detail (note, i did NOT QA all the steps:-). Example: pg 116-126 >> 10 pages of instruction to build the DM. Most readers of this book do not need to know how to build a db. I went to the download & used it to build the DM -- i figured it would be there and it was BUT i did not find a pointer in the book for the DM download. That's the tip of the iceberg, it gets worse from there. It is not likely that someone besides the author has tried to use the download. The server name is blarsonxp2\bmlsql2005 -- remember that as u try to use the download. Don't get me wrong, Larson KNOWS his stuff, no question. I'm getting plenty from the book. There are just thoughtless omissions and oversights in the download -- another example, the MaxMinSalesDM_Log is over 8G, pretty big for a sample. JMHO.

A must-have for all dealing with SQL Server 2005 Business Intelligence
Larson executes a task not easy to do-he covers a lot of ground in a few steps. With this book, Mr. He covers all major topics of BI related to SQL Server 2005 and has sample exercises (Learn By Doing) that reinforce the knowledge. What is great about the exercises is that he uses a fictional company in one real scenario, unlike many authors.

As someone not very familiar with Data Mining/Warehousing, I found his explanations to be at my level of understanding. He also ties each aspect he discusses in with the other subjects as you go along, making the whole concept of Business Intelligence clear.

I look forward to reading more of Mr. Larson's publications.

Delivering BI w/ Microsoft SQL Server 2005 by Brian Larson
. .. is a good, hands-on book that will introduce the numerous changes to how BI is implemented with the new Microsoft Products: SQL Server 2005, and VS. Net 2005. This book provides somewhat more of an overview, but one would need to do further reading on each of the topic areas to become both conversant and professionally competent. No single 750 page book could bring you to the depths of: Analysis Services, Integration Services, Reporting Services, Data Mart Development, Data Mining, Deployment of BI using Excel etc. . . This text will orient you to what is available and how the modules link together, but further study will be required.

The Data Mining section was the most abbreviated for what is perhaps the most complex of the covered topics.

If you have existing expertise w/ SQL Server 2000 (Analysis Services, Reporting Services, Data Transformation Services) and VS. Net 2003 generally, you will find this text to be quite useful as a guide to what has changed with BI; and the changes are procedurally significant. Visual Studio 2005 is now the primary interface to accessing and implementing BI. This text walks you through some concrete examples and you will be able to update your existing procedural knowledge to the new development model.

To avoid problems, install a copy of SQL Server 2005 Developer Edition (if you don't have Enterprise edition at your disposal). I used SQL Server 2005 Standard Edition and had to make several accommodating changes on the fly - to address fundamental feature differences. VS. Net 2005 Pro comes with the Developer Edition of SQL 2005, but you can purchase it separately from Amazon for ~$45.

This text has a few inconsequential editing errors that you should be able to identify fairly easily. If you want an excellent text on Reporting Services, alone, purchase Brian Larson's "Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services" text from Osborne.
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