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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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Data Analyst
Very good book. It is easy to learn how to create Reports when you go through the samples in this book.
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Best Application Specific Step by Step Book I Have Ever Read
Again, this is the best hands on how to book for a software application I have ever read. Though before I explain the reasons why I feel what makes this book so great, please allow me explain those things that often times make a "how to" book not so great. Things that Brian thankfully avoids.
Please note that the only negative reviews you will find amongst all the reviews here on Amazon are a result of those who bought the book expecting it to be a topical reference followed by code samples. Being such "serious developers" perhaps they should have read a bit more about the book before purchasing it. For example if I order a hotdog thinking I am going to get a hamburger I am not going to say the hotdog sucks just because I had a hamburger in mind! However I digress.
It has been my experience that the overwhelming majority of "step by step" software/programming books start off in a manner that is easy enough to follow, at first. The first few chapters are well written (most likely the result of the writer/editor knowing that someone browsing the book in a bookstore is only going to read about that far before making a purchase). Then once you get past the first few chapters the author begins to introduce terms that are critical to understanding what is being taught, without these terms ever having been explained in previous material. Or you will notice typo's, or even worse code samples containing typos (Similar to Lisin and Joseph's book on reporting services which I also have and warn you to stay very very far away from). Often times rendering what the author has written as useless. Another trend in "how to books" is that more often than not they read like a "topical guide", never really explaining how to do anything in the proper sequence to actually put to use what it is you are reading. It is like they back up the "information dump truck", spill it all over you, then expect you to understand how to "put it all together and use it". Except for the few gifted individuals who have the heightened degree of intellect to be able to "put it all together". Most people will just feel confused, because without having the opportunity to put what one has read in "Chapter 2" to practical/hands on use one will have forgotten what they have read by the time they get to "Chapter 3". Thankfully none of the above causes for concern/destroying a book are to be found here. Brian's book is 100% hands on, and everything, yes everything is clearly explained and easy to understand. No terms are introduced that have not been explained previously. And the times where you do use a "function" that has not been explained previously he takes the time to explain its significance at the end of the tutorial. So far I have found zero typos. It is almost as though this book has been edited/reviewed by someone who was absolutely certain that there were no "blanks" created by the author where the reader was left to have to "fill in those blanks".
The first thing you will notice is how very clear and concise a writer Brian is. The book starts with him carefully explaining the fundamentals of database design/theory. Even if you never have touched reporting services, those who have worked with database applications will most likely be fine with skipping the intro sections and jump straight to the tutorials. Though, I read the content for the "beginners" as a refresher and was blown away by how simple and easy to understand Brian's writing style is. I can say with confidence that someone who has never even touched a database before will feel confident to "jump right into" the tutorials after having read Chapters 1 and 3. Naturally the tutorials progress in their degree of complexity, and Brian will not explain every single step in explicit detail in cases where previous chapters have explained that particular step/concept in explicit detail. This illustrates another element of what I like about this book. Brian "holds your hand" at first, though he is confident in what he has taught you previously to where you feel confident to "walk on your own" as tutorials progress. However if there are those steps where you are not sure how to do what is being asked you can ALWAYS go back to a previous chapter/tutorial and familiarize yourself with the steps to carry out a task. I think this offers a great way to learn, if a book was step by step and repeated the same steps to perform certain tasks over and over from tutorial to tutorial how would you ever know which things you need to go back and learn for yourself? Wow what a great way to learn, your weak areas will be exposed in the later chapters, where if need be the earlier chapters will serve to bring you quickly and easily up to speed.
Simply put this book teaches you how to learn "by doing" in a way that is easy to grasp and easy to follow. And in those moments where you are not sure how to do something you can always go back and re-familiarize yourself with the material. Again, he does not take any liberties with using terms or explanations where he "assumes" you should understand what he is talking about. The text is not overly verbose like much of what is out there. Everything is explained simply, thoroughly, and to the point. If you have little to no experience with databases I believe if you take your time with the early material you will feel confident in moving forward with the tutorials. And again if you get stuck it is easy to go back and quickly find what you are looking for. And if like me you used Access or some other database application previous to Reporting Services you will be creating reports that make you say "WOW" the very first day.
I hope you found this review helpful. Thank you for reading!
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A good overview of Reporting Services
As an experienced report writer (Business Objects and Cognos), I was looking for a good introduction to Reporting Services. This book does a very good job of that. How to write and format reports is covered well and the explanation of report distribution and security is well done. I was disappointed to see that Report Model and Report Builder, ad hoc reporting tools were only covered by an appendix. As I have worked more with these tools, I have found them very shallow, so the appendix coverage is adequate. Overall, this is a worthwhile book to have on your desk.
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sorry I bought this book!!!
I was very excited when I received this book, I had read the reviews and it sounded like just the ticket for me at my new job. The first couple of chapters were great..then he abandoned all pretense of giving a detailed idea of all the options and possibilities and created a fictitious company and started solving their fictitious problems with reporting services...didn't take me long to realize their issues weren't my issues and he wasn't going to cover what I needed to know because he was sticking with explaining only the features needed to solve his companies problems.
Now I'm sorry I spent so much time researching this book and money buying it...now I have to continue my search for a book that just lays out the features and options available in Reporting Services.
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A great way to learn the basics
I just worked my way cover-to-cover and did every exercise. Sure, there are some errors in the book and sometimes it is not as clear as I would like and it does help to be a DBA but I think the book is rather above average in its accuracy. The book is not useful as a reference. But I highly recommend it as a great start. If you are not going to download the problems and do the exercises, then do not buy this book. The value is in doing the exercises.
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