SQL Server 2019 Administrator's Guide: A definitive guide for DBAs to implement, monitor, and maintain enterprise database solutions, 2nd Edition

I bought this book when I changed careers from a software developer to a DBA. This book gave me all of the base knowledge that I needed to do my job. The information was well conveyed and the important points are streamlined. I have been a DBA for 3 years now and I still reference this book. If you’re a DBA, especially a beginner level I cannot recommend this book enough.

Disclaimer: The publisher asked me to review this book and sent me a review copy. I promise to be completely honest about my thoughts."SQL Server 2019 Administrator's Guide – Second Edition" the title itself explains the whole story of this book, that is it's a guide.Good explanation on various concepts starting from installation of SQL Server Management Studio, domain controllers, SQL Server Agent jobs, etc.My favorite part of the book is that it clearly explains the various examples on how to manage SQL Server in Product Environments.This book provides detailed steps to take backup, its related jobs also and use of DBCC commands.The best thing I liked is about combining SQL Server with Azure (Cloud).Something I missed while reading the book are the basic concepts and details on Replicas; High Availability Groups; and Clustering. Though the details are good enough for an experienced person, however for a beginner if basics on these areas are included then it will be great.

I am a seasoned SQL Developer and just wanted to learn more about the DBA and Administration. Great book for that.

I really like this book. The author has sections on Provisioning the SQL Server Environment which includes an overview of SQL technologies and installation coverage for Windows, Linux, and containers. Good advice on the subject of keeping SQL Server's environment healthy is also addressed. The second section delves into the important topic of database maintenance by tackling the topics of Backup/Recovery, Security, Disaster Recovery, and Indexing and Performance. These subjects are covered in a great amount of detail along with using the tools provided by SQL Server like Profiler and Trace, Performance and Activity Monitors, and Extended Events. The final section of the book covers planning migration and upgrades and includes an example of migrating from an Access database. The author does an excellent job covering Automation and thouroughly explains setting up and using SQL Server Agent. I would have liked to see the fundamentals of high availability features explained more for a beginner - why and when to use. This was mentioned by another reviewer as well. The coverage I found most useful to me was how and why to use In-Memory OLTP and the chapter on combining SQL Server 2019 with Azure. This last chapter could probably be a book itself but the author does a good job introducing the topic and explaining the hybrid scenarios. Even though I saw some room for a little improvement, I'm giving this book 5 stars because I think the overall coverage of topics deserves the rating.

This book is very well-written and covers most topics on SQL Server administration and also touches on database cloud for Azure databases. The coverage for each topic in database administration is good, but lacks indepth architecture of functionality that could make a good DBA better. For beginners and/or quick learners of SQL 2019, this book covers almost all topics, but for someone who is inclined in deeper architecture, they may feel left alone. Overall, as i mentioned, this books covers almost all topics of SQL Database Administration, but could have provided more deeper insight into its functionalities.

I have been a data platform MVP for 20 years now and found this book to be excellent. It provides comprehensive coverage of the new features. This book does not gloss over the topics but provides in depth coverage that will help you to get the most of SQL 2019. The authors obviously have deep knowledge of the subject material and do a fantastic job of explaining it. This is even more impressive - considering that English is not their native language.While I have worked on the 2019 betas and thought I knew it well - I actually learned something in this book. Great job Marek and Vladimír!

What I like :1. My Database Administration Capabilities were greatly enhanced by reading this book2. The book provides various examples as how to manage Sql Server in Product Environments3. The book has verbose explanations starting from installation of Sql Server Management Studio, domain controllers, Sql Server Agent jobs.4. The book provides provides detailed steps for backup jobs and using of DBCC.5. It has important sections related to Replicas and High Availability GroupsWhat I do not like:1. The book needs a little adjustment in organizing various sections ,so that continuity remains,.2. Some of the terminology is confused and needs to be corrected.What I would like to see:1. To give more real world examples of "ALWAYS ON" feature2. Explain more about ClusteringOverall one of the best books for Beginner to Advanced Professionals.Well Done!

The book is great for those working as DBAs or looking for jobs in the same field. The book starts with introduction and configuration of the SQL Server later explaining more about server maintenance, recovery and security. A very lucid way of explaining the concepts with examples makes the book unique and understanding. I recommend this book to all DBAs and SQL learners.