Rating: 
Summary: Only for new hands
Review: If you want to take exam 70-229, this book is not for you. Most topics are just simple concepts and cannot make you well prepared for real tests. There are some typos in exercises, which make you waste lots of time to find the way out.
Rating: 
Summary: 3NF or "Don't put all your eggs in one basket"
Review: In response to the other reviews, I do not believe that any one book is going to prepare you for the exam. And this book itself does not claim to. Throughout the text, there are ample references to Kalen Delany's "Inside SQL Server 2000" (A must have for any serious DB Designer/Admin) and to the BOL. If you use the book as it instructs, and you have the requisite experience (as outlined in the "About" section) then you will have learned a great deal and be prepared to pass the exam. If you are just looking for quick exam prep then buy the Troytech or Testkiller cheatsheets, but if you actually want to learn something then get this book and the aformentioned title by Ms. Delany.
Also, the other reviews are correct regarding the "generic" nature of the examples. The idea being to provide the prospective examinee with the fountations of good design and implementation practices. If you've been designing MS SQL solutions than it is an excellent way to review these principles. And if you've never designed MS SQL solutions then it's not a bad place to start.
Follow the instructions and you can't go wrong.
Rating:
Summary: IF YOU JUST WANT TO PASS THE TEST BUY IT
Review: IT'S A GREAT BOOK IF YOU JUST WANT TO PASS THE TEST. i BOUGHT THIS BOOK AND THE TRANCENDER AND THAT IS ALL i NEEDED TO PASS FROM 1ST TIME. mAKE SURE YOU GO OVER ALL THE TESTS BEFORE YOU TAKE THE REAL TEST.
Rating: 
Summary: Not so bad
Review: This book contains enough information in the following areas:
stored procedures, triggers, XML, entities and indexes.It also contains poor information in the following areas:
Managing and manipulation data.
Cursors.
SQL Server tuning. I strongly recommend the Microsoft self-paced book. It contains more material for the exam.
Rating:
Summary: Great to start with but not Complete
Review: This book is great for beginners. The topics covered in the exam are dealt very nicely. The book gives a head start to any person who has had little or no experience in SQL Server. For the experienced programmer as well, this booh has something. There is a case study which goes along with the chapters of the book and so you get a hand on feel of a live project. But as I said this book gives you a head start. For complete understanding of the topic, u need to refer to book like Inside SQL Server 2000. Even Books Online is also sufficient. The topic structure in the same matches with the structure of the exam. So I would say if you are starting to work on SQL Server or haven't been exposed to all the topics that are part of the exam, this book is nice. But later you have to refer to Book Online for detailed understanding.
Rating:
Summary: Not enough
Review: This book is supposed to prepare you for the 70-229 exam. It fails on almost every level, the questions at the end of each chapter are nothing like test questions. You'd be infinately better prepared if you read the sql server books online. Not only are they free, but they include the information you'll need to pass the exam. If you want this book as resource to learn SQL Server 2000 i'd tell you to look elsewhere. SAMS 'Microsoft SQL Server 2000 unleashed' title is far more comprehensive. In summary, i'd avoid this book like the plague. I had to read it because my training school required me to and I regret the wasted time. My time would have been much better spent reading through the books online.
Rating:
Summary: Did not prepare me well for the exam.
Review: This book is supposed to prepare you for the 70-229 exam. It fails on almost every level, the questions at the end of each chapter are nothing like test questions. You'd be infinately better prepared if you read the sql server books online. Not only are they free, but they include the information you'll need to pass the exam. If you want this book as resource to learn SQL Server 2000 i'd tell you to look elsewhere. SAMS 'Microsoft SQL Server 2000 unleashed' title is far more comprehensive. In summary, i'd avoid this book like the plague. I had to read it because my training school required me to and I regret the wasted time. My time would have been much better spent reading through the books online.
Rating: 
Summary: Superficial
Review: This book is way too generic to be a suitable study guide for the 70-229 exam. The exam has highly specific scenarios and drills in on esoteric subjects that you are probably not prepared for even if you use SQL Server 2000 everyday. The book and the exam are big disappointments!
Rating:
Summary: Too many mistakes
Review: This book is well laid out and split into nice manageable sections but there are just too many mistakes. Not just typos but mistakes in the examples which just isn't good enough and severely off putting when preparing for an exam.
Rating:
Summary: Not a test prep book
Review: This would be a good book for a junior DBA, or a mid-level programmer looking to come up to speed on database functionality, but it simply does not have the depth or breadth needed of a cert prep book. It does a good job of introducing concepts and giving basic excercises, but as soon as it starts getting into the meat of a topic, it stops and goes to another topic. I was looking for a book which would bring me back to speed on SQL Server (I used it through v6.0, then switched to Oracle), but it has almost none of the detail I needed.
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