Rating: 
Summary: Good Book but, I want more Case Studies !!!
Review: A very good book over all. But I want more case studies. 3 are to little!
Rating: 
Summary: Didn' like the writer
Review: Assuming that the author knows the subject well, his knowledge is overshadowed buy his ego and an obvious repression caused by the lack of actual students in front of him. He plays being the strict teacher with sentences like :"if you answered this, you obviously weren't paying attention" at the end of a test, he suggests to look for 2 answers when the correct ones are 3 and, sadly, he makes several mistakes in the case scenarios which are the most important part of this exam. I passed the test, but I would have preferred spending my energy on the subject rather than wasting time getting mad at the author and trying to follow his trail of thought. If you are a non working student with a lot of time on your hands you might not find it a problem, but if you are a busy person who considers time precious, choose something written by someone more considerate.
Rating: 
Summary: this is a MUST BUY
Review: everyone that wants to pass the exam must read this book
Rating:
Summary: This is more of textbook that a test prep!!
Review: Granted, the material is already dry and tough work through, this book makes it even tougher! I bought this book, tried unsuccessfully to work my way through it, then looked at competing books. The Syngress book is far superior, and keeps you focused on the Microsoft requirements. Ben Ezell clearly understands the material, but his book drones on like a boring professor. I have been an MCSD since Feb '96, with 8 MS certifications and am looking to fulfill the new MCSD requirements. This book just didn't do it for me.
Rating:
Summary: I passed the test. Take my advice!
Review: I am almost entirely new to computers and entered an MCSD course that used this book for the 70-100 exam. I found this book to be much too wordy and almost incomprehensible for a beginner. The tone of the author is condescending (the subject matter is hard enough without having to deal with such an attitude!). Though Mr. Ezzell does seem to know what he is talking about, the book is littered with editorial errors. IF YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT PASSING THE SOLUTIONS ARCHITECTURE EXAM THEN GO TO TRANSCENDER.COM. The only reason I passed is that I had a darn good teacher and I used the Transcender tests! Chances are that even if you are a seasoned programmer, you will not pass the test first time around without Transcender. Note: I did find the Chapter tests somewhat helpful, though multiple choice questions are a minor part of the exam. The case studies in chapter one are the closest this book comes to what the test is like. But the answers to the case studies are muddled and leave you confused.
Rating:
Summary: If you actually do the work, this is the book
Review: I certified on the old track last year. I used this book and found that IF YOU HAVE THE PATIENCE to work through it, you WILL pass the exam. The Syngress book wastes 200 pages on MSF. We use MSF as a methodology, but it won't help you pass the test. I always look at anything that Ben Ezell writes on core requirements as THE authoritative work. But if you DON"T design DNA systems as part of your job, you may want to wait on the more academic paths.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing like the exam.
Review: I don't blame the publisher, I think that they probably wrote the book based on what Microsoft showed them with the beta exam. The final exam is nothing like this. Basically if you are a DBA you'll pass. The book is good for project design principles, but that isn't what is on the exam. The exam is mostly diagramming and SWAGing. And the case studies on the test are no where near as good as the ones in this book. Granted now that I have seen the test I know what to study. Hey maybe I should write a book....
Rating:
Summary: Transcender - YES - Ezzell - No
Review: I found this book full of errors, weird unrelated opinions, and pretty much useless for 70-100; Transcender is MUCH closer to the test and points you at the right places to get the right info for your questions.
Rating: 
Summary: Arrogant and Irrelevant
Review: I have seen some poorly-written books in my time. But this one has outdone them all. The title should have been "MCSD for those who want to feel like dummies." The atitude of the author is arrogant and degrading to say the least. This might have been tolerable if the material was actually relevant to the exam. But this is not the case. And worse yet, it adds nothing to your knowledge but a cloud of incoherent thoughts and big acronyms (plus the high blood pressure and the urge to assert your IQ of course.) The case studies -- which are the bulk of the 70-100 exam -- are poorly chosen and the solutions are unhelpful. I don't know about you but the phrase "If you answered so and so, then you weren't paying attention to much of anything" doesn't constitute a good explaination to me. And I could have sworn that that same phrase came about more than 20 times throughout the book.
Rating:
Summary: Arrogant and Irrelevant
Review: I have seen some poorly-written books in my time. But this one has outdone them all. The title should have been "MCSD for those who want to feel like dummies." The atitude of the author is arrogant and degrading to say the least. This might have been tolerable if the material was actually relevant to the exam. But this is not the case. And worse yet, it adds nothing to your knowledge but a cloud of incoherent thoughts and big acronyms (plus the high blood pressure and the urge to assert your IQ of course.) The case studies -- which are the bulk of the 70-100 exam -- are poorly chosen and the solutions are unhelpful. I don't know about you but the phrase "If you answered so and so, then you weren't paying attention to much of anything" doesn't constitute a good explaination to me. And I could have sworn that that same phrase came about more than 20 times throughout the book.
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