Several months ago, Buck Woody put out a challenge, not only to people who attended his SQLCruise class but to anyone else interested, to read a book a month (ones relevant to their career goal) and post a review of each.
I’ll be honest, I don’t really know what I’m going to be doing in a year’s time. Things are a little in flux and some big decisions are soon going to need to be made. In light of that, I’m choosing mostly technical books.
So without further ado…
1) Pro SQL 2008 Failover Clustering
Clustering’s something I’ve dabbled in a couple of times and an area that I know just enough to be dangerous in. That needs to change, hence this book.
2) SQL 2008 Mirroring
Another aspect I know well enough to implement, in its basic form. The more advanced aspects, not a chance. Hence, book 2
3) SQL 2005 Assemblies
.Net in my SQL Server? Are you nuts? Apparently not. It has uses and places and again, I know the basics not the advanced.
4) Securing SQL Server
I have an excuse for not liking security much. I am mostly a developer after all. Not a good excuse. I need to know the area so I can make appropriate designs and recommendations (even if they get ignored). This book isn’t just SQL security settings, it’s everything from network and server hardening to application design.
5) Protecting SQL Server Data
Extension of the previous book. This one focuses on the data itself. Mostly encryption and design and reason thereof.
6) Defensive Database Programming with SQL Server
This is polish. I probably know and practice a lot of this, but there’s always room for a bit more polish, a bit more improvement.
7) SQL Server Hardware
While I build my own desktops and servers, I know far too little about selection of hardware for proper production servers. It’s also an area that I’ve been asked for advice on a few times. No excuses, time to study up.
8 ) Architecting Applications for the Enterprise
Knowing the database backwards is not enough. I’ve dabbled in architecture a few times, I’ll probably end up doing it again and I’ve never believed in doing things right the 3rd time.
9) Pro C# 2008 and the NET 3.5 Platform
I doubt I’ll be doing serious C# development in the near future, but knowing it means I’m less likely to fall for exaggerations (or outright lies) from developers. It also means I’ll have a better understanding of what works where; when the front end (or CLR assembly for that matter) is the appropriate place for something to be done, when the database is.
10) Linq in action
More on the previous point. While LinqToSQL is no longer been developed, that doesn’t mean it’s no longer used, and the other Linq options are here to stay. (I need to find an Entity Framework book too at some point)
11) The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master
This is more on the process and philosophy of programming than on the action. Like Code Complete or Code Craft (both of which I need to re-read sometime)
12) Confessions of a Public Speaker
My one non-technical book. I don’t give that many presentations, all things considered, I do give enough that I want to get better at it.
One last point. I commit to reading all of these during a contiguous 12 month period. I don’t commit to starting immediately. I’ll start these once certain other things get finished.