Frequently Asked Questions

What is this course about? This course provides a comprehensive coverage of Microsoft SQL Server for database developers. You learn how to use the power of Transact-SQL to develop high-performance database applications. The extensive hands-on exercises provide you with valuable opportunities to practise solving business problems with Microsoft's Transact-SQL. What is SQL Server? What is Transact-SQL? SQL Server is a key component of Microsoft's Windows Server System. SQL Server is a full-featured relational database management system with support for robust server-side development and data replication. It runs on the Windows 2000 and Windows NT operating systems. Transact-SQL is Microsoft's dialect of SQL. It is used to create databases, to manipulate data in those databases and to administer databases. Knowledge of this language is essential for all people who are developing applications for SQL Server. Who will benefit from this course? Typical participants include: Programmers, analysts, developers, designers, consultants and others who design and write Microsoft SQL Server applications Database administrators who want to become proficient in querying and manipulating a Microsoft SQL Server database with Transact-SQL People familiar with SQL but who wish to learn the special features of Microsoft's Transact-SQL dialect Data processing professionals who may have many years of experience working with traditional database systems (hierarchical or network) and who are now moving to the client/server world Is this course useful to me if I have already been developing for SQL Server 7? There are few differences in Transact-SQL among SQL Server versions 7.0 and 2000. Therefore, if you have significant prior experience developing stored procedures and triggers for an earlier version, you probably will not benefit from taking this course. What background knowledge do I need? To succeed in this course, you should be comfortable with basic features of SQL Server or have significant experience with another DBMS. Course 530, SQL Server 2000 Comprehensive Introduction: Hands-On, provides the prerequisite knowledge. In addition, you should have some experience in traditional programming constructs. Familiarity with relational database concepts, such as tables, rows, columns, and referential integrity is helpful. Tools used in the hands-on exercises assume a familiarity with the Windows user interface. Why should I take this course instead of one offered by Microsoft? Learning Tree is dedicated to helping accelerate the careers of our clients by providing them with world-class technology and management training. Our independence from Microsoft (and any other vendor) allows us to give an unbiased view of what works and what does not. This course is objective in its approach, having been developed independently from Microsoft by industry experts who bring their real-world experience to the classroom. How much time is spent on each topic? Content Hours Architecture and tools 1.5 Creating and altering tables and constraints 1.5 Retrieving data with Transact-SQL 4.0 Maintaining data with Transact-SQL 3.0 Writing stored procedures 8.0 Writing user-defined functions 1.5 Writing triggers 2.5 Performance tuning 3.0 XML integration 2.0 Times, including the workshops, are estimates; exact times may vary according to the needs of each class. What kinds of hands-on exercises are included in this course? The course includes hands-on workshops that provide immediate reinforcement of material covered in the preceding lecture. In these workshops you construct and execute Transact-SQL commands, beginning with simple queries and progressing to Microsoft SQL Server's stored procedures and triggers. Additional workshops give active experience with distributed processing and query tuning. I am planning to take both this course and Course 534. Which should I take first? How does this course differ from 534? Although Course 534, Developing SQL Queries for SQL Server: Hands-On, doesn't require the material covered in 532, you will find Course 534 easier if you take 532 first. Course 532 is designed to cover the syntax and usage of the Transact-SQL programming language. Included are some details of the ANSI standard SELECT statement, but the primary focus of the course is Microsoft's extensions to SQL, particularly the procedural extensions used to develop stored procedures, user-defined functions and triggers. Course 534 also covers Transact-SQL, but focuses on developing robust and efficient queries using the SELECT statement. It is designed to teach you how to solve complex business problems with SQL. Developers who wish to acquire complete command of the Transact-SQL language benefit from taking both courses. How does this course relate to other Learning Tree courses? The SQL Server courses you take vary depending on the role you play in your organisation. Please refer to the SQL Server 2005 Curriculum Q&A for details on which courses are most appropriate to your role and the order in which you should take them. You may be interested in these related courses: 530, SQL Server 2000 Comprehensive Introduction: Hands-On is strongly recommended for anyone who is not familiar with the basics of SQL Server. It is a prerequisite for this course. 531, SQL Server 2000 Database Administration: Hands-On provides a detailed coverage of SQL Server 2000 from a DBA perspective. The course covers issues such as backup and recovery, database storage, jobs and alerts, and other administrative tasks. 534, Developing SQL Queries for SQL Server: Hands-On provides the knowledge and skills you need to develop complex and robust SQL queries for SQL Server 2000. 535, Developing High-Performance SQL Server Databases: Hands-On provides the skills needed to build a high-performance SQL Server database solution. 382, Relational Database Design, Tools and Techniques: Hands-On emphasises the concepts and addresses the "whys" of databases. It deals with what relational databases are, why they are used, how to design and set up a relational database.

SQL Server is a trademark of Sybase, Inc. Transact-SQL is a registered trademark of Sybase, Inc.