GREAT READS: Troubleshooting SQL Server: A Guide for the Accidental DBA

Troubleshooting SQL Server: A Guide for the Accidental DBA - 

By Jonathan Kehayias and Ted Krueger

I love this book. I believe that everyone that works or is planning to work with SQL Server should read it. 

OK, I could leave it there but I should explain why do I love it so much? 

I first read read this book very early on in my career as a DBA. As we all know, when you first jump into SQL it can be an incredibly overwhelming experience especially when things aren't working properly.

And this is where the book comes in. It's authors recognise just how many people are thrown in at the deep end and as such it is written specifically for the "Accidental DBA". It's because of this approach that I find it such an easy read but yet the technical content is not sacrificed in the slightest,

What this book does is teaches the correct approach to troubleshooting SQL Server, how to gather evidence from a number of sources to put all of the jigsaw pieces together to see what the server is actually doing and where the problem lies, and of course, what to do about it.

The fundamental techniques taught in this book have stayed with me for years, to this day, and whenever I get asked about what SQL Server books someone should read, this one is always the first I recommend. 

And you can get it HERE. 

You don't have to take my word for it though, did I mention its available as a free PDF download too!

Enjoy!