While building on the skills you already have, Expert SQL Server 2005 Development will help you become an even better developer by focusing on best practices and demonstrating how to design high-performance, maintainable database applications.

This book starts by reintroducing the database as a integral part of the software development ecosystem. You'll learn how to think about SQL Server development as you would any other software development. For example, there's no reason you can't architect and test database routines just as you would architect and test application code. And nothing should stop you from implementing the types of exception handling and security rules that are considered so important in other tiers, even if they are usually ignored in the database.

You'll learn how to apply development methodologies like these to produce high-quality encryption and SQLCLR solutions. Furthermore, you'll discover how to exploit a variety of tools that SQL Server offers in order to properly use dynamic SQL and to improve concurrency in your applications. Finally, you'll become well versed in implementing spatial and temporal database designs, as well as approaching graph and hierarchy problems.

Software Development Methodologies for the Database World.- Testing Database Routines.- Errors and Exceptions.- Privilege and Authorization.- Encryption.- SQLCLR: Architecture and Design Considerations.- Dynamic T-SQL.- Designing Systems for Application Concurrency.- Working with Spatial Data.- Working with Temporal Data.- Trees, Hierarchies, and Graphs.

Adam Machanic is an independent database software consultant, writer, and speaker based in Boston. He has implemented SQL Server solutions for a variety of high-availability online transaction processing and large-scale data warehouse applications, and also specializes in .NET data access layer performance optimization. Adam has written for SQL Server Professional and TechNet magazines, serves as the SQL Server 2005 Expert for SearchSQLServer.com, and has contributed to several books on SQL Server, including Pro SQL Server 2005 (Apress, 2005). He regularly speaks at user groups, community events, and conferences on a variety of SQL Server and .NET-related topics. He is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) for SQL Server and a Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP). When not sitting at the keyboard pounding out code or code-related prose, Adam tries to spend a bit of time with his wife, Kate, and daughter, Aura, both of whom seem to believe that there is more to life than SQL. Adam blogs at http://www.sqlblog.com, and can be contacted directly at amachanic@datamanipulation.net.