What's a good online resource for SQL Server and T-SQL?
Background:
I have an interview next week (for a junior position) that requires SQL Server. The job descriptions state, "Must be able to score high in C # and SQL Design Design."
I feel like I'm confident about the C # part and I think I'm pretty good at implementation-agnostic DB design (revisiting Data Modeling by Karlis and Maguire who were taught in college and reading Database Design For Mere Mortals "last week.) I have a decent knowledge of basic SQL, but mostly from classes 2 years ago (I don't use RDBMS in my current job) and in my external project I use LINQ to SQL so there is not much direct interactions with the DB and it is more of a program that requires data, whereas for this position I feel like it is the other way around.
What are some good online resources or tutorials to speed up? This is a junior position, so I don't want to be an expert in a few days or whatever, but I at least need to know what I'm talking about. Ideally, I would like something like Dive Into Python , which I really liked. Looking for something that can be digested in 2-3 days or so to translate theory into practice, as well as elevate syntax a bit, and everything there is to know about it is SQL Server / T-SQL.
Maybe some basic ADO.NET resources might be good too. The company I am interviewing has not yet updated to .NET 3.5, so LINQ to SQL and Entity Framework will not be available. Not really sure if I need that much for an interview, but it's still good to know.
I collect sheet music just for this. I know there are much better resources out there, but this is what I do to keep track of my notes, you might be interested in doing the same while you learn. http://tinyurl.com/r2y5tw
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In addition to online books:
Introduction to SQL Server (contains step-by-step walkthroughs)
Common solutions for T-SQL problems
Script Repository: SQL Server 2005
SO has several answers pointing to very useful resources:
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I've always liked SQL Server Central . They have a lot of good articles and every day they have a question of the day that you can try to answer. QOTD is a great way to get yourself to explore areas of SQL Server that you don't usually look at.
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Brent Ozar, a well known and respected SQL Server DBA in the community, has an entire area of his site dedicated to becoming a DBA.
http://www.brentozar.com/becoming-a-dba/
As far as database design is concerned, I'm sure you've covered this already, I would recommend that you sort out your knowledge and understanding of the normalization process. Transaction isolation levels are another common topic area, so check them out in SQL Server Books Online.
If you need any help with your studies or any SQL Server queries, you can always contact me.
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To provide a few lesser known and possibly more complex resources:
http://wiki.lessthandot.com/index.php/Category:Microsoft_SQL_Server
http://rusanu.com/articles/
Otherwise, you can invest in Safari book subscriptions online for a limited time . They have most of the books available to read online or ultimately to download some chapters.
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