Preface

Microsoft SQL Server is an enterprise database server that is the cornerstone of modern business applications and is in the center of the business processes of many leading organizations. The latest release of Microsoft SQL Server, SQL Server 2014, has many new features. These new features of SQL Server 2014 let you design, build, and deploy high-performance OLTP applications. Especially, the new in-memory technology of SQL Server 2014 helps you to design and implement high-performance OLTP applications. According to Microsoft, in some situations, implementing the new SQL Server 2014 in-memory technology for existing OLTP applications can improve the performance of these applications by 10 times. This book will provide you with all the skills you need to successfully design, build, and deploy databases using SQL Server 2014. Starting from the beginning, this book gives you an insight into the key stages of the SQL Server database process, provides you with an in-depth knowledge of the SQL Server database architecture, and shares tips to help you design the new database.

By sequentially working through the steps in each chapter, you will gain hands-on experience in designing, creating, and deploying SQL Server databases and objects. You will learn how to use SQL Server 2014 Management Studio and the advanced Transact-SQL queries to retrieve data from the SQL Server database. You will also learn how to add, modify, and delete data stored within a database. You will use Transact-SQL statements to create and manage advanced database objects that include scalar and table-valued functions, views, stored procedures, and triggers. Finally, you will learn about how the SQL Server 2014 relation engine works, how indexes and statistics improve query performance, and the new SQL Server 2014 in-memory technologies.