PowerShell for SQL Server Essentials: Manage and monitor SQL Server administration and application deployment with PowerShell

This is a quality book and well worth the investment.I have been a Microsoft Technical Trainer for over 15 years and I have found this to be a high-quality book. I have expertise in MS PowerShell and teach PowerShell classes regularly, however, I am not an SQL admin. I purchased this book to assist in my learning processes for SQL and SQL Administration and it does a very good job at that.The ideal candidate for this book is an existing SQL administrator with a small to moderate amount of PowerShell experience. The first chapter of this book is a brief overview of PowerShell in general. If this book has one weakness it is that the first chapter alone is probably not adequate for a person who has absolutely no PowerShell or other cmdline experience. In defense of the book, this is not the purpose of the book, there are many other books that provide a good general knowledge of PowerShell.An existing SQL admin who is wanting to improve their skills and efficiency with PowerShell would be very well-served by this book, I highly recommend it.

More for administrators than a developer like me, but got me started on several directions.

Hi,I have written a detailed chapter-by-chapter review of this book on www DOT i-programmer DOT info, the first and last parts of this review are given here. For my review of all chapters, search i-programmer DOT info for STIRK together with the book's title.This book aims to introduce you to PowerShell and how it can be used with SQL Server. How well does it do it?PowerShell is Microsoft’s preferred scripting tool, useful for task automation and integration across products. It’s often specified as a tool which DBAs are eager to learn about. With growing numbers of servers, a tool that helps with admin is to be welcomed.The book is aimed at SQL Server administrators, and might be useful for developers too. To get the most out of this book, some basic awareness of scripting is needed.Below is a chapter-by-chapter exploration of the topics covered.Chapter 1 Getting Started with PowerShellThe book opens with a brief history of PowerShell, being a replacement for a diverse collection of tools (e.g. VB Script). PowerShell eventually became the tool of choice for automation and integration between Microsoft products.The chapter continues with a look at the PowerShell environment, both the console and the GUI (Integrated Scripting Environment – ISE) are discussed. The importance of execution policies and how they impact running local or remote scripts is explained. The various versions of PowerShell are listed together with their salient features.Next, cmdlets are discussed, these form the core of PowerShell, performing specific tasks. The cmdlet Verb-Noun naming convention is described (e.g. Get-Help), which makes it easier to guess a command.PowerShell providers, which allow access to a data store, are briefly discussed. Extending PowerShell with snap-ins or (preferred) modules is examined. The ability to chain together cmdlets using pipes is noted (similar to Unix).There’s a useful overview of PowerShell scripting basics, including a table showing the scripting components and their meaning. Saving and running a script is shown.The chapter ends with a helpful section on where and how to get help, this is of paramount importance to the beginner. The use of partial command-name search is noted.The chapter provides a very helpful introduction to PowerShell, its environments and usage. The chapter is useful irrespective of SQL Server. Some awareness of scripting/PowerShell is assumed, so it’s not a book for the complete beginner. Some terms are used before being defined (e.g. cmdlets)The chapter is well written, with useful website links, tables, screenshots, and summary. The chapter has lots of useful tips (e.g. downgrade session version). These traits apply to the whole book....ConclusionThis book aims to introduce you to PowerShell and how it can be used with SQL Server, and succeeds. The book is well written, easy to read, with useful website links, and screenshots. The book is filled with useful incidental tips, and contains plenty of template code that could form the basis of your own code. Some understanding of scripting in general is assumed.With all the different versions of the various software mentioned (e.g. SQL Server, PowerShell, Windows, .NET), I found the topic (but not the book) a bit messy. It would have been useful to have included examples of scheduling PowerShell scripts using SQL Server Agent and Windows Task Scheduler. The book’s title should reflect the main versions of software used (i.e. SQL Server 2014, and PowerShell v4).PowerShell is undoubtedly a useful tool for task automation and product integration, and is a valuable addition to your toolbox. There is much more to learn of course, but this book is a great starting place.Overall, this is a useful introduction to PowerShell, and its usage for SQL Server. Recommended.

Good addition to my already existing list of PS..

Worst product.