SQL Sparkle

SQL Server 2008 Tutorial

1. SQL Server 2008 Tutorial - Unlimited Version ( 1 year):

With the Unlimited Tutorial Version , you will access to our member section for 1 year. This includes new SQL Server tutorial video lessons, Transact SQL scripts, database tips and tricks in addition to SQL Server 2000 basic tutorial videos and SQL Server 2008 basic training videos. As our trainers come up with new database tutorial material, you will be the first one to access this content.

More information on the Unlimited SQL tutorial Package can be found here, at Members page. 

2. SQL Server 2008 Tutorial - DVD Version:

The DVD Tutorial Version has the SQL Server 2008 basic tutorial videos on a DVD. This DVD will be mailed to you after the purchase.

More information on the DVD Version can be found here.

3. SQL Server 2008 Tutorial - Download Version:

The Download Tutorial Version  has the SQL Server 2008 basic training videos available online. After the purchase is complete, you will be emailed instructions on how to download all the SQL tutorial files directly to your computer. With this option, you do not have to wait for snail mail and will have instant access to the SQL Server tutorials.

More information on the Download Version can be found here.

What is SQL Server?

What is SQL Server? SQL Server 2008 is the newest version of database system from Microsoft. It delivers a powerful, reliable and scalable enterprise solution in the high end database platforms. MS SQL 2008 extends the functionality of SQL Server 2005 Version with new features like data compression and policy based management. SQL Server 2008 delivers a rich set of integrated services that enable you to do more with your data such as query, search, migrate, synchronize, report, and analyze.

Detailed Info on SQL 2008 Basic Tutorial Videos:

Our SQL video training series takes a practical approach towards using MS SQL 2008 . It is presented by a senior level database professional with more than 10 years of Industry experiencewith SQL Server versions. The tutorial videos not only cover DBA (database administrator) topics on MS SQL 2008 like performance tuning, routine maintenance, job scheduling, backing up and restoring databases, monitoring and profiling but also discusses database development training in detail. The development area focuses on MS SQL 2008 tasks like creating tables, SQL views, functions, SQL stored procedures, database relationships and ERD (entity relationship diagrams) plus SQL commands using Transact SQL.

We have also made an effort to discuss Industry wide Best Practices as they relate to MS SQL 2008. This tutorial video series consists of more than 6 hours of professional instruction on MS SQL 2008 . The actual tutorial videos come in WMV format that will run on Microsoft Windows Media Player. Included in these SQL Server 2008 videos are PowerPoint presentations to help you in the learning process. This content is produced by and property of our partner site learningcomputer.com

Training on Installation of SQL Server 2008:

In this SQL Server 2008 tutorial, we walk you through the process of installing SQL Server Evaluation Enterprise version on Windows Vista. We teach about the Hardware and Software requirements for MS SQL 2008 version; next we demonstrate the Download SQL Server 2008 location on Microsoft's website. In the beginning of this SQL Server Lesson, we install the .NET framework and updated windows installer. After the reboot, we continue the SQL Server 2008 tutorial on Install wizard screen with additional resources and tools for MS SQL 2008. In the SQL Server 2008 demo, we go over the Installation Center, Setup Support Rules, SQL Server new feature selection and do a stand-alone installation. On the feature dialog box, one can select different MSSQL 2008 services to install. We recommend using Best Practice settings for service accounts; data file and log file locations in this SQL 2008 tutorial. After the final steps, the machine is rebooted and we are all set at this point. This video SQL Server tutorial is in two parts due to the necessary reboot. (Running times are 11 and 23 mins)

SQL Server 2008 Configuration Manager Tutorial:

We go over Configuration Manager in this MSSQL 2008 training. This tool is primarily used for two things: Configuring SQL Server services and also managing the Network Protocols. We jump into the SQL Server 2008 demo and cover starting, stopping and restarting different MS SQL 2008 services like Database Engine, SQL Agent, SSIS (SQL Server Integration Services), Browser etc. We teach about SQL Server "Best Practices" of using a domain service account and also bring up startup mode settings. As far as Network protocols are concerned, we go over server and client configurations in this SQL Server 2008 tutorial. TCP/IP is the preferred protocol for MSSQL 2008 due to ease and frequency of use. You can enable and disable protocols and their ports here. Important point is that the server and client’s machine are using the same SQL Server settings, whatever you may decide to use. (Running time is 17 mins)

SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) in MS SQL 2008:

We start off the SQL Server 2008 tutorial with SSMS that is an all-inclusive tool for managing SQL Server. It is equally important for database administrators and developers. We start this MSSQL 2008 tutorial video by mentioning important commands on the File and Toolbar menu. Next we discuss how to register a server and export the server list. We tackle the mighty Object Explorer that is at the heart of SSMS and can connect to different database MSSQL 2008 services. In object explore, everything is laid out in a hierarchy of folders which are split by function. When you are working with database, it trickles down to tables, field and properties etc. We wrap the Sql 08 tutorial by mentioning important tabs like Security, Server Objects, Replication and Management. Finally we finish the SQL 2008 training lesson with Vanilla Reporting capabilities in MS SQL 2008, scripting options and long awaited Intellisense. (Running time is 32 mins)

Working with Databases in MS SQL 2008:

In this SQL Server 2008 lesson on Microsoft SQL Server, we cover database design related topics in SQL 2008. We discuss some best practices regarding database management in general. The first SQL Server 2008 tutorial demo shows you how to create a database using MSSQL 2008 Management Studio. Next we go over some of the database options and settings like File location, Auto Shrink option, Recovery model etc. We switch gears in the SQL Server 2008 training and create a database using Transact SQL the coding language for MS SQL 2008. A nice feature in SQL Server is the ability to generate SQL scripts and SQL queries that help with administration tasks. We teach you how to execute the auto generated code to create another database. Commands like ALTER DATABASE, sp_helpdb, sp_dboption are explained next in the SQL Server 2008 tutorial with some examples to change database settings. Template Explorer is a time saver when it comes to unfamiliar code. We create a database using Template Explorer and end this lesson video on MSSQL 2008 with some highlights of the Help section. (Running time is 33 mins)

SQL Server 2008 Tutorial on Security in MSSQL:

There are many layers of Security in MS SQL 2008, some of which are Physical, OS, Surface Area, User Permissions, Domain Access, File and Folder Security. In this SQL Server 2008 training, we discuss Principals which are entities that can request MSSQL 2008 resources. At the server level there can be Windows or SQL Server principals. At the database level, there can be user, role or application principals and we teach that in this SQL Server class. Next in this SQL tutorial, we talk about different type of roles: Server or Database Roles. Server roles are always fixed like the sysadmin role. Database roles can be fixed like dbo or flexible that can be user defined. We also talk about TSQL statements and Catalog views that related to security in MS SQL 2008. The SQL Server 2008 tutorial demos include creating a SQL Server login which is assigned to database roles. Next we assign the user access to a securable like Table and test different permission scenarios. (Running time is 28 mins)

Transact SQL w/ SQL Server 2008:

If you want to be good at working with databases, strong knowledge of SQL commands and queries in MSSQL 2008 is a must. Transact SQL (TSQL) is the universal database language. In this video SQL Server 2008 tutorial on SQL server, we will use AdventureWorks2008 which is a sample database from Microsoft. We start off SQL 2008 Server video lesson with the SQL select statement which is used to return data. This is by far the most commonly used SQL command. The basic syntax of a SQL statement is discussed in SQL training with examples from Person and SalesOrderHeader tables including some best practices. A quick trick to copy a table in MS SQL 2008 is using SELECT * INTO which is shown next. We mention logical and standard operators. SQL Server demo includes SQL insert command that is used to populate data in the Person table. The next two queries are SQL update and SQL delete which are very powerful in nature. Using a WHERE clause is extremely important with these two. We show you how to change data in Person table towards the end of SQL Server 2008 training. (Running time is 32 mins)

SQL Server Administration, Maintenance and Job Automation Demo:

Regular maintenance is necessary as your databases grow over time. Along with that, job automation helps you focus on other responsibilities where MSSQL 2008 is able to handle routine administration tasks on its own. First off in this SQL 2008 Server training, we discuss concepts like Events, Alerts, Operators, and Jobs in MS SQL 2008. In the initial SQL demo we go over SQL configuration manager as it relates to SQL Server services. Next we cover SQL Server Agent and demonstrate you how to create an alert for when Transaction Log is full. This alert in turn sends a notification to the operator and also kicks off a SQL job 'Backup AW Log'. We discuss job steps in detail and the tsql code involved in these jobs. Next we go over Job Activity Monitor in MSSQL 2008 and view Job History to see if the jobs completed successfully. We end this SQL Server 2008 tutorial lesson with Database Mail and Maintenance Plans. Using maintenance plan, you can easily configure regular maintenance tasks. (Running time is 46 mins)

SQL Server 2008 tutorial on Backup and Restore plus Compression:

As a DBA, doing backups is of utmost important especially in my position. We start this SQL Server 2008 training demo on SQL 2008 by going over some terminology like backup, restore, full, differential, log, filegroups and compression. Next we look at the various types of backups available in MS SQL 2008. There are essentially three ways to do backups in SQL 2008 Server, Management Studio, TSQL and Maintenance Plans. Using sample database AdventureWorks2008, we modify some data and do Full, Differential and Log backups one by one in MSSQL 2008. With this SQL Server 2008 demo, we also show you how to do backups using tsql code. We continue the SQL Tutorial by going over the long overdue Compression feature in SQL 2008 Server. After backups, the next item is how to Restore (Recover) the database. Once more there are various ways to restore the database and we illustrate you that using SQL Server 2008 Tutorial demonstrations. We end the SQL Server 2008 teaching lesson with some SQL Server backup strategies and backups using Maintenance Plans. (Running time is 38 mins)

Entity Relationships Tutorial in MS SQL 2008 Server:

A SQL database is not much without relationships between tables. We kick off this video SQL Server 2008 tutorial by going over ERD (Entity Relationship Diagram) which displays a database structure or schema. We tackle terms like Entity (table), Attribute (field), Record (row), Primary and Foreign keys. We will use AdventureWorks2008 again as the source of our data. We discuss 1-1, 1-many and many-many relationships in MSSQL 2008. In the SQL 2008 Server training demo on MS SQL, we give you an idea about you how to create a database diagram, create a table with a primary key and establish a relationship with a foreign key. We use SSMS and TSQL commands to go over these concepts. Joins are of prime importance to deal with database relationships. We bring up Inner and Outer Joins and go over Sales Order and Customer data using joins. We finally end the SQL Server 2008 Tutorial lesson with Referential Integrity. (Running time 28 mins)

Monitoring and profiling tutorial on SQL Server 2008:

Monitoring and profiling your database server is a critical task especially if you are the DBA. We start this video SQL Server 2008 training on monitoring by looking at Task Manager, Event Viewer and Performance Monitor. We look at some system counters that are specifically geared towards SQL 2008 Server. Next we look at some canned reports that give you vital information at the server and database level. We use the SQL Server 2008 lesson to go over Activity Monitor so you get a feel for server activity. Moving onto Error Logs, you can troubleshoot errors in Database Engine and SQL Agent in MSSQL 2008. In addition to graphical tools, one can use TSQL and DMV's to get vital stats. SQL Server 2008 teacher ends this session with the most important monitoring tool, the SQL Profiler. We show you how to create a template, change events and columns. In order to see this in action, we create two SQL scripts that select and update customer data on AdventureWorks2008. (Running time 68 mins)

SQL Views, Functions and Stored Procedures using MS SQL 2008:

We wrap things in this final video of SQL Server 2008 tutorial with SQL view which is nothing more than a virtual table. It is primarily used to simplify complex transact SQL and can also be used as a security mechanism. The example presented here includes data from Employee table in AdventureWorks2008 database. Next we talk about SQL functions which help in processing and returning data back to the calling program. We use the AVG function to build our user defined function in MSSQL 2008 on Sales Order and product data. Finally in this SQL Server 2008 training we go over SQL stored procedure which is the preferred option for SQL programming. They help in faster execution and code reuse and encapsulation. We combine the database mail feature with stored procedure to generate a list of terminated employees and send the list via an email using Database Mail. (Running time 45 mins)

MS SQL 2008 Tutorial related topics:

1. SQL Server Learning from MSDN
2. Excellent source of SQL Server Tutorials and Training 
3. Compare our SQL Server DBA training to VTC and Save!!
4. Misc topics of Microsoft SQ 2008 training

Sql Server 2008 Tutorial.com is part of Kash Data Consulting LLC. We are a consulting company based in Dallas, Texas and specialize in Development, Administration, Training and Reporting on Microsoft SQL Server 2008.