7 New SQL Server Books Reshaping Database Management in 2025

When Michael E Kirshteyn Ph.D turned his focus to database administration, he brought decades of hands-on expertise with SQL Server to the table. This book guides you through the full spectrum of DBA responsibilities, from monitoring database health and securing access permissions to automating routine tasks and planning disaster recovery. Chapters like performance tuning and compliance management offer you concrete methods to optimize and safeguard your systems. Whether you're new to SQL Server administration or looking to sharpen your existing skills, this guide equips you with a clear roadmap to elevate your effectiveness without overcomplicating the essentials.

Drawing from Michael James Bennyhoff's expertise in delivering innovative data solutions, this book dives into managing and administering SQL Server with a focus on modern business needs. You’ll find detailed guidance on improving operational awareness and enabling analytics that matter to stakeholders, with practical insights into context-driven and domain-relevant data strategies. Chapters explore implementing cutting-edge SQL Server features to help your organization create value from data effectively. If you’re responsible for database management or data-driven decision-making, this book offers a grounded approach to harnessing SQL Server’s capabilities without unnecessary technical overload.

This personalized book explores the latest developments and discoveries in SQL Server as of 2025, tailored to your unique background and goals. It delves into cutting-edge insights and emerging trends, focusing on the aspects of SQL Server that matter most to you, whether that be performance tuning, cloud integration, or advanced data modeling. By matching your interests, it examines new features and techniques in a way that fits your current skill level and aspirations. The tailored approach ensures you engage deeply with the newest knowledge, revealing how recent innovations reshape database management and application development. This focused exploration helps you stay ahead in the evolving SQL Server ecosystem by emphasizing what you want to learn and apply.

Ed Maloane draws on his deep experience managing SQL Server environments to offer a focused guide on building and optimizing a SQL Server 2022 production system. You learn practical skills like configuring storage layouts tailored for SQL Server's I/O demands, setting up installations with security in mind, and maintaining databases through scripts that handle indexing and statistics updates. The book also covers monitoring tools and strategies for mitigating performance bottlenecks such as blocking and resource-intensive queries. If you're a database administrator or engineer with some SQL Server background looking to sharpen your production environment skills, this book provides clear, targeted insights without unnecessary complexity.

Drawing from extensive experience with SQL Server, Angelo Bobak tackles a complex area often overlooked: windowing and analytical functions. You’ll learn how to wield the OVER() clause and its configurations to partition and frame data effectively, mastering functions that go beyond simple aggregation. The book walks you through four detailed industry scenarios—sales, finance, engineering, and inventory control—to apply these methods in meaningful ways, including code examples and performance tuning techniques. If you’re an intermediate to advanced SQL Server developer or a technical analyst eager to deepen your data analysis and BI skills, this book gives you practical tools to enhance your work without overcomplicating the concepts.

Bryan Syverson and Joel Murach bring decades of combined experience in SQL Server development to this latest edition, focusing on practical mastery of SQL statements essential for database developers. The book guides you through querying and updating data, designing databases, and implementing advanced features like stored procedures, triggers, and security, with clear examples and paired-pages that enhance learning and reference. It also addresses cloud integration by covering Azure SQL databases, preparing you for modern development environments. Whether you're refining your SQL skills or adapting to cloud platforms, this book equips you with thorough professional capabilities to outpace your peers.

This tailored book explores the evolving landscape of SQL Server as it moves into 2025 and beyond. It covers the latest advances and innovations that are shaping the future of SQL Server infrastructure and skills. By focusing on your individual interests and role, this personalized guide examines new discoveries in performance tuning, cloud integration, security enhancements, and emerging data management techniques. It reveals how these developments can be aligned with your background and goals, enabling a forward-looking approach to mastering SQL Server. With tailored content, it helps you stay ahead in a field that continually evolves, emphasizing the knowledge you need most.

After analyzing the evolving capabilities of SQL Server graph features introduced in 2017 and enhanced in 2019, Louis Davidson developed this guide to help you harness complex, connected data. You’ll gain a clear understanding of graph models and learn to store and query highly interconnected data alongside traditional relational structures. The book dives into practical implementations like tree structures common in organizational data aggregation, complete with sample code and performance testing tools. If your work involves networked data topologies, this book offers concrete methods to utilize SQL Server’s graph features effectively, without getting lost in theoretical jargon.

Unlike most SQL Server books that focus solely on advanced features, Eric Frick’s Introduction to Microsoft SQL Server takes a foundational approach tailored for both beginners and those refreshing their skills. You’ll learn to write SQL queries, manage data with triggers and stored procedures, and understand essential concepts like normalization and database administration, all supported by clear examples and practical exercises. The inclusion of an interactive online course with hands-on labs sets this book apart, bridging theory with practice effectively. Whether you aim to use SQL Server professionally or personally, this book equips you with the core skills to navigate its environment confidently.