How was this SQL Server books list created?

We searched for "best SQL Server books", found the top 5 articles, took every book mentioned in 2+ articles, and averaged their rankings.

How many SQL Server books are in this list?

There are 25 books in this list.

Why did you create this SQL Server books list?

We wanted to gather the most accurate list of SQL Server books on the internet.

25 Best SQL Server Books of All Time

Our goal: Find what the internet ranks as the best SQL Server books (instead of one person's opinion).

Our process:

Search for "best sql server books" and study the top 5 articles.
Add only the books mentioned 2+ times.
Rank the results neatly for you here! 😊
(This took a long time, but we do the research so you don't have to!)

(Updated 2023)

1
i
Murach's SQL Server 2019 for Developers
Joel Murach
Appears in 3 articles
2
i
Microsoft SQL Server 2019
A Beginner's Guide
Dusan Petkovic
Appears in 3 articles
3
i
Expert Scripting and Automation for SQL Server DBAs
Peter A. Carter
Appears in 3 articles
4
i
Troubleshooting SQL Server
A Guide for the Accidental DBA
Jonathan Kehayias
Appears in 3 articles
5
i
Securing SQL Server
Protecting Your Database from Attackers
Denny Cherry
Appears in 3 articles
6
i
SQL QuickStart Guide
The Simplified Beginner's Guide to Managing, Analyzing, and Manipulating Data With SQL
Walter Shields
Appears in 2 articles
7
i
SQL Practice Problems
57 Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Challenges for you to Solve Using a "Learn-by-Doing" Approach
Sylvia Moestl Vasilik
Appears in 2 articles
8
i
T-SQL Fundamentals
Itzik Ben-Gan
Appears in 2 articles
9
i
SQL Cookbook
Query Solutions and Techniques for Database Developers
Anthony Molinaro
Appears in 2 articles
10
i
Microsoft SQL Server 2012 T-SQL Fundamentals
Itzik Ben-Gan
Appears in 2 articles
11
i
Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2014
Ross Mistry
Appears in 2 articles
12
i
Delivering Business Intelligence with Microsoft SQL Server 2016
Brian Larson
Appears in 2 articles
13
i
Microsoft SQL Server T-SQL in 10 Minutes
Sams Teach Yourself
Ben Forta
Appears in 2 articles
14
i
Learn SQL Server Administration in a Month of Lunches
Covers Microsoft SQL Server 2005-2014
Don Jones
Appears in 2 articles
15
i
Pro SQL Server Internals
Dmitri Korotkevitch
Appears in 2 articles
16
i
Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Internals
Kalen Delaney
Appears in 2 articles
17
i
SQL Server Execution Plans
Grant Fritchey
Appears in 2 articles
18
i
SQL Server 2008 Administration in Action
Rod Colledge
Appears in 2 articles
19
i
Applied Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services
Teo Lachev
Appears in 2 articles
20
i
High Performance SQL Server
The Go Faster Book
Benjamin Nevarez
Appears in 2 articles
21
i
Professional SQL Server 2012 Internals and Troubleshooting
Christian Bolton
Appears in 2 articles
22
i
SQL Server 2016 Reporting Services Cookbook
Dinesh Priyankara
Appears in 2 articles
23
i
Expert Performance Indexing for SQL Server 2012
Jason Strate
Appears in 2 articles
24
i
SQL Server T-SQL Recipes
David Dye
Appears in 2 articles
25
i
SQL Server Internals
In-Memory Oltp
Kalen Delaney
Appears in 2 articles

Sources

FAQ

How was this SQL Server books list created?
We searched for "best SQL Server books", found the top 5 articles, took every book mentioned in 2+ articles, and averaged their rankings.
How many SQL Server books are in this list?
There are 25 books in this list.
Why did you create this SQL Server books list?
We wanted to gather the most accurate list of SQL Server books on the internet.