The Web is one of the most important information resources for solving problems and learning about new technologies. There's no way one person can know everything about SQL Server 2000, so everyone has areas of expertise. However, sometimes the projects you tackle don't fall neatly into your comfort zone, and the Web is typically the first place you look for answers. Here are my nine favorite SQL Server Web sites.
9. SQL Server Magazine
My personal favorite is the SQL Server Magazine Web site (http://www.sqlmag.com). The site has all the content from SQL Server Magazine as well as more than 30 active forums to answer your questions.
8. PASS
The Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS) Web site (http://www.sqlpass.org) hosts content for the PASS conferences, SQL Server chats, and Webcasts. The site also has several discussion forums, technical articles, and sample scripts.
7. SSWUG
In addition to technical articles about SQL Server, the SQL Server Worldwide User's Group (SSWUG) site (http://www.sswug.com) has technical information about IBM DB2 and Oracle database environments. The site hosts live Webcasts, forums, a script library, a list server, and blogs.
6. SQL-Server-Performance.com
The SQL-Server-Performance.com site (http://www.sql-server-performance.com), of course, is dedicated to SQL Server performance and tuning topics. This site has dozens of performance-tuning articles, plus clustering and log-shipping articles.
5. SQLTeam.com
The SQLTeam Web site (http://www.sqlteam.com) hosts articles covering database design, performance, and administration. In addition to several forums and an FAQ page, the site hosts an active list of SQL Server blogs.
4. YukonXML
You might want to check out YukonXML (http://www.yukonxml.com) for information about SQL Server 2005. The site has SQL Server 2005 articles, a blog, a discussion forum, and links to several Microsoft downloads for SQL Server.
3. SqlJunkies
The SqlJunkies site (http://www.sqljunkies.com) is an online community that hosts an active forum frequented by Microsoft program managers. The site also includes technical articles, links to SQL Server–related newsgroups, and several blogs.
2. SQL Server Developer Center
As its name suggests, the SQL Server Developer Center (http://msdn.microsoft.com/sql) is developer focused. The site contains technical articles, tool and utility downloads, Webcasts, and blogs and has a Remote Storage Service (RSS) feed.
1. SQL Server Home Page
Microsoft's SQL Server home page (http://www.microsoft.com/sql/default.mspx), provides a host of technical resources, including white papers, articles, Webcasts, SQL Server downloads, and links to SQL Server Community (http://www.microsoft.com/sql/community/default.mspx).