A major software release, SQL 2000 is tailor-made for the multitude of programmers working in the Windows 2000 Active Directory environment, which allows administrators and others to manage and share data. This thorough guide is written for users switching from SQL 7 under Windows NT, as well as those starting from scratch. Clear, concise, and packed with examples, it includes: A migration-path chapter for users who are upgrading; configuration techniques using new data warehousing and XML capacities; case studies depicting large-scale deployments of applications and databases built with SQL 2000; a "fast-track" chapter at the end summarizing the entire book; a "secrets" appendix giving information on the least-known, but most powerful features of Microsoft SQL Server 2000; detailing new features of Windows and SQL 2000 and designed for easy reference, this is the professional's step-by-step, fully illustrated introduction to an exciting new data management system.