Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Master Data Services Book Review

This is a very hands on book. It walks you through using every aspect of the current MDS tools. It starts out with an introduction to Master Data Services and then jumps right into installation and configuration. You then create an MDS Project and add a new Model to it by hand. The book does a great job of providing step by step instructions. As I went through the book I didn't get the feeling I was lost. The authors do a good job of keeping you moving forward at the right pace. The book has chapters on Starting an MDS Project, Creating Your Model, Integrating Master Data Services with Other Systems, Working with Hierarchies and Collection, Working with Master Data, Using Business Rules, Creating Versions of Data, Using Metadata, Implementing Security, Publishing Data to External Systems, and Extending MDS with Web Services. I cannot recommend using the current Microsoft MDM tools to anyone, but it can’t hurt to start learning them now. The Microsoft MDM tools are showing signs of improvement with Denali, but they still have a way to go before the product is a competitor to products like the IBM MDM stack. I can however recommend this book as a great resource for learning all about the current Microsoft MDM tools. The tools are not that straight forward to learn and this book does a great job of neutralizing the confusion and teaching you the ins and outs of the MDS tools offered by Microsoft in SQL Server 2008 R2. The authors provide a nice download that contains a sample model package, sample data in CVS files and a visual studio solution that wraps the MDS web service. All in all I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to get up to speed quickly with the Microsoft MDS tools.

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Master Data Services