Any tips for a Sybase developer learning SQLServer?

I'm an experienced Sybase developer (10+ years) looking to branch out into SQLSe开发者_高级运维rver. Does anyone have any advice on good courses / books to help me transition? Thanks.

SQLServer originally came from Sybase so I don't think you're going to have any major issues. Still, you might find this article helpful.

http://www.devarticles.com/c/a/SQL-Server/Migrating-from-Sybase-to-SQL-Server/

Microsoft has a tool - SQL Server Migration Assistant for Sybase that automates porting of your database from Sybase ASE to SQL Server 2005 or 2008 (including T-SQL, e.g. in your stored procedures) and you may find some useful documentation regarding migration process there too: http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2005/en/us/migration-sybase.aspx

Maybe you should also look at new features of SQL Server 2005/2008 more closely (in comparison with SQL Server 2000) because at least ASE 12.5 was more close to SQL Server 2000 (for example, you had no varchar(max)/varbinary(max)/nvarchar(max), newer MS' T-SQL enhancements are not likely to be available in Sybase because I doubt Sybase likes to add every feature Microsoft adds :) ).

For a developer I really don't think there is anything you should be worried about. The Sybase origins of SQL Server will clearly show up in all common tasks.

One thing I would recommend is to go over the features that appeared in SQL Server since 2005 and 2008 releases, specially 2005. You want to give them a cursory look just to understand what they do and to be prepared to use them in your arsenal: Crypto functions, CLR procedures, XML data type, varchar/varbinary(MAX) types, Service Broker, snapshot isolation, filestream storage, MERGE statement, common table expressions and recursive queries.

A book that is targeted specifically at developers for SQL 2005 should also be of elp, like Expert SQL Server 2005 Development perhaps. Make sure is a new content book, not a reprint of a SQL 2000 book updated for 2005. For more advanced coverage, the Inside SQL 2005 series is very good.

I'd suggest hands on work would be good and just see how you get on.

Have you a favourite Sybase DB to port, for example, reading up as you go along?