Write more efficient and powerful queries by mastering the foundations of Transact-SQL, the Microsoft implementation of the SQL language. With this hands-on guide, you'll gain a solid understanding of T-SQL and good programming practices through the right balance of conceptual and practical content. You'll quickly learn how to develop code for querying and modifying data. Discover how to: Apply T-SQL fundamentals, create tables, and define data integrity Understand logical query processing Query multiple tables using joins and subqueries Simplify code and improve maintainability with table expressions Explore pivoting techniques and how to handle grouping sets Write code that modifies data Isolate inconsistent data and address deadlock and blocking scenarios