Discover how to turn requirements into working software increments - faster and more efficiently - using Visual Studio 2012 in combination with Scrum and Agile engineering practices. Designed for software development teams, this guide delivers pragmatic, role-based guidance for exploiting the capabilities of Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) tools in Visual Studio and Team Foundation Server. Team members will learn proven practices and techniques for implementing Scrum to manage an application's life cycle, as well as seamlessly plan, manage, and track their Scrum projects. more »

Your hands-on, step-by-step guide to the programming fundamentals for Windows Azure.

Teach yourself how to build and host scalable applications in the cloud using Windows Azure - one step at a time. Ideal for those with basic programming skills, this tutorial provides practical, learn-by-doing exercises for working with the core services and features of the Windows Azure platform. more »

Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2012 explores the exciting enhancements and new capabilities engineered into SQL Server, ranging from improvements in operation to those in reporting and management. This book is for anyone who has an interest in SQL Server 2012 and wants to understand its capabilities, including database administrators, application developers, and technical decision makers. more »

Optimize your queries - and obtain simple and elegant solutions to a variety of problems - using window functions in Transact-SQL. Led by T-SQL expert Itzik Ben-Gan, you'll learn how to apply calculations against sets of rows in a flexible, clear, and efficient manner. Ideal whether you're a database administrator or developer, this practical guide demonstrates ways to use more than a dozen T-SQL querying solutions to address common business tasks. more »

Learn the fundamentals of programming with HTML5 - and begin building your first standards-based web pages from the ground up. If you have absolutely no previous experience, no problem - simply start here! This book introduces must-know concepts and getting-started techniques through easy-to-follow explanations, examples, and exercises. more »

You're beyond the basics - so dive right into Windows 8 and really put your PC to work! This supremely organized reference is packed with hundreds of timesaving solutions, troubleshooting tips, and workarounds. It's all muscle and no fluff. Discover how the experts tackle Windows 8 - and challenge yourself to new levels of mastery! more »

As software complexity increases, proper build practices become ever more important. This essential reference - fully updated for Visual Studio 2010 - drills inside MSBuild and shows you how to maximize your control over the build and deployment process. Learn how to customize and extend build processes with MSBuild - and scale them to the team, product, or enterprise level with Team Foundation Build. more »

Take your PHP programming skills deep into Windows - and build PHP applications that run efficiently and effectively on an array of Windows technologies. Packed with hands-on exercises, this in-depth guide shows you how to use PHP to interact with Internet Information Services 7.5 (IIS), Microsoft SQL Server® 2008, Microsoft Exchange Server 2010, and Active Directory. You'll quickly learn how to apply best practices for running PHP applications in a Windows environment. more »

Grasp the basic concepts that drive all Microsoft .NET-based languages - and prepare yourself to learn .NET programming. If you have absolutely no previous experience, no problem - simply start here! This ebook provides the foundation for all other .NET programming language books in the Start Here! series. You'll explore programming concepts and techniques with clear explanations, easy-to-follow examples, and exercises. It's the perfect reference for understanding how computer programs work. more »

Learn the fundamentals of modern programming with Visual Basic 2012 - and begin building your first Windows 8 apps for the desktop. If you have absolutely no previous experience with Visual Basic, no problem - simply start here! This book introduces must-know concepts and techniques through easy-to-follow explanations, examples, and exercises. more »