作者Itzik为《Microsoft SQL Server 2005技术内幕:T-SQL程序设计》一书中文版所作的序(英文)

Foreword

In memory of Sensei Leon Pantanowitz
My greatest teacher

I was delighted to hear that my books are being translated to Chinese.
I believe in knowledge transfer; that’s why I write books and teach courses. My Sensei—Leon Pantanowitz—once illustrated the transfer of knowledge by comparing it to two lakes in Israel—the Sea of Galilee and the Dead See. The Jordan River flows into the Sea of Galilee from one side, and continues flowing from the other side of the lake. The lake is full of fish and surrounded by flourishing vegetation. On the other hand, the very same Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea but no river flows out of it. There are no fish in the lake and no vegetation surrounding it. Teachers are like the Sea of Galilee—they acquire knowledge and transfer it on; this way they keep being fruitful.
Sensei Leon Pantanowitz dedicated his life to the study and the teaching of the art of Okinawan GoJu Ryu Karate Do. Interestingly, there’s a clear line of teachers originating in China passing the knowledge of the art to my Sensei: Sensei Ryu Ryu Ko (China) – Sensei Kanryo Higaonna – Sensei Chojun Miyagi – Sensei An’ichi Miyagi – Sensei Morio Higaonna – Sensei Leon Pantanowitz. Consequently, my studying of the art in the passing years originated in China. So for me, the Chinese translation of the books is an opportunity to pass my knowledge to Chinese people, and this way close a loop.
My Sensei passed away recently and I feel how great the loss is to me and to his many other students. But I cherish his teachings and his words of wisdom and would like to dedicate this Chinese translation to him.
I love teaching; it’s in my heart and soul. Many years ago the Chinese invented the print, and this invention was a great contribution to knowledge transfer. So again, the fact that you are now holding these books in your hand is a consequence of technology that originated in China.
Everyone is talking about the fast development that China is experiencing in the technology area nowadays. All forecasts today say that it won’t be long before China will be at the forefront of economy and technological advancements. Databases play a major role in any technological advancement, and the T-SQL language is at the heart of the SQL Server database—it’s the language by which you as a developer communicate with the database. Mastering T-SQL is much more of an art than a science; it’s beautiful, full of logic and small details. My belief is that you can’t master it or reach perfection, rather work diligently and walk the path in attempt to master it and perfect your techniques. But walking this path can bear great fruits. Thus I believe that your investment of time in acquiring and deepening your knowledge in T-SQL is important.
Zhao Lidong—one of the main translators of these books—told me that Chinese people have a hunger for new technical knowledge. I was happy to hear these words because this means that you have the potential to appreciate T-SQL the way it deserves, and bear fruits from the process of learning and practicing it.
The books cover T-SQL in-depth. There are different ways to read them, and consequently different levels of knowledge that you can acquire from them. If you skim through the books, you will not get the essence. The true essence of knowledge is in the small details, and in order to really understand the small details you need to invest time and effort. Spend time trying to understand each example thoroughly; when the book presents a problem, first try to solve it yourself. Then look at the solution proposed by the book, make sure you understand it, and compare it to yours. Yes, this will take much longer than skimming through the books; but this way, you will get to the essence of things and get the most out of the books. If you think about it, I poured over ten years of my experience into these books. You have a chance to acquire this knowledge in much less time.
I would like to express my gratitude to the translators of the books for your hard work:
Zhao Lidong, Tang Can and Liu Bo
I would also like to thank the publisher Broadview of publishing House of Electronics Industry for the exposure of the books to the Chinese audience.
Sincerely,
Itzik