Acknowledgments

First, I would like to thank Tejaswi Redkar, my colleague and mentor, who connected me with Apress and gave me the confidence to write. Without his encouragement, I am not sure if I would have ventured this journey. I would like to thank the Apress team, especially Jonathan Gennick and Mark Powers, for giving me the opportunity and putting up with me as a first—time writer. Robin Dewson, our technical reviewer, helped me tremendously to shape the content of this book. I would like to thank my husband and my son for their patience when I was unavailable—most evenings and weekends—while writing the book. I especially appreciate my husband for proofreading and correcting countless mistakes, even when he was tired and busy.

Speaking on a personal front, this book, my career, and everything I do and am today is due to my parents. They made sacrifices along the way to give me opportunities they never had. They allowed me to chase my dreams. I am always thankful for their support. I would also like thank my mentors—Rick Hines, Robert E. Avery, Lou Carbone, Robert Skoglund, John Nisi, and Lenny Fenster—for their guidance and help in shaping my career. Last but not least, I want to thank you for purchasing this book. Hopefully, it will provide you overview and direction as you develop solutions using SQL Server 2012.

—Jay Natarajan

I would simply like to thank my family for their support. Thank you also to my coauthors and the Apress team. It has been a real pleasure to work with you.

—Rudi Bruchez