I preach on my website that database performance is mostly won or lost during the design and implementation stage. And can you believe it, here is an author who believes the same thing, and provides you with much of the information you need to design lightening fast databases. Completing the Project Don't let the somewhat prosaic topics above put you to sleep. Although not comprehensive, it does cover most of what you need to know from the perspective of implementing a database in the real world. Probably not right away.
Database design is incredibly difficult to do right and requires years of experience.
But this book will give you a great jump start in a way that is both readable and understandable. Unless you are a SQL Server database design expert, I highly recommend that you add this book to your collection of favorite SQL Server database books.