Among other books that I have reviewed in past, I had pleasure reviewing Mike’s “Microsoft Exchange 2010 PowerShell Cookbook” when it was release in 2011. So, when PACKT Publishing asked me if I would be interested in reviewing his new book “Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 PowerShell Cookbook: Second Edition”, I didn’t have to think much.

It is important to mention that I am not paid by PACKT Publishing to review this book. This review and opinions are genuinely my own.

Having read Mike’s previous book, I had high expectations, and I must say, I wasn’t disappointed.

The Book

The book promises to provide with task-based recipes for managing and maintaining Microsoft Exchange 2013 environment using PowerShell.

The authors, Mike Pfeiffer and Jonas Andresson are both technically sound experts in the field and are recognized as Microsoft’s MVP program and Mike is also a Microsoft Certified Master (MCM) in Exchange Server. I must say by sheer coincidence, we happen to be in Redmond for a week, upgrading our MCM certification to Exchange 2013!

The book is organized in 13 chapters. Each pertaining to a specific focus area such as Key Concepts, Managing Recipients and so on. The structure provides a great way of focusing on tasks that are important to the reader and makes finding them easy.

The Content

Each section is written for pre-defined tasks. Each task broken down into explanation, approach to scripting given task, facts about challenges related to given task and more insight as needed. The flow gives reader a very precise approach to the content written without hanging them dry for related information that might be important while not strictly a script.

The sidebars and other highlights draw reader’s attention to important information such as subtle but important differences between versions of Exchange and how it affects scripting given tasks. I found them rich of information not to be missed.

Conclusion

I found the book very informative and true to the spirit of the title of the book. If you are looking for a book that teaches you innerworkings of Exchange server, this isn’t it. If you are looking form great information on how to achieve given tasks with Exchange Server 2013, this is the book you want.

While everything in the world has a better way of doing things, I don’t like to criticize unless it is absolutely warranted. For this book, I fail to find a reason to provide any constructive criticism, which is a great thing in itself!

Hope you find this review helpful. Cheers!