Product Description

DB2 Developer's Guide, Fourth Edition is completely revised and updated, covering all the new features for Version 6 for OS/390. It includes a special chapter on how changes to the product impact its use. This book clarifies complex DB2 topics, provides performance and procedural advice for implementing well-designed DB2 applications, and describes what DB2 does behind the scenes. An entire chapter on Internet-related features is included.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1462103 in Books
• Published on: 2000-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 1639 pages

Review
DB2 performance techniques for applications programs! This book explains the development environments of DB2. "Includes many tips and experience-based techniques. Discusses encoding efficient SQL, monitoring, and tuning DB2 performance". Covers Version 2.3. -- Sams Pub.

From the Back Cover
DB2 Developer's Guide, Fourth Edition is completely revised and updated, covering all the new features for Version 6 for OS/390. It includes a special chapter on how changes to the product impact its use. This book clarifies complex DB2 topics, provides performance and procedural advice for implementing well-designed DB2 applications, and describes what DB2 does behind the scenes. An entire chapter on Internet-related features is included.

About the Author
Craig S. Mullins is Director of DB2 Technology Planning for BMC Software, Inc. He has extensive experience in all facets of database systems development, teaching database management courses, systems analysis and design, database and system administration, and data analysis. He has worked with DB2 for OS/390 since Version 1 and has spoken on DB2 and database management at many database-related events worldwide.

Customer Reviews

DB2 Developer's Guide - 4th Edition
Being a mainframe DB2 DBA for IBM Global Services, I found this book useful but not the "Bible" that some have branded it. It covers a wide array of topics relating to mainframe DB2. As some have indicated this is not a text for the UNIX or WINDOWS environment. It is exclusively for OS/390. It is a great starting point for someone looking to gain an overall knowledge of how DB2 works in that environment. But, here again, a text short on depth in many areas. But, in defense of any author trying to put together a text on DB2, there are just too many areas of depth that would have to be covered. I would like to see a text that covers typical knowledge areas and scenarios that a DB2 DBA would encounter on a daily basis and give solutions on the problem. A text that could be used as a training manual for people who want to become a certified DB2 DBA. Still, if you are looking for the one book you should have to begin with, this is the best one so far.

Index is Sorely Limited
I am an experienced COBOL and DB2 programmer and purchased this book to use as a reference. It does cover a lot of material and co-workers use it frequently as a source for answers to in depth questions not available in other references. There is a lot of good stuff in this book.

However, I find it extremely difficult to use as a reference because the index seldom contains an entry relevant to my question. There is a LOT of information in this book and the index could stand to be several times larger in order to successfully direct you to that information. Unless you already know what you're looking for, chances are slim that you will find it in the index.

For example, I found a parameter in a SELECT statement "WITH UR" and needed to know what it meant. There was no entry under "WITH" nor "UR". There was nothing about this parm in the index under "SELECT" either. I had to go to the online IBM manuals to find out that "UR" is an isolation level and was then able to go back to the "DB2 Developer's Guide" index to find the information that I needed indexed under "isolation level".

My experience is almost exactly the same every time that I try to use this book. Again - there's a lot of info and I like the book when I do find what I want, but it be warned that you may also have difficulty using the book as a reference.

What a winner!
This is the first time I have used any of Craig S. Mullins's books. I found it to be indispensible for those who wish to have a clear and readable companion to help them with their understanding of DB2 UDB for OS/390. Although IBM's manuals online are essential for the minute details, this book helps simplify matters so that you can apply the required jobs, utilities, names and so on in a coherent and safe way. It probably means thatyou have the equivalent of 2 years or more DBA experience just by keeping it on your desk. As a mainframe programmer, I have found that it has enabled me to support DB2 Databases with an expertise which would have taken me a number of years to acquire without Mr Mullins's help. I must thank him for giving me a big boost to my career.