5 comments about DB2(R) High Performance Design and Tuning.

1. Enough can't be said about the usefulness of this book. Rather than explain how things work in DB2, it gives great advice on making DB2 applications perform. We changed a few things that we were a little wrong about, and significantly changed how memory was being allocated (BP, EDM, etc.), and reduced I/O and achieved measureably more transaction throughtput. And we have only started going though all the information, about 680 pages of it. The chapters on Data Sharing really answered some questions that we didn't understand -- great info. Just wish this book had been around earlier.



2. Just like another book DB2 Answers, it is only for the IBM Mainframe, does not cover UNIX, NT and OS/2 well. Does not cover any topic in substantial details.

   I am working on the IBM RS6000 and I did not get what I was looking for.




3. Now that I have your attention -- I must confess I have not yet seen this book. But Richard Yevich has consulted my organization on a complex DB2 system, and I would say that his collaboration on this book should guarantee useful insights.

   Note that this book will likely be only for an mainframe environment. For Unix or NT, I would go with a book on the DB2 UDB version.




4. This text has more insight than any other text I have read on tuning a mainframe DB2 system. The text sometimes seems disjointed, but in trying to cram all of the authors combined knowledge and experience into one text and trying to give it some order, is daunting. I would have to say this text rates a bit higher on the scale than DB2 Developer's Guide by Craig Mullins because it is not trying to cover all of the bases that Mr. Mullins is in his book. This is strictly for giving pointers on tuning DB2 in a mainframe OS/390 environment. I hope the authors combine their efforts and put out a true "DB2 for OS/390 Certification Guide" so we DB2 DBAs can train newcomers to the field. Their latest effort falls short of that.



5. Book gives a great over view and lays out a common sense approach to performance. Each chapter opens up talking a good game but then falls short of the expectations that it has set.

   Book falls short by not covering the SQL Optimizer, how it works, or how to change the pre-bind parameters to influence it. Covers DB2 version 5-6 and mentions some things coming along in version 7. Book lists "Hints" but does not give definitions for each one nor the behavior that it should invoke.

   Performance tools, techniques, scripts, screenshots are all from the mainframe environment. The event monitor GUI on the windows 200 interface tells you how code is actually behaving instead of the SETEXPLAIN which makes estimates and guesses. The book never mentions the event monitor tool. (I like books that cover different implimentations.)

   Considering that this is the only performance book available for DB2, it's the best. I have an older Oracle performance book that most of my SQL Tuning/modeling techniques are based on. This DB2 book doesn't compare in depth or breadth.

   If your new to DB2 or to Tuning, this book could help you out.
   If you already know Tuning or another database, read the DB2 RedBooks at ibm.com, they're free.

No comments about DB2 for Z/os Stored Procedures: Through the Call And Beyond (IBM Redbooks).

No comments about Siebel 7.8 With IBM DB2 Udb V8.2 Handbook.

No comments about Aston Martin DB2 DB3 DB4 DB5 DB6 Development and Racing.

No comments about DB2(R) Universal Database for OS/390: An Introduction to DB2(R) OS390 Version 7 (IBM DB2 Certification Guides).

No comments about OnDemand SQL Performance Analysis Simplified on DB2 for i5/OS in V5R4.

No comments about QMF: How to use query management facility with DB2 and SQL/DS (QED IBM mainframe series).

5 comments about DB2 Universal Database V6.1 for Unix, Windows and OS/2 Certification Guide (3rd Edition).

1. This book is a significant enhancement to the previous edition that covered DB2 UDB Version 5. The book provides good overviews of post-V5 feature additions, including DB2 Satellite Edition, Data Links Manager, the Audit Facility and Query Patroller. Recent additions to DB2 SQL, like table functions, structured types, typed tables and summary tables, are also well covered. The coverage of structured types and typed tables, some of the newer DB2 object-relational features, is particularly good.

   It is rare to find so much detailed, hard technical knowledge, well presented, between the pages of a single book. Almost all of the good detail of the previous edition is preserved and added to. This edition is over 200 pages longer than its predecessor.

   This book is a good complement to Don Chamberlin's excellent "A Complete Guide to DB2". It is not as easy to read (it is a study guide after all), but does provide more detail on the database administration side.

   If you are studying for your IBM DB2 certification exams, or if you are or wish to become a hard-core DB2 user, this book would be a welcome addition to your library.




2. This book should be your first stop if you're new to DB2, and it is a welcome addition an old pro's library. This is a worthy update from the V5 Certification Guide, both in terms of readability and additional content. DB2's product documentation has most everything you'll need day-to-day, but it is quite dense. This book helps clarify the main points and will act as a useful reference and supplement to the product documentation.



3. I find the book OK but there are still quite a few points which deserve a little critics. It's true that it covers more or less all the topics but I can see relativly little concepts behind it. My impression is that many parts of the book are simply copied out from the "official" documentation. Well, OK, someone made the preselection for you and presents you the "important" things, leaving out the "less important". For me, it's too little for a book which should teach you DB2 UDB. The effect is that things are used in the text which are explained much later - without referencing. The book is not really in-depth; in my eyes, it's too complicated for an introduction and too little for everyday DBA work. I am missing conceptual explanations - I can read the online documentation myself. Eg. the Oracle8 DBA books (for courses) are much better, the things are explained there in clear steps and you feel that someone was thinking deeply how to construct these steps. Compared to those Oracle books, in this sense this book really legs behind. I felt a little lost while reading it. It was only at the end of the book that many things and relations became clear to me - a little late. My conclusion: This book contains much valuable information, no question, but the structure could be better. If you are new to DB2 UDB, don't hesitate and buy this book but organize yourself also a large portion of patience. Someone stated this book be "easy to read". I can't confirm this - assuming your aim is understanding how DB2 UDB really works.



4. Considering that IBM's DB2 manuals are spread over more than 20 different books, a major obstacle for any beginner, a book like this was always needed.

   This book is very well written and very useful to give you a broad overview of DB2. This book mostly includes materials already found in the manuals but in a far more concise and 'to the point' manner.

   However on the minus sides of this book, adding the word certification to the title probably confuses the buyer. Most of the DB2 certifications need more knowledge then that provided by this book. From a certication point of view this book needs more in-depth coverage, examples and mock tests.

   And lastly remember, at $60.00 (well $59.99, but that doesn't fool me) it costs more than the hardcopy manuals of DB2 Administration v7.0 (3 vols), Application developement guide v7.0, Data movement utilites guide v7.0 combined!!




5. Make sure you read this book thorough enough. Supplement with DB2 for dummies you should be ok. I have read both version 6.1 and 7.1, i felt 6.1 has more important information than 7.1. Also, 7.1 has more incorrect sample questions and answers, so beware with the 7.1.

   EQ

No comments about DB2 Universal Database in Application Development Environments.

No comments about DB2 Handbook for Dbas (J Ranade Ibm Series).