Rating: 
Summary: Check out Craig's web site!
Review:
If you'd like more information on the DB2 Developer's Guide, please consult Craig's web site at:
http://www.platinum.com/craigm
Or go right to information about the book at:
http://www.platinum.com/craigm/cm-book.htm
There you will be able to view the table of contents, a sample chapter, and reviews of the book.
Rating: 
Summary: What a winner!
Review: As DB2/Oracle DBA for 20 yrs., I find the book lacks some details on "How To". However, it provides a good overview of DB2 concepts, features and some examples. They could add examples on how to create some of the DB objects with the new features, more indepth coverage of utilities which are necessary for production DBA. You'll still need DB2 manuals. I reviewed/read a good number of DB2 books, with regret, I did not find a complete guide to DB2 for OS/390. So, I still think it's one of the ones you want to own.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Overview, little detail on "How To"
Review: As DB2/Oracle DBA for 20 yrs., I find the book lacks some details on "How To". However, it provides a good overview of DB2 concepts, features and some examples. They could add examples on how to create some of the DB objects with the new features, more indepth coverage of utilities which are necessary for production DBA. You'll still need DB2 manuals. I reviewed/read a good number of DB2 books, with regret, I did not find a complete guide to DB2 for OS/390. So, I still think it's one of the ones you want to own.
Rating: 
Summary: DB2 Developer's Guide - 4th Edition
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: DB2 Developer's Guide - 4th Edition
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: A Companion Guide for the DB2 Practioner
Review: Craig Mullin's FOURTH EDITION is impeccably organized and precisely written for the DB2 practitioner. The text covers DB2 for OS/390 (Version 6), including the functions and features attributed to IBM's UDB family of Relational Database Systems. Craig provides introductory treatment of the DB2 Subsystem Structures; Flows; and Interfaces; Predictive Analysis characteristics of the DB2 Optimizer; and extensive focus on DB2 EXPLAIN for maximizing application and Subsystem Performance. The FOURTH EDITION is laden with Best Practices for the DB2 Developer; Administrator; and Technical Support communities. The book provides a comprehensive overview of all facets of of Version 6 DB2, and as such, can direct you to the appropriate System Reference Library manual in the fewest number of hops. If you are a DB2 / UDB practitioner, Craig's FOURTH EDITION should become your Companion Guide.
Rating:
Summary: A Companion Guide for the DB2 Practioner
Review: Craig Mullin's FOURTH EDITION is impeccably organized and precisely written for the DB2 practitioner. The text covers DB2 for OS/390 (Version 6), including the functions and features attributed to IBM's UDB family of Relational Database Systems. Craig provides introductory treatment of the DB2 Subsystem Structures; Flows; and Interfaces; Predictive Analysis characteristics of the DB2 Optimizer; and extensive focus on DB2 EXPLAIN for maximizing application and Subsystem Performance. The FOURTH EDITION is laden with Best Practices for the DB2 Developer; Administrator; and Technical Support communities. The book provides a comprehensive overview of all facets of of Version 6 DB2, and as such, can direct you to the appropriate System Reference Library manual in the fewest number of hops. If you are a DB2 / UDB practitioner, Craig's FOURTH EDITION should become your Companion Guide.
Rating:
Summary: Index is Sorely Limited
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Index is Sorely Limited
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: The DB2 DBA's at our shop refer to it as the 'bible'.
Review: I don't even reach for the IBM manuals right away any more, - I always check Mullins first. His style is so much more readable and succinct than IBM's than it's easy to get caught up just reading it instead of looking up a single item. Very much worth the money - I'm buying my own copy.
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