DB2 Certification Guide for Common Servers

Rating:
Summary: A thorough-bred from IBM DB2 stable to ride on for DB2 exam.
Review: I have had a long experience with DB2, albeit in MVS platform but this book provided a useful insight into the workings of DB2 for Common Servers. As I am readying myself to get the DB2 certification, this book lifted my comfort level more than a couple of notches and the fog of hesitation and fright that seemed to hinder my journey on the road to exam has transformed into a bright and sunny path. If you are not aiming for IBM DB2 certification, please do not be misled by the authors' claims that the book is also an excellent reference material for DB2 Common Servers, which it is not. It just serves as a good study guide - 'good' being the operative word. The absence of any competitive product and the prohibitive cost of IBM sponsored / conducted classes on the subject make this book an easy winner. The CD-ROM that accompanies this book is filled with ready-to-use goodies, including a DB2 Single-User product. The flip side is that you can use these only for a limited time. (Not all things in life are free, are they?).

Rating:
Summary: A thorough-bred from IBM DB2 stable to ride on for DB2 exam.
Review: I have had a long experience with DB2, albeit in MVS platform but this book provided a useful insight into the workings of DB2 for Common Servers. As I am readying myself to get the DB2 certification, this book lifted my comfort level more than a couple of notches and the fog of hesitation and fright that seemed to hinder my journey on the road to exam has transformed into a bright and sunny path. If you are not aiming for IBM DB2 certification, please do not be misled by the authors' claims that the book is also an excellent reference material for DB2 Common Servers, which it is not. It just serves as a good study guide - 'good' being the operative word. The absence of any competitive product and the prohibitive cost of IBM sponsored / conducted classes on the subject make this book an easy winner. The CD-ROM that accompanies this book is filled with ready-to-use goodies, including a DB2 Single-User product. The flip side is that you can use these only for a limited time. (Not all things in life are free, are they?).

Rating:
Summary: Great aid in passing the exams but awful proofreading job.
Review: I just passed the DB2 Certification exams to become a Database Administrator (exams 500 and 501) so I can't give this book too bad a review. It did cover all the bases and was good to complement my operational experience with DB2.The book is organized into 3 sections, one section for each exam. Each section has multiple chapters which relate to that particular exam. At the end of each chapter are sample exam questions with the answers. Following the sample exam questions are exercises for you to complete on the computer. I found those quite helpful. But the negative to the book is that it is riddled with spelling, grammar, and even mathematical mistakes. That was frustrating to me since I tend to notice all such mistakes whether I want to or not. So my recommendation is to buy if you want to pass the exams. If you're looking to just get a good understanding of DB2 for Common Servers, I would also recommend it.