Rating: 
Summary: Best book to learn SQL/400
Review: If I were teaching (or taking) a class on SQL/400, or just wanting to learn how to develop AS/400 database applications, this is _the_ book that I would want to use. The information needed to develop AS/400 SQL applications is available from other sources, but contained in hundreds of technical manuals, magazine articles, news group postings, and code examples (just to name a few sources). The authors have used their considerable knowledge and experiences to shorten the learning process for the reader by pulling together that information into a single place. I am especially impressed with the organization of material into manageable topics, the easy to read writing style, and numerous tips and techniques presented. I found reading this book more like reading a good novel and wanting to see what happens in the next chapter rather than reading a textbook. I have to admit however I live with this stuff every day. Having been an AS/400 database administrator for the past 10 years I can appreciate the amount of knowledge, experience and effort required to write a book of this kind. The only downside to this book that I found is that I would have liked to see more information about developing applications using JDBC, interfacing with Windows applications using ADO and ODBC, and serving AS/400 information via Web pages. I find an increasing part of my workload to be answering questions about these topics. A good majority of those questions however don't deal with language specific access mechanisms but rather from a lack of understanding about AS/400 specific features and database fundamentals, topics which are well covered in this book. After reading this book I do have one additional problem also. Now I need to buy a stack of these books to hand out to the numerous developers who cross my desk on a daily basis.
Rating: 
Summary: How to save yourself $65
Review: It's actually not an awful book - it's just really poorly organised, generously sprinkled with omissions and errors, and it doesn't provide any information you couldn't otherwise easily get from IBM's own AS/400 manuals, which are available online (http://publib.boulder.ibm.com). I've been using DB/2 on MVS mainframes since about 1984, and there are a number of well-written, well-organised texts on the subject, including Ranade's DB/2 book. Having started working recently with SQL/400, I really didn't need much help with DDL and DML basics - what I needed was an assist on learning the AS/400 equivalents of SPUFI and QMF, MVS's SQL user interfaces. The SQL/400 book wasn't much help. There was only a cursory discussion of ISQL (a watered-down kind of SPUFI), and I haven't yet come across a word about Query Manager. The index is really lacking, too - Ranade's book could serve the authors as an object lesson. In summary: Save yourself a nice wad of cash - and don't bother with this book.
Rating:
Summary: SQL for the 400/iSeries Cool!
Review: SQL the standard for data access is now presented in a AS400/iSeries user format. The differences that exist for the DB2/400 user are minor but significant enough to warrant 500 pages plus. Conte and Cravitz flood the text with real working examples that hit homeruns with the IBM midrange user. Yet, minus the sprinkling of RPG/ILE & Cobol code any DB2 user would find the text extremely helpful. Keep this book at the ready since it's a "quick grab" when questions come up regarding triggers, UDF's or Database Modeling and design. The Book is a great starting point for the AS400/iSeries guru looking to open their database to the outside world. With a solid SQL footing the JDBC mountain is a much easier climb. Conte & Cravitz keep up the great work!
Rating:
Summary: SQL for the 400/iSeries Cool!
Review: SQL the standard for data access is now presented in a AS400/iSeries user format. The differences that exist for the DB2/400 user are minor but significant enough to warrant 500 pages plus. Conte and Cravitz flood the text with real working examples that hit homeruns with the IBM midrange user. Yet, minus the sprinkling of RPG/ILE & Cobol code any DB2 user would find the text extremely helpful. Keep this book at the ready since it's a "quick grab" when questions come up regarding triggers, UDF's or Database Modeling and design. The Book is a great starting point for the AS400/iSeries guru looking to open their database to the outside world. With a solid SQL footing the JDBC mountain is a much easier climb. Conte & Cravitz keep up the great work!
Rating:
Summary: You have to read this book!
Review: SQL/400 Developer's Guide is an outstanding resource for anyone - beginners, students, programmers and database administrators - who needs to learn Structured Query Language and/or the AS/400 database - DB2 UDB/400. This is not another preachy, sleep inducing tome on database theory. It contains many practical examples you can implement immediately. You will learn to develop professional databases for real business applications. The authors are articulate and thorough in their coverage. It is obvious they "enjoy" database design and programming. We have waited a long time for such comprehensive coverage. This book was worth the wait!
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended
Review: This book is a good reference for AS/400 programmers who want to use SQL. I've found the answers to almost all my questions and lots of examples of good code. It doesn't cover JDBC programming much (just an overview), which I'd like to see. But the SQL/400 technical information goes from basics to advanced. Most of the embedded SQL examples are in RPG IV and use the latest release, which provides some neat coding techniques. The section on "soft coding" triggers is great! Overall, this is a very well done book that I highly recommend.
Rating:
Summary: Good bridge from DDS to SQL
Review: This book is about perfect for a programmer who knows AS/400 DDS but needs to move to SQL. It starts with the basics, and every SQL explanation is tied back to the "native" DB2/400 file system. This made it a lot easier for me to pick up SQL very quickly. The other big help is that the authors provide a lot of comments and examples on good SQL coding techniques. With my AS/400 background, I was able to move through the fundamentals very quickly and now feel like I can actually use SQL in some of my company's future applications. There are quite a number of topics beyong SQL, too. My favorite is a very cool "soft-coding" technique that uses some recent RPG IV features to simplify writing trigger programs. There is also very detailed information on security, which is a big topic in my company. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to any AS/400 programmer.
Rating:
Summary: Good bridge from DDS to SQL
Review: This book is about perfect for a programmer who knows AS/400 DDS but needs to move to SQL. It starts with the basics, and every SQL explanation is tied back to the "native" DB2/400 file system. This made it a lot easier for me to pick up SQL very quickly. The other big help is that the authors provide a lot of comments and examples on good SQL coding techniques. With my AS/400 background, I was able to move through the fundamentals very quickly and now feel like I can actually use SQL in some of my company's future applications. There are quite a number of topics beyong SQL, too. My favorite is a very cool "soft-coding" technique that uses some recent RPG IV features to simplify writing trigger programs. There is also very detailed information on security, which is a big topic in my company. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to any AS/400 programmer.
Rating:
Summary: Definitive work on SQL/400
Review: This book is required reading for new hires in my shop and our veteran programmers keep copies close at hand for ready reference. This is the ultimate guide to SQL on the AS/400 -- from database and SQL fundamentals to in-depth coverage of SQL programming and a top-notch treatment of data modeling and design principles.
Rating:
Summary: Definitive work on SQL/400
Review: This book is required reading for new hires in my shop and our veteran programmers keep copies close at hand for ready reference. This is the ultimate guide to SQL on the AS/400 -- from database and SQL fundamentals to in-depth coverage of SQL programming and a top-notch treatment of data modeling and design principles.
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