Sams Teach Yourself DB2 Universal Database in 21 Days

Rating:
Summary: DBAs aren't made in 21 days
Review: ...and certainly not by the tame treatment of DB2 database administration found in this tome. *Not* worth the money or time to read it....competing titles are much better to assist in learning DB administration.

Rating:
Summary: A practical quick introduction
Review: A very practical and focused book, that can quickly get you up and running with the basics of using dB2. There are two roles described here. One is that of the Database Administrator. You'd be the person to act as sysadmin of a dB2 database. Doing the install and later creating users with various privileges, and in general keeping an eye on things. Corresponds exactly to being sysadmin of a computer.

The second role is that of a dB2 user. Here, a user is really a programmer. She can be expected to design a database, and to then implement it in dB2.

One thing about the book is that it does not really emphasise a separation between the two roles in the overall narrative. Sure, some sections are exclusively for one role. But the overlap in knowledge is extensive. The book correctly requires you to know both roles, to be more effective in either. This is a key difference between dB2 and the general usage of a computer. For the latter, a sysadmin does not need to know the programming languages that a user-programmer has expertise in.

The discussion about SQL itself is pretty rudimentary. You get enough of the basics to be able to use these quickly in dB2, for simple applications. A pragmatic approach to SQL. Which is what the typical SAMS reader probably needs.

Rating:
Summary: Very comprehensive but can be improved
Review: It is a very good book to start learning DB2. However this book doesn't cover the client configuration issues on Unix platforms.

Wassim Saade

Oracle Certified DBA

Rating:
Summary: No way to learn the product in 21 days
Review: There is no way that this book will make you a good DBA in 21 days. It teaches very basic concepts but not enought to help a true DB2 DBA on the job.