Book Review: DB2 9 Fundamentals

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Whether you want to obtain an IBM certified DB2 professional certification or simply become well-rounded in the fundamental concepts of DB2 and general database theory, this is your book.

Roger E. Sanders has created one of today's greatest technical certification books, DB2 9 Fundamentals, to prepare you for everything you need to know to become DB2 9 certified per IBM's standards.

Sanders kicks things off with a chapter dedicated to identifying the various types of DB2 professional certifications that are available and the professional roles at which each is aimed. He also walks you through the complete process of obtaining your certification, first taking you through the steps to register for the exam and then providing examples of what to expect on the exam in terms of its format. If you were at all wondering what to expect, then wonder no more: It's all clearly spelled out in his opening dialog!

In chapters 3 and 4, Sanders walks you through DB2 security and the different types of DB2 objects that exist, respectively. You learn all about the types of security roles and authentication mechanisms that DB2 provides out of the box. He also introduces each type of DB2 object (e.g., instances, schema, tables, indices, stored procedures, triggers, etc.), initially providing an easy-to-understand definition of the object, followed by the syntax to create and manage the object.

As a software engineer frequently working with database-related technology, chapters 5 and 6 are my personal favorites of the book. Sanders not only covers beginner's SQL syntax (CRUD statements, joins, etc.), but he also throws in some informative examples from which even the most advanced users can benefit (e.g., grouping data in several fashions using grouping sets in the statement's GROUP BY clause, all whilst only reading the data just once). Chapter 6 leads into an interesting discussion and overview of tables, views, constraints, and indexes, all of which are critical to anyone working with DB2 (or for that matter, any database). Using each one of these objects appropriately within any environment is crucial to delivering successful projects, and each is discussed with an astounding level of detail. He wraps things up in chapter 7 with a "straightforward" discussion on the complex topic of transaction management, making even the most complicated scenarios understandable.

At the end of each chapter, you are presented with a series of relevant questions that closely mimic those you are likely to see on exam day. And not to worry; the correct answers trail so that you can compare with your answers (this is definitely a nice feature).

In a nutshell, I strongly recommend this book to anyone looking to either obtain an IBM certified DB2 professional certification or become well-rounded in the fundamental concepts of DB2 and general database theory. You will be presented with well-written, comprehensive DB2 material covering DB2 on Linux, Unix, and Windows (LUW); DB2 on i5/OS; DB2 on z/OS; and all the intricacies in between. Be sure to order your copy today!

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