About the Authors

Raul F. Chong is a DB2 Information Developer with the Application Development Solutions team at the IBM Toronto Lab. He has recently taken over this new role and is responsible for developing sample programs and DB2 documentation for Web Services and CLI. Raul has seven years of experience at IBM, three of them in DB2 Technical Support helping and resolving customer problems on the Linux, UNIX, Windows, OS/390, and z/OS platforms, and four years as a consultant specializing in database application development, performance tuning, and migrations from other relational database management systems to DB2. Raul has taught many DB2 technical workshops, published numerous articles, and has contributed to the DB2 Certification exam tutorials. Raul holds a B.S. in computer science from the University of Toronto and is a DB2 Certified Solutions Expert in both DB2 Administration and Application Development. Raul is also a coauthor of the book DB2® SQL PL: Essential Guide for DB2® UDB on Linux®, UNIX®, Windows®, i5/OS™, and z/OS®.

Clara Liu works for the IBM Toronto Laboratory as a database consultant. In the past five years Clara has worked with a wide variety of IBM partners and customers on projects utilizing DB2 Universal Database. She specializes in database application development and integration of new technologies with DB2. She is also the coauthor of two other books: DB2® Express: Easy Development and Administration and DB2® SQL PL: Essential Guide for DB2® UDB on Linux®, UNIX®, Windows®, i5/OS™, and z/OS®. In addition to working with DB2, Clara has several on-going projects, such as "Scuba Diving 101" and "Karaoke in the Basement."

Sylvia Qi is a senior DB2 Support Analyst at the IBM Toronto Lab. She has over five years of working experience in the DB2 engine and tools areas, supporting customers worldwide. Sylvia is also a contributing author to IBM developerWorks, the IBM technical resource Web site. Sylvia holds a B.S. in computer science from McGill University and is an IBM Certified Solution Expert in DB2 Administration.

Dwaine R. Snow is a senior product manager for DB2 UDB for Linux, UNIX, and Windows and focuses on competitive technologies. Dwaine has worked with DB2 UDB for the past fourteen years, as part of the development team focusing on the database engine and tools, the development of the DB2 Certification program, and as part of the lab-based consulting team. Dwaine has presented at conferences worldwide, contributed to the DB2 tutorial series, and has written a number of articles and coauthored books on DB2 including the Advanced DBA Certification Guide and Reference for DB2® Universal Database for Linux, UNIX, and Windows, DB2® UDB for Windows, The DB2® Cluster Certification Guide, and the second edition of the DB2® Certification Guide for Linux, UNIX, and Windows. Dwaine is a DB2 Certified Solutions Expert in both Database Administration and Application Development as well as a Certified Advanced Database AdministratorDB2 Universal Database V8.1 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows. He has also worked extensively onsite with customers in planning and implementing both transaction-based and data warehouse systems.