Foreword

Certification has taken the world by storm . The professional benefits are widely recognized. The certified DBA is not necessarily better at his or her job than the IT worker who is not certified, but one fact is clear: If you certify , you will certainly be a more skilled individual than before. And who doesn't want to be better at their job?

Certification is becoming the de facto standard measurement of skills. It guarantees prospective employers a base level of knowledge, so some now require it. But while we all need jobs, let me emphasize the personal sense of achievement that comes with certification. Working with the empowerment of heightened expertise is indeed a joy.

Once you've decided to certify, you confront the choice of which study materials to use. You're holding the best in your hands. Roger Sanders guided thousands of IT professionals to their certifications through his All-in-One DB2 Administration Exam Guide for DB2 Version 7. No other book did such a thorough, authoritative job of teaching candidates what they needed to know.

In this new DB2 Version 8 series of certification guides, Roger does it again. He focuses on what you need to know, avoiding the extraneous. He has a gift for explaining technical information in simple, direct fashion. No other author uses language in such a skillful way to get you to your goal.

I've used Roger's books not only to certify, but as reference guides to refer to again and again. Their value stretches far beyond simply achieving certification, worthy as that goal may be.

You have the key to DB2 in your hands. Use your newfound knowledge wisely!

”Howard  Fosdick,
Independent  consultant  and  founder  and  former  President,  
International  DB2  Users  Group  and  the  Midwest  Database  Users  Group