Preface

IBM Information Management System (IMS) is one of the world's premiere software products. Period. IMS is not in the news and is barely mentioned in today's computer science classes, but it has been and, for the foreseeable future, will continue to be, a major, crucial component of the world's software infrastructure.

From its beginnings with NASA, IMS has provided the foundation that enables government agencies and businesses to manage, access, manipulate, and exploit their vast stores of data. As the Information Age evolves and matures, so does IMS.

The purpose of this book is twofold.

• To introduce IMS to those who have not yet heard about it and provide basic education about this cornerstone product.

• To reintroduce IMS to the computer science field in general.