How To Use This Book

This book serves as a tour guide for your adventurous journey through the world of DB2. Of course, you can read the book from cover to cover. The book's usefulness does not diminish after your initial reading, however. It is probably best used as a reference text for your daily workings with DB2.

The book is organized to function in both capacities . Each chapter deals with a particular subject and references other chapters or DB2 manuals when appropriate. In short, the book is designed to optimize the performance of both planned and ad hoc access, much like DB2!

Supplementary chapters and appendixes not included in the printed book are available online. Go to www.samspublishing.com and type the book's ISBN ( 0672326132 ) into the Search field to go to the DB2 Developer's Guide page. In the Table of Contents, these chapters have the designation "PDF" along with their page numbers. The same format is used in the Index, to indicate page numbers from the chapters and appendixes on the Web.

So turn the page and let's begin our exploration of the inner depths of DB2 together.