Acknowledgments

The process of writing, editing and producing a technical book is time-consuming and laborious. Luckily, I had many understanding and helpful people to make the process much easier. First, I would like to thank the many folks who have reviewed and commented upon the text for each of the five editions. Chuck Kosin has served as technical editor for the last four editions of this book, and I know it is a much better text thanks to his eagle eye, technical acumen , and excellent suggestions. Willie Favero of IBM reviewed this fifth edition and his many excellent suggestions were tremendously helpful. Extra special thanks go out to my good friend Sheryl Larsen (www.smlsql.com) who not only reviewed all of the SQL portions of the book, but also allowed me to use several of her excellent access path diagrams. Bill Backs and Roger Miller have reviewed various past incarnations and editions of the manuscript and this book is much better thanks to their expert contributions, as well.

I would also like to thank the many people who provided suggestions for improvements on the first four editions of the book. I do read the email suggestions and comments sent to me by readers, so keep them coming.

Additionally, I'd like to extend my gratitude to the many understanding and patient folks at Sams who have worked with me on each of the five editions. And finally, a thank you to all of the people with whom I have worked at USX Corporation, Mellon Bank, ASSET, Inc., Barnett Technologies, Duquesne Light Company, Gartner Group, PLATINUM technology, inc. and BMC Software. This book is surely a better one due to the fine quality of my coworkers, each of whom has expanded my horizons in many different and satisfying ways.

If you have any questions or comments about this text, you can contact me at craig @craigsmullins.com or [e-mail]. For more DB2 information and news about future editions of this book, visit my Web site at http://www.CraigSMullins.com. You can also write to me in care of the publisher.