Database Design and Programming for DB2/400 [Paperback]

Paul Conte (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1998

Paul Conte, a leading DB2/400 authority with extensive application development experience, provides easy-to-follow instruction in the proper way to create efficient, flexible databases on the AS/400. His explanations and advice assure that you'll handle your design and coding challenges with confidence and professional-level techniques. This book provides complete coverage of both DDS, the traditional approach to defining DB2/400 files, and of SQL/400, the industry-standard database language that is IBM's strategic language for the future of DB2/400. With this text, you can be sure of handling not only existing application databases, but also developing new SQL/400 databases. These skills will put you in the forefront of AS/400 application developers. Database Design and Programming for DB2/400 also provides an excellent introduction to practical database design techniques. You get a solid introduction to the relational database model, which underlies the whole DB! 2/400 architecture and the SQL language. On that foundation, the book explains a step-by-step method of modeling an organization's database requirements and developing a design for the necessary database files. The text is designed for college-level courses and for independent study. Each chapter has numerous examples and exercises. The material is organized into four parts - DDS, database design, SQL, and advanced DB2/400 features - so you can focus on particular topics as needed. Appendices provide extensive reference material. You can use the book as your single DB2/400 resource, eliminating the need for many IBM manuals. You will find Database Design and Programming for DB2/400 immediately useful, whether you're just beginning to learn DB2/400 or you are an experienced developer. You will turn to this book time and time again for advice on the best way to design and program DB2/400 databases.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Database Design and Programming for DB2/400 is a comprehensive introduction to the design and implementation of application databases on IBM's AS/400. This clear and authoritative text teaches you the following essential skills:

Coding Data Description Specifications (DDS) for physical and logical files

Entering CL commands to create DB2/400 files from DDS

Using field reference files

Accessing database files from RPG IV, RPG/400, COBOL/400, and other AS/400 high-level languages

The Relational Database Model as a foundation for DB2/400 and database design

Practical database design and data modeling

Using SQL/400 to define and access database files

Advanced DB2/400 features (including commitment control, the Open Query File command, database constraints, triggers, distributed database access, and others)

Database security

Data backup and recovery

About the Author

Paul Conte is president of Picante Software, Inc., a software development company in Eugene, Oregon. He’s also a senior technical editor for NEWS/400 magazine. Paul is a widely published expert on database systems, database design, software engineering, and programming languages. He’s considered a leading authority on DB2/400, and his articles have appeared in NEWS/400, Database Programming & Design, Computer Language, and numerous other publications. Paul also consults and speaks frequently on database issues. Paul has developed applications on a variety of platforms and relational DBMS, including the AS/400, S/38, S/370, DEC, and PCs with DB2, Oracle, Ingres, and Access. He is the principle architect and developer of several commercial software products, including Flex/EDIT, a widely used Windows-based AS/400 programmer’s workbench. Paul has a B.A. in psychology from Georgia State University and an M.S. in computer science from the University of Oregon. He served on the University of Oregon faculty for eight years and ran his own consulting firm before starting Picante Software.

Product Details

• Paperback: 600 pages
• Publisher: 29th Street Press (January 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1882419065
• ISBN-13: 978-1882419067
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.5 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,999,578 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #35 in Books > Computers & Technology > Databases > Specific Databases

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have !, February 7, 1999

By 

Rolf André (Hünenberg ZG, Switzerland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Database Design and Programming for DB2/400 (Paperback)

I wish I had this book as soon as it was published. After programming on the S/38 and the AS/400 (in RPG) for over 14 years now (with some interruptions), I consider this one the best AS/400-related computing book I have purchased - ever! And compared to other computer books, well, if only that kind of quality would be available on other topics as well more frequently, either DBMS's or programming languages. The book saved one of my clients hours of work: with no previous SQL knowledge but having this book they were able to do some work with SQL that otherwise would have required them to write a program. Another client (and myself for my own system) took advantage of the chapters on Referential Integrity. If you're serious about accessing your data on your DB2/400 database, you owe it to yourself to buy this book !

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Encore! Encore!, November 13, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Database Design and Programming for DB2/400 (Paperback)

It has become my daily Bible in my job as an AS/400 DBA. Even after reading the whole book last winter, I still seem to read a passage from it everytime I need inspiration on doing something new or different (or that I can't remember how it is done) with DB2/400.

I am looking to modernize our AS/400 database development with the latest modeling tools and functions without disrupting the traditional DDS-centric RPG development efforts of my programmer customers. I serve customers in dozens of countries with varying levels of SQL/400 knowledge, but being an ex-mainframe DBA, I appreciate the effort IBM has placed into DB2/400 (or "DB2 for AS/400") into giving it mainframe-DB2-like capabilities. I am hoping Paul Conte will come up with a new edition of this book for OS/400 V4.3 because I would love to see these issues addressed in the same manner that DB2/400 V3.6 is presented in this book. Maybe even a chapter devoted to interoperability issues between DDS and SQL/400 and why/how to make the migration would be splendid.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding work!! Both my thumbs are up., September 5, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Long Beach, Ca.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Database Design and Programming for DB2/400 (Paperback)

This is the best work on the subject available today. Paul obviously put his heart, soul and considerable talent into this book. It's hard to believe that a book so filled with useful information is available at the rather low price of $75. ----small errata---- There's an error on page 410, 2nd paragraph. The sentence which starts out "Although the SQL precompiler requires Declare Cursor statements to be coded in the procedureal part of a program..." is not true for Cobol. Cobol allows you to put Declare Cursor in the Working-Storage Section as well.