DB2 is IBM’s mainframe database for production systems and for reporting, where the performance level is critical. The book is a practical guide to assuring DB2 performance in a company’s operations. It describes database design and creation, table indexes, views, SQL in programs, access path selection, the EXPLAIN function, tuning, efficient programming and tuning, system tuning, application interfaces, Customer Information Control System (CICS) and Information Management System (IMS) interfaces, and remote database access. The book is neatly printed, logically organized, and easy to find one’s way around in. It would have benefitted from more graphical descriptions, such as schemes and charts, however.